10 Movies Ruined By Impossible Expectations

2. The Hobbit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTSoD4BBCJc What We Expected: Another stunning fantasy masterpiece from Peter Jackson after releasing three near-universally acclaimed entries into the Lord of the Rings franchise a decade ago. With more of Tolkein's material to draw from, it should be a sure thing, though with the announcement that The Hobbit was being split into two films, and then three, as well as the inclusion of 3D, there was definitely a little consternation amid all the excitement. What We Got: An unremarkable but moderately enjoyable film that in no way lived up to the standards of the Rings films, and that's precisely the point. People went in hoping for another Rings film, and so Peter Jackson tailored the story of The Hobbit, which really isn't that epic at all, to become more of a set-piece driven adventure story. The result was awkward and clunky, with far too much filler and not enough narrative meat. It made it clear that splitting the film into three was just a crass cash-grab, and has significantly lowered our expectations for The Desolation of Smaug, so hopefully we won't get stung like this again.