Sylvester McCoy's Radagast is too much like Jar Jar Binks, a review says. Photo/Mark Mitchell
Sylvester McCoy's Radagast is too much like Jar Jar Binks, a review says. Photo/Mark Mitchell
The Hobbit "runs rings" around other blockbusters despite one of its characters having too much in common with the reviled Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks, an early review says.
The New York Daily News has posted its take on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ahead of theDecember 3 embargo placed on New Zealand reviewers.
It has fulsome praise for director Peter Jackson, who is called the "one real wizard in Middle Earth".
In The Hobbit, the film auteur has created a "dazzling" epic, the review says.
"The [film] runs rings around most special-effects driven blockbusters."
Jackson is also praised for filming the movie at 48 frames per second (fps), rather than the industry standard 24fps.
"Alas, the higher resolution has one downside: it really makes you wince when you see the obscenely corpulent Goblin King in such crystal clarity."
The only criticism is reserved for a tangential subplot involving the wizard Radagast the Brown, who is played by former Doctor Who actor Sylvester McCoy.
His buffoonery at times "descends into Jar Jar Binks territory", the review says.
It says the movie is lighter and funnier than the Lord of the Rings films, but remains faithful to the fantasy world created by JRR Tolkien.
