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Remember the Rankin Bass animated version of the Hobbit? Unexpected Journey is about the same... with slightly fewer songs. Ya know, I don't remember the story being so "Gandalf Ex Machina" but he LITERALLY leaves the group only to return exactly when they need him the most. Trolls (he brings the sunlight); Goblin King (he busts up their captors); Orc King (here come the eagles...)

I could understand if he was tricking off with Galadriel, but there doesn't seem to be any rationale (other than to create false dramatic tension) for him to keep dipping out. Stay with the dwarves, Gandy! It's clear they don't have a chance without you.

Also, H:UJ feels a LOT more CGI than the LOTR flicks. Most of the close-up goblins and orcs were practical effects in LOTR. Here, you have a LOT more talking characters as CGI creations... the aforementioned trolls are CGI, King Orc (and sub orcs), CGI; all the goblins, including the over-blubbery king (similar to the fat Gungan in the execrable Phantom Menace)... Serkis was great as Gollum, of course, but I missed the flesh and blood Uruk-Hai from the other movies.

About as thrilling as Fellowship... Hard to understand how they stretch this little novel into 9 hours of cinema...

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