So, I have actually read the book. It is the only Tolkien book I have ever been able to get to the end of. When it was announced they were going to make it into three movies I had a good idea of where the breaks were going to be for each movie. And I had serious trepidation about the things from the LotR appendixes and the Silmarillion that were going to used to pad these movies. Because seriously...seriously this story would have fit perfectly in a two three hour movie format. In fact, as much as I loved the LotR movies, I thin The Hobbit could have been easily made into one movie, with maybe a nice extended translation for the nerds who have to have everything.

Anyway, in regards to the silliness, that is totally correct. The Hobbit was written for children. It was meant to be a little silly. That's why there are so many songs in it. Like a fantasy musical. I know why they add the serious bits, because as a film this is a prequel and they feel the need to beat you over the head with things you already know.

I'm not that big a fan of the movies so far. They're pretty, and I want to see all the special features about the costuming and weaponry other than that...meh. To be fair I felt about the same way about the book. The movie does a better job of making Bilbo sympathetic. In the book he's just a whiner (though by the end he is less whiny). Some of the dwarves are also more sympathetic and that is helpful because in the book they are ungrateful jerks. The Mirkwood elves are the bitchiest things ever. And the humans...Well, I feel bad for Bard and the entire town.

We'll see how things go with the next movie. I'm trying to figure out how that will get stretched out to the massive length it needs to be.

Turiel the elf that does not exist in the books is for me, the one bright spot of the movie. I like her I wish she had been in the book. I'd like her to meet up with Eowyn and convince her to run away into the woods with her because boys are dumb. This is clearly the fan fic writer in me dreaming big dreams. But it would make a better story I think.

I liked your alternate titles by the way. Spot on.

It's okay. I'll have sex with Benedict Cumberbatch's voice in your stead. I can take that one for the team.

I enjoyed it, but I don't have anything really smart to say about it as usual. Sometimes everything was sliiiightly over the top for me, but over all it was about the same as the first one was for me: fun but not life-changingly epic. Though that dragon stuff was all pretty spectacular.