So, I've seen it

The good: Overall great stuff, interesting scenes (Necromancer, white council) and great to see a lot of Gandalf.
About 48 FPS and 3D, less motionblur and superb image quality, no downsides for me.

The bad:
- Goblin king quote when he gets chopped by Gandalf... really lame.
- Way too much gold lying around in Erebor, it's nothing compared to scrooge McDuck's warehouse.
- The troll scene is just too silly for me.
- Stone giants just came out of nowhere.
- You really dont get to know the dwarves, like half of them dont even speak in the film.

I would have loved to see more background info on the dwarves in the company, the stone giants and goblin town. It kinda feels like theyre stumbling from one actionscene to another.

It needs to sink in but overall: Love it, but a little less action and more background info would take it to another level.

I'd like to hear what you guys think about it!

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and tell me its half movie part 1 or entire movie?

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We never really got to know that much background info on the Fellowship in the LotR movies, but we came to love each and everyone. Maybe they just need a couple more movies for us to get to know them. Also, having there be 13 dwarves, who as a race are all pretty much like Gimli, won't help the individualness.

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I did like how, in contrast to the novel, the background of the quest and the Dwarven society in general was given. Some of the charm from the novel came across really well (e.g. the 'good morning' bit between Gandalf and Bilbo).

I loved the designs for Erebor, Thror, Elrond's armour and Thranduil's steed. That will make a very impressive miniature. I'd also like to see Grimhammer Dwalin with mohawk.

Here's hoping for an extended edition on DVD next year. More background, BTS stuff, and stills to base paint schemes on.

I was very taken with the vast amount of information on the Kingdom of Erebor in the beginning of the movie. The scenes were beautiful and I enjoyed how the movie got off to a quick start that tied it in with the old movies. I think PJ did a great job of unfolding Thorins story without having him sitting in Bilbo's livingroom for half an hour talking

Overall I'm very satisfied with the movie, the only thing I didn't care for was the 48 fps-thing. I've never been a fan of HD Tv either, so I guess I had that coming. It just looks too, real... I dunno.

I will see the movie tomorrow (Thursday) but I listened to the entire special edition soundtrack today. There are definite references to themes used in LotR (unsurprising), but Howard Shore has added variations and extensions to these that are appealing (to me anyway). The new stuff is great - the themes built around the 'Misty Mountains' song were revealed in the trailers and I like them even more now that I have heard them all the way through.
This may sound nerdy, but for me an appropriate and emotive soundtrack is important in any film, regardless of the genre. I don't know if any of you saw Red Tails but I went on the strength of the trailer (and knowing some of the history) and I liked the music from the trailer. So it was very disappointing that not one bleeding note of it appeared in the film. Nada.
Anyways, really looking forward to tomorrow afternoon. T minus 14 hours and small change....

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Just watched it, no review just some impressions/thoughts, overall: I loved it. Want the second movie now. Plus third.

My expectations where quite low, but there are not more issues than in the LOTR-movies (mostly stupid action scenes, everyone remembers the surfing legolas, well, this movie has similar scenes and some story changes which I dislike).

I do not agree with the opinion that the movie is too long or slow in the beginning, as some critics said (however, well, I'm a fan I guess). Loved most of the designs and scenery. CGI isn't as bad as expected. The Azok design sucks however. The goblins and their king fit quite well, I didn't expect that I would like the designs. Troll scene was fine for me.

I have not tried 48fps, as I'm scared cause of the mixed reactions.

Most stupid scene (spoiler): The rabbit chase. Man it is dumb as hell.

I really loved the film and I'm going to watch it again on sunday but without 3D. I had nerdbumbs all over my body for the entire film. Loved the scenery and found over everything very well made. I found the prolouge with the dwarfs of Erebor really good like I found the battle of the last alliance really good in the same fashion.

My biggest concern was that didn't Azog die at Moria by Dain? Where in the movie Thorin just maims him. I can see why PJ did that since it makes a lot more followable story for people seeing it for the first time with no background knowledge, having the orcs wanting to kill them because of that makes much more sense. But I wonder how they are going evolve the story now. Couldn't they just have Thorin kill Azog and then Bolg wanting to get revenge against Thorin for killing his father, would be less altertion of the story that way.

I'm still sure that PJ and crew will pull it of magiclly anyhow and realese two more fantastic movies.

Myself and the Gaffer (he's in his 80's) saw the film today in 2D. He enjoyed it and I am in Seventh Heaven. No spoilers coming from me - I had a ball. The quiet bits at the start felt like settling onto an old, familiar piece of furniture you have missed - it was great. There was a lot of humour too. And I love the fact that the Thorin and Erebor backstories are in there for other people to get an understanding of how passionate the dwarves can be and how hard they were hit.
Bilbo's scenes with Gollum were an absolute joy, with a tremendously important bit at the end.
I am going again. And again. And at least once to try the 3D 48-frame version. And probably a few more times for good measure. I'll be in that cinema more often than dwarves turning up for an unexpected party.
38 years I waited for this: PJ has done very, very well with it. The splendour, the scale, the awesome beauty.... Howard Shore's soundtrack and the stunning images onscreen had me near tears more than once.

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A Note of Defiance
Phantom Ships, Ghost Flotilla
More to come!

Seems there is an agreement so far that the movie is very fun to watch (myself included).

Nevertheless, my spoiler heavy not comprehensive list of bad things (however its easy to make a list of good things, that's for sure):
- The changes made to the "into the fire" scene. The book scene is really a great one, why these changes? Just for some stupid actions scenes? I guess the answer is yes, and that's poor. Thorin tries to commit sucide, followed by Bilbo (which ruins/hurts a believable/interesting character development of Bilbo badly)?
- The ease of killing wargs (which makes above even worse)
- The scene where Bilbo explains why he joins the party again (You have no home bla bla). Its just no believable (this would have required a more skilled character development). However in a strange way it worked for me in way, cause it left room for interpretation (mine: Bilbo joins again because his ego does not allow for retrieval, the "no home" bla bla is just excuse) , so its not as bad as the other points. But I don't think this was intended. Worse is the change to the book scene, where Bilbo gains respect cause he was able to appear unseen in the middle of the dwarfs (cause they don't know about the ring). Bilbo is partly just lucky. The movie: He gains respect because it tries to sacrifice his life for Thorin. What a massive change! Is it believable? Does it come at the right time, the adventure has just started?
- The rabbit chase scene as said before. Its in there for a stupid action scene, nothing else.
- The ease of killing goblins. That kills any feel of danger.
- Azog. Design, CGI, story change. If you change the story, give it depth and thought. It's not in there.
- The food given to the dwarfs in Rivendell. Poor joke.

To be not only negative, a change which was ok compared with the book scene is the troll scene. The book scene is quite stupid (one dwarf is dumber than the other). I understand why this was changed (however, again another action scene, fight dwarfs/trolls was not required at all.

Overall the writers ranked action above content/development/thought. Nevertheless, the movie is fun, but it could have been perfect. Many issues seem to be so unnecessary.

Opinions?

Well I thoroughly enjoyed it. Those action scenes are in there for a reason, because it grabs the attention of the audience. We Middle Earth fans will quite happily sit through hours of dialogue explaining times past etc, but the movie isn't just for us. It has to appeal to all, and average Joe will find those bits boring I'm sure. To say leave out the added action and replace with more back story is pure folly from a movie making perspective. That's what the books are for. I wasn't sure about the need for Azog, but it appears to work on screen. Interesting that GW have released Bolg ahead of Azog, when he only gets about 1 second of screen time compared to his old man.

I really enjoyed the humour in the film, although there will be haters of that I'm sure.

Interesting best bits of the movie from my family:

Son, aged 10 - Death of the Great Goblin
Daughter, aged 14 - Kili firing bow
Wife, aged 43 - Gollum scene
Me, aged 39 - Fall of Erebor/Battle for Moria flashback, and Eagles scene

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I watched it today in 48fps, and I dont really understand all the hate towards this technology. Sure, it looks different than what we are used to, but everything is so much cristal clear after a couple minutes to adjust the eyes. No headaches, not 3D glasses sickness or anything like that. Can't really compare it to anything, but maybe its a bit similar to when you watch something in HD for the first time. Or to when you first tried a fancy 3d graphic card in your computer. Its different from what we were used to. There are a couple moments that you notice it, but it really isnt that much of a deal.

And Middle-earth never looked so beatifull!

About the movie, I really liked it. Of course it is more light in spirit than LotR, but anyone who read the book knows that it is much, much, much more light hearted and simple. This new trilogy is not just the story of The Hobbit. They are trying to show the big picture of what was going on previous to the events of FotR. They did take some liberties, like they did in all the other three movies. I understand why they did most of them, and I'm sure I will understand others after watching the whole trilogy.

About the designs, like I said, Middle-earth never looked so beautiful. I dont find the goblins and orcs all that different to LotR to be honest. Put some armour on them and I don't think they would look that displaced next to others. Azog being the proverbial exception... and even that its not like you suddenly got Dobby making a cameo. Its just an albino uber big kinda uruk-hai orc.

I look forward to get the extended cut and commentary dvds and the next 2 movies.

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Just got back from an IMAX 3D 24FPS screening it and I loved it - absolutely loved it. Spoilers abound below.

It was an absolute thrill ride from start to finish and the running time whizzed by. I'm a huge fan of the book but must say in the context of an enjoyable movie almost every scene was improved by the changes PJ made, such as:

No talking from the wargs or the eagles
No talking purse
The dwarves being baddass, brave warriors rather than a bunch of simpering cowards who constantly send Bilbo off first.
Thorin not bowing down and flattering the Great Goblin
Bilbo outwitting the trolls.
The Riddles sequence was absolutely outstanding and again, IMO, better than it is in the book.

I even, contrary to popular opinion it would seem, liked Azog's development. I was somewhat dreading his appearance having read the 'all CGI' criticism but I thought he looked great and made for quite a terrifying big bad. I loved the animosity they built up between him and Thorin and really liked the end. I don't think Thorin is trying to commit suicide, I think it's his pride and family honour that leads him to seek out Azog thinking he can beat him and creating a humbling experience that enhances his relationship with Bilbo.

As ukfreddybear mentioned, It's very odd that GW have released a Bolg figure when he's not in the film at all (I must have missed the 1 second you saw?!?!?). There's obviously no Azog figure as they wanted to keep his appearance a secret (Bolg had been shown in production photos, Azog had not) but it seems strange to have released a film 2 character when he really doesn't feature - Thranduil gets more screen time than Bolg! Similarly I didn't notice Narzug, was he in there? I think Yazneg was the orc who Azog kills and throws to the wargs and Fimbul was the one who takes over as head warg rider/second in command, does that sound about right? Names would have helped though!

I really could go on and on, I loved every moment of it and can't wait to see it again on Saturday (in 2D this time)

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It was in one of the flashback scenes.

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You don't have to be great to start. But you do have to start to be great.

That wasn't even Bolg, that was an orc who looked quite a bit like him (the oc in question died in his one scene).

Anywhoo, just got back from it (currently 5 am) and I can NOT say enough how much I loved it! It was amazing, and awesome and amazing and etc, etc, etc.

While I didn't like that they kept Azog alive, I actually got over it. I'll have to wait and see the 2nd and 3rd movies until I judge that change of plot. I was very surprised at how they represented the Great Goblin, but not in a bad way, I'll have to see it again before I pass judgement on that. The only 2 parts that I didn't like was when Galadriel said that the WK had been sealed by the men of Arnor (although, again, I'll wait til the other movies to decide how much I don't like it) and the very end, when Thorin tries to fight Azog. I would have been perfectly fine with taking that whole scene out and changing it to the Eagles coming sooner and the movie ending with Beorn. Although I must say that the one little glimpse of Smaug at the end got me super excited about next year, CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!

I was actually fine with the Bunny Sled. It fit perfectly with Radagasts character, and made for a funny chase scene. I also liked how they alluded to Thror's Dwarf Ring at the beginning without actually giving it away. What else, oh ya, I ADORED the beginning, even how they portrayed Thranduil.

In conclusion, I LOVED IT. There are a few parts that I wish hadn't been changed, but I can live with them for now. 10/10. I will be incredibly surprised if Peter Jackson doesn't get another 10-12 Oscars. It was that good.

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"Leave Sauron to me."
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Well then, let me also have my say...
I have very mixed feelings. I guess the movie just isn’t meant mainly for us (real fans) but for the mainstream public (I guess that is where the bucks are) but still I don’t see the point of some of the changes (like the whole Azog hunt/revenge thingy and the into the fire scene.
I also watched it in 3D (something I usually dislike) but it wasn’t that bad this time (the whole hype of the more 3d the better is a bit over now and it is a bit more subtle). But (and I don’t know if that was because of the 48fps or 3d or..) I got the feeling like the actors where standing in front a picture of the set then really on the set (they were just so sharp against the background).
Also I don’t really like the design of the goblins.... I just prefer the lotr ones.
Overall though I liked it (also very much the extra background scenes) but it won’t take the same place for me as the lotr films did. They just did feel more 'right' then the hobbit. I would recommend it to anybody but I think fans of the book should set their expectations a bit low because a lot is different or new.

I loved the film so much. I understand some of the excessive fighting scenes (to satisfy the mainstream audience) and the lighter tone (the hobbit is much lighter than LOTR) but I thought it was brilliant. It went through really fast and I was never bored! The only criticism I had was that the escape from Goblin Town scene was very much like the scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where they ride all these ridiculous roller coasters and that the Great Goblin's voice was too much like a human. But these are all very minor things.

Liked the film, but not more than any of the Lotr films. Good news is I only expect it to get better from here on out.

Don't like the new goblins and the Great Goblin with the out of place voice. And the escape from goblin town action scene made me feel noxious. There are a few other things I didn't like, but overall still a good film. Comes across too much like a mainstream cgi action blockbuster rather than the epicness Lotr is.

Gave the movie 7/10 on imdb.com
The Lotr trilogy I gave FotR: 10, TTT: 8, RotK: 9

Wish I had a duplicate now of an armored Elrond metal miniature. I liked his armour very much in this movie. Still have my Elrond mini unpainted, maybe I'll use The Hobbit colour scheme now instead of the Fellowship prologue.

To UKFB if you read this I would by your Giant miniature over any stone giant miniature based off the film.

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Painting Lineup: Mumakil x2, Rohan Heroes x8, Haradrim, SKoDA

I saw it last night and absolutely loved it. I had fairly low expectations as I thought PJ couldn't recreate that feeling we all had when we saw FotR for the first time, but I was blown away by it. The time flew by.
For me the only weak point was the CGI of Azog - particularly when compared to the amazing job done on Gollum.
Lots of great hints of minis to come too!

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Peter Jackson announced that the extended edition, which will contain 20mins extra time, will be released at the fourth quarter of 2013. Furthermore that the extended editions' release schedule will follow that of LoTR.