[Morthoron]

Fortunately, The Hobbit has a very linear plot which should save it from many of the pitfalls of the three LotR movies. To me, FotR was the best of the three, simply because it too was a linear tale, and did not have as many of Jackson's flights of fancy festooned about TTT and RotK (and particularly in TTT, which was a veritable mushroom patch of flagrant plot-foolery).

The Hobbit plot traces a journey from inception (and normalcy) to high adventure and danger and then returns (I guess you should call it 'There and Back Again', indeed), and since the story does not rebound from one set of characters to another, then perhaps del Toro can concentrate on the essence of Tolkien's tale, rather than hatching half-baked digressions and jarring plot devices which were wholly unnecessary in LotR. I am thankful for little things, however. Like someone having the presence of mind to talk Jackson out of having Arwen playing Xena the Warrior-Elfette in Rohan, or Aragorn battling Sauron single-handed at the Black Gates. That these deviations were discussed at all chills my respect for Jackson and his effort.

Perhaps it is better that he meddles less in the movie while playing his role as Louis B. Lucas: Movie Mogul.