The Hobbit: A Review

I don't often review books, and I never review movies, but in this case, I'm going to make an exception.

I give Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey five stars, two thumbs up, an A+, or whatever uber-positive rating you wish. Tolkien's work has always been near and dear to my heart, and I've read it all, from the Simarillion to the Lost Tales. I first read The Hobbit when I was seven. At the time, I enjoyed it for the adventure story it was, taking little thought to the larger picture of Tolkien's intricate, richly detailed world.

If Peter Jackson had stuck to just the words contained within The Hobbit, he would have ended up with a kid's movie that seemed barely related to the events of The Lord of the Rings. But he didn't contain his vision of Tolkien's world, for which I am profoundly grateful. Instead, he drew on other sources, such as the Simarillion, The Lord of the Rings, The Unfinished Tales, and the many reams of notes and thoughts that Tolkien left behind that were never published. He took this matieral and presented The Hobbit to us in the context of the greater whole. Much more was going on in Middle Earth than Bilbo's adventure, and Jackson brought this to light and life.

 
Purists might argue that he should have stuck to the book, and nothing but the book. That's already been done, and the cartoon version of The Hobbit is laughable. What Peter Jackson gave us was The Hobbit grown up and as spectacular, in its way, as his version of The Lord of the Rings. I highly recommend this movie, and I can't wait until next December.