https://pjmedia.com/spengler/2012/12/16/a-worthy-hobbit/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 01:11:47 -0400<![CDATA[Peter Jackson&#8217;s first of three Hobbit films took a thrashing from the critics, who disliked the effect produced the new 48-frames-per-second projection system. This makes everything a bit too clear, a bit too smooth, such that sets and costumes seemed artificial to some. It is off-putting at first. Halfway through the film, though, I suddenly thought, &#8220;This is the way I saw the world when I was a child!&#8221; There are many wonderful things about Jackson&#8217;s film, of which the choice of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins stands at the top of my list; unlike the listless Elijah Wood, a boy playing the role of the middle-aged Frodo in the &#8220;Ring&#8221; trilogy, Freeman is a grown-up. He is a master of English understatement but also an actor of great range, and he carries the film brilliantly. As in the Rings trilogy the sets and settings are marvelous. Especially gratifying was the inclusion of many of Tolkien&#8217;s poems with affecting settings by Howard Shore.]]>Sun, 16 Dec 2012 08:52:54 -0500<![CDATA[David P. Goldman]]>https://pjmedia.com/david-p-goldman/2012/12/16/a-worthy-hobbit-n131126