J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” doesn’t need to be split into three movies. Even with extra material from various appendices in the mix, I worry another nine hours of hobbits, dwarves, wizards and orcs won’t be able to match the excitement of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

That said, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” is a good step in proving me wrong.

Minus the occasional meandering, the first segment in Peter Jackson’s new trilogy provides enough thrills and meaningful character moments to justify its existence, even if the heroes of the film are nowhere close to completing their quest across Middle Earth. (more…)