17. Dense Prologue
The Hobbit begins with a lengthy prologue section, similar to the one that we saw in Fellowship of the Ring, which basically goes on to explain the Hobbits, Middle Earth and the Dwarves. In Tolkein's book, the various information we're inundated with during the film's opening act are spread out throughout the story, drip-fed at convenient moments rather than bombarding us with all the pertinent information in one hurried go, such that we really struggle to take much of it in. It's not even like Jackson has the excuse of wanting to breeze through the preambles so he can get on with telling a brisk story; he could have broken into the action with flashbacks throughout the film and it would have helped the film naturally feel longer and better paced while also being more in tune with the source material. As we needed to know things, Tolkein would tell us, whereas Jackson just throws it all in our face at the start and as a result, likely blindsides anyone who is not familiar with the novel.