Two nights ago, my Dad, brother, and I hopped into the car and drove half an hour to see a movie that I had been anticipating for about seven years. Hopes were high, though not irrationally so— having seen the Lord of the Rings films various times, I knew basically what to expect. The classic tale, originally intended for younger audiences, would be intensified, the battles epically portrayed, and some plot lines twisted, with the movie’s contents set against the incredible backdrop that is New Zealand, and unfolding to the magical sounds created by Howard Shore. I was trying to maintain realistic expectations, despite the building excitement

As the words “in a hole, in the ground, lived a hobbit,” echoed through the speakers and filled the theater, I could feel a cry of delight bubbling up within me. To hear those words that had been so influential in my life, those words that I had read, and then mocked, and then come to cherish as time passed, finally being brought to life on the silver screen and played out in a full-length film was sensational.

Unfortunately, this warm, fuzzy feeling didn’t last for very long. Martin Freeman’s Bilbo was incredible, and there certainly were quite a few highlights. The scene with the dwarves at Bag End, singing Tolkien’s song about going to the Lonely Mountain to “seek their long forgotten gold” was a rare and special moment, as was the “Riddles in the Dark” sequence. Other high points included the character of Balin the Dwarf, whose kind, friendly spirit towards Bilbo was captured beautifully, Elrond, who was portrayed much better in this film than the last ones, the scenery and musical score (fantastic, as always), the early scene with Frodo and Bilbo, which was pleasant and endearing, and the spectacular glimpse of Smaug’s eye at the end. These highlights were enough to keep the film from being terrible, and proved that Peter Jackson did not entirely forget the charm and beauty of Tolkien’s book.

However, for each positive, there was also a negative that kept the movie from being fantastic. I had a real problem with aspects of Thorin’s personality. Yes, establishing his passion and his pride was important, but I feel that these character traits were misinterpreted, which resulted in an arrogant, smug, judgmental Thorin instead of a lofty, proud, yet honest one. Radagast the Brown was horrible. As a character- on his own- he was okay, but as a representation of Tolkien’s character, he was beyond disappointing. I had always pictured Radagast the Brown as being very St. Francis-like, which is quite believable, considering Tolkien’s strong Catholicism, and Radagast’s connection to animals. I pictured him being capable of ecstasy, but also seriousness, communicating gently with the animals, living simply, and being very much in touch with the goings-on of the world through his spirituality. Instead, the film presents what seems like an attempt to mix Tom Bombadil’s humorous peculiarities with the habits of a scatterbrained fool. The result is not pretty, and instead of being a charming, whimsical addition to the film, it was an out-of-place distraction. The dwarves’ rude behavior towards Bilbo when they arrived unannounced at his hobbit hole was uncalled for, and Gandalf’s fascinating personality dimmed. The outrageous stunts during the fight with the Goblin King, and the gross misrepresentation of the scene with Thorin and Company up in the trees, trying to escape the Wargs, were painful disasters. I mean, as soon as I saw the millions of goblins lining the enormous cavern where the dwarves were taken captive, I immediately started thinking, “Are they really going to have thirteen dwarves and one hobbit escape from this unscathed? Come on!” And how far did they fall on the bridge without getting hurt? Please…

One of the worst mistakes made in this movie was the exploitation of Bilbo’s character development. His transition from being a respectable Baggins, whose Tookish pride sent him on a “wretched adventure”, who missed his nice hobbit hole and comfortable life, who so loved the company of the Elves in Rivendell, who had never killed a thing in his life until his solitary battle with the spider in Mirkwood, who was marked with incredible luck, but who, by the end of the tale, was shown to have become quite a brave and admirable fellow, is totally lost. Though I love Freeman’s portrayal of Bilbo, it’s a shame that Peter Jackson ruined the character’s growth in this way.

Overall, despite my negative comments, I did enjoy the film. My hopes for the next one are high, for I feel like- now that they’ve got the scene set- character development won’t have to be put on the back burner any more. Considering all of the expectations this movie had to meet, and all the build- up preceding it, I’d say that Peter Jackson did quite well, and am looking forward to seeing “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” next year.