I was going to write something longer, but at this point I’m really just +1 some specific points….
Quick addition: If you want to get a sense of how things are different and yet the same (and written by someone who has clearly not only paid a great deal of attention to the story itself but the craft of it), go read In Defense of Fili, Kili and Thorin Oakenshield – an Appreciation Beyond Hot Dwarves.
- It is good. Even the supposed “slow bits” were interesting.
- This would have been sooooooo rushed if it wasn’t stretched out across multiple movies.
- It is not the book. It is a prequel to LOTR. While it’s in many ways similar to the book, it isn’t.
- Not Being The Book is Not A Bad Thing; the movie is clearly tied into the larger world of Middle-Earth rather than being a standalone adventure. (Also possible because it’s been lengthened across releases.)
- This is also not the Rankin-Bass Hobbit
animated feature.
- There was only one add-on that felt really klunky – that was the Defiler.
- I *loved* how the dwarves were not all carbon copies; fellow nerds, time to vary up your D&D characters.
(Again, check out “Beyond Hot Dwarves“. Really.)