In my excitement and the highest anticipation for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I couldn't contain myself so I stopped by Metacritic to check out what the critics are saying (yes, I still think it's important to find out what they are saying before I see a movie... any movie).

Well, the flick premiered New Zealand, New York and several locations across the globe (whose names don't begin with "New"), and already the first wave of reviews is in.

Surprisingly enough, The Hobbit didn't pick up rave reviews as Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

"Jackson and his team seem compelled to flesh out the world of their earlier trilogy in scenes that would be better left to extended-edition DVDs (or omitted entirely), all but failing to set up a compelling reason for fans to return for the second installment," writes Variety.

While Total Film offered a more affirmative view: "As epic, grandiose, and emotionally appealing as the previous pictures, The Hobbit doesn't stray far from the mold, but it's a thrilling ride that's one of the most enjoyable, exciting and engaging tentpoles of the year."

Oh I'll definitely be watching this, make no mistake about that. Too much of a fan, I'm afraid. Still, I dunno. Maybe we need to give it a bit more time. After all, there are still two movies in the making.