Most people hate fantasy. I understand this – I don’t like much of it myself.

I am not sure exactly why I don’t like much of it, but I think for most people it is because it serves to painfully highlight the shortcomings and failures of their own lives.

But as I read review after review trashing The Hobbit, I thought most of them were rather likely coming from a perspective of hating fantasy than any particular flaws in the movie per se.

Oh, I am quite sure The Hobbit is not nearly as good as the other Lord of the Rings movies. In my opinion the first hour-and-a-half of The Fellowship of the Ring is the finest bit of moviemaking ever committed to film, and is likely never to be exceeded.

So walking into the theater expecting that is therefore likely to result in disappointment.

The fact is, I’d much have preferred the original idea for the Lord of the Rings prequels, which were to diverge from The Hobbit and to follow Gandalf’s adventures during the years between the first defeat of Sauron and his resurgence. That would have been amazing.

But do read this review and this review which I suspect are more fair to The Hobbit than the others trashing it.

I’ll let you know when I see the film myself.