'The Hobbit' Reviews: What Are The Critics Saying?
by Shannon Keirnan
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” has finally hit theaters—but does it live up to the hype?
The reviews seem split; some see a lot of potential in Peter Jackson’s first of three films. However, plenty of critics agree on one thing: spreading the “Hobbit” into three films has spread our dear Bilbo a bit too far.
Plucked from Rotten Tomatoes, here’s a few of the good:
“Happily, despite all of the technical details, ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ is exciting, tantalizing, and satisfying.” –Jeffery M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
“Precisely what an adventure epic should be: huge, long, and lots of fun.” –Scott Weinberg, Geek Nation
“A few extemporaneous Lord of the Rings elements distract from ‘The Hobbit’ storyline but Jackson has presented a captivating and exciting return to Middle Earth.” –Ben Kendrick, Screen Rant
And some of the not-so-good:
“’The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ is like 90 minutes of flirting, an hour of foreplay, and no sex. In other words, it’s just, but not entirely satisfying.” –Mike McGranaghan, Aisle Seat
“There’s no denying the majesty in Peter Jackson’s visuals but he’s taken a relatively slim children’s book and stretched it beyond the limits.” –Richard Roeper, RichardRoeper.com
“Well, that was the longest video game trailer I have ever seen. No, seriously, are you going to show the real film now?” –Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
“Instead of simply adapting Tolkien's novel, Jackson has opted to use the story as a jumping off point for a convoluted prequel that threatens to do for Middle Earth what George Lucas's Star Wars prequels did for a galaxy far, far away.” –Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
“This is hobbit cordial, one part juice to nine parts water.” –Ed Whitfield, The Ooh Tray
Does this deter you or will you still be donning your best gray cape and standing in line for tickets?
If you’ve seen the movie, what’s your verdict?