That's not the director's fault, but it does point to the difficulty of adapting this book. I missed the days of the Fellowship, where each race was represented and each character had its flaws as well as its destiny to fulfill. Perhaps we'll get to know Dwalin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur and Bofur in subsequent films. Otherwise, aside from fat Bombur (Stephen Hunter), a source of comic relief, the other ten seem more or less interchangeable. With more lines to speak than the others, the white-bearded Balin (Ken Stott) also feels fully fleshed-out. As dwarf-in-chief, Thorin is given a revenge-infused backstory, pulling us back to a sepia-toned flashback sequence about the fall of Erebor and the kingdom of the Lonely Mountain his pain and motivation to get revenge makes his character meaty. But despite the enormous running time of this first episode - coming in at a whopping 2 hours and 50 minutes – we don't get to know each dwarf very well. The designers at Weta Workshop have done a fine job making them each look different. Rather, the trouble is making each dwarf distinguishable from the next. To me, I was happy to get to know more of Bilbo's digs, and his character. Some reviewers have complained about the pace – that it takes half an hour just to get out of Bilbo's door. After some consternation, Bilbo signs the contract. They tumble through the round green door. Newcomers to the franchise include a 60-years-younger Bilbo, played by Martin Freeman, and the 13 dwarves, who arrive mysteriously on Bilbo's doorstep, led by Thorin Oakenshield (hunky Viggo-in-waiting Richard Armitage).
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