In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit

This past weekend, I got to see the movie "The Hobbit." And it was simply fantastic. Sure it had it's flaws. But don't all movies?

From what I understand, the movie differed quite a bit from the actual book by J. R. R. Tolken. Many LotR fans are not happy about that. But you also have to see it from the perspective of those who haven't seen the movie. Sure, a lot has been left out, but would it really have contributed to the story? It may have just confused those of us who aren't quite as well read.

The second complaint I've heard a lot is that it's very long. And it was. But they already sacrificed accuracy to the book. I think it's only fair that we give them a bit more time. I don't really think there was a huge lot that they could have cut and still had it make sense. 

The last complaint I know of is that it doesn't have enough action. However, this movie wasn't really about the action. It was about character development. It was introducing  the viewer to the characters, in hopes that they'd have already seen the other movies or would choose to go see them. They did do a good job of incorporating action/battles/fighting into the movie, I thought. They made it suspenseful, had you on the edge of your seat for most of it. They do remember who they are trying to cater to. But they also wanted to keep those who aren't expecting or wanting a bunch of fighting happy. It's quite courteous. 

Overall, I thought the movie was very well done. I've seen the other movies, though long ago, and this one really fit in well. It was a true "LotR" movie. It was essentially the prequel to the first Lord of the Rings movie, or if you really want to get technical about it, the prequel to the first Lord of the Rings book. It really gave some good background that helped me understand the characters in the later movies better and it gave me key connection points where I thought, "Hey, that was in the other movie(s)!"