A quest is a trip to accomplish a task. An adventure is a trip without a destination. A journey is when the trip is more important than the destination. In “The Hobbit,” Bilbo Baggins goes on the most legendary journey of his life, which set in motion the events leading up to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Visually, “The Hobbit” is excellent. The special effects are phenomenal, and the acting is superb. The company of 13 dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard are brilliantly cast.

However, the film is flawed. Following the fashion of hit-movie, moneymaking films such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and “Breaking Dawn,” “The Hobbit” will be split into multiple films as well.

But unlike these two-film hits, “The Hobbit” is stepping up the game and splitting one book into three feature-length films. This is something that I do not particularly care for, because it calls for unnecessary additions to the plot line that were not initially in the book.

The movie is roughly three hours, but I can not say that I enjoyed all of it. About half of the action in the film is not in any part of the book. If it is not part of the story J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, then why include it?

The answer is simple; it is all about the money. To fill three full movies, random junk is added to the story line, because of the need to fill three movies, all for the purpose of milking one book for all of the money it is worth.

What actually comes from the book is flawless. I love the beginning, the characters, and the portrayal of Smaug, the dragon. The parts from the book are exactly as they should have been, just like the book I loved as a kid.

At the end of “The Hobbit” (the novel), the legacy of the Baggins family is forever changed by Bilbo’s journey, leading into Frodo’s journey in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Quite unfortunately, we’ll all be waiting two more three-hour films to get to that point in “The Hobbit.” This will definitely be a long journey on camera, and hopefully a worthwhile one.