“The Hobbit,” the shortest of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth works, is a simple story. In it, a group of 13 dwarves drag the titular hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, on a quest to reclaim their mountain home of Erebor from the dastardly dragon Smaug. Director and producer Peter Jackson, after his great success adapting “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy into films a decade ago, returns with a new vision, although one that is both limited by — and fails to measure up to — his previous efforts.
