I saw it last night. Plenty of action with amazing luck for the Dwarf side! I read the Hobbit twice back in my youth and there is a lot of stuff here that was not in those books but which was somewhere in Lord of The Rings, (If only the appendix). I did not realize it was going to be a three part movie, so they had to draw from more than just the Hobbit to fill three movies! Overall I think the movie is better than the book itself because it tells a larger story than that of the dwarfs and the dragon. I was entertained and forgot Obama was destroying America if only for a few hours.
We saw it today. Visually and artistically it was amazing. But I expected it to follow the book word for word. I’d have been better off going in with no expectations.
However, a really meaningful theme is working through a desire for vengeance and revenge, trying to rise above that.
I will go to a theatre to watch it...and will ultimately add it to my LOTR video collection.
Like you said, good escapist stuff from some of the uglier aspects of reality. I am disappointed to hear that it will be released in three parts, though.
I guess we can expect The Silmarillion eventually..
I've read the Trilogy at least 4 times and the Hobbit 8 times...2 or 4 times to my kids at night over many nights.
It's way better than any movie IMO...