16. Too Much Time In The Shire
Tying into the above complaint, the opening section of the film goes on for
far too long, as Gandalf and the Dwarves thoroughly annoy Bilbo while trying to convince him to join them on their quest. Much of the fat that could be trimmed is obvious; get rid of the daft gags, and the entire scene in which the Dwarves dine at Bilbo's home could be cut down to a short montage. Also, do we really need the songs? Get rid of all this and the film is already about 20 minutes shorter, and that's before we've even put the scissors to the excessive Rivendell section that occurs mid-film. Despite the fact that Jackson is seemingly unable to make a film running in at a reasonable 120 minutes these days, there were very palpable circumstances under which An Unexpected Journey could have been a lean, efficient 2-hour adventure.