El Hobbit

From the position of once a truly devoted, and even perhaps annoying to others, yet now perhaps deserving J.R.R. Tolkien fan, I still have to give it three stars despite many incomprehensible scenes. The Hobbit is not a bad movie, but compared to Peter Jackson's trilogies or the actual book mythology, it obviously doesn't hold up and should be taken only as a standalone fairy tale with a nod to the knowledgeable ones. Gandalf, Bilbo, and the dwarves are fine, as are the songs, because adapting Tolkien himself with all his digressions is no joke. But if you're going to turn Gollum into a crossbreed of an alien and a frog, twist the noble elves into greenish creatures, and turn Sméagol into an oversized jackal, then the impression of a pleasant adaptation is suddenly gone. Not to mention that the bearded Elrond with stars around his head will haunt me in my dreams. (11.09.2006)