All the charm of the original novel has been replaced by lots of growling.

Rating: 1/10 (5 January 2013)

Tolkien must be spinning in his grave. This movies bears absolutely no resemblance to the book, aside from the names of the characters and the general plot.
There is no character development - everything is just a vehicle for the special effects. The story has been changed... I suppose they needed to to add more growly parts and 3D effects.
Of course, the technical wizardry is exceptional, but it's nothing we haven't seen before. And, when it comes down to it, it's the story that's the most important part. It's the story and the charming characters that made the book so popular - I've read it dozens of times, over the years.
Bottom line - if you removed all of the growling, you'd trim the movies down to about an hour and a half, at best, and you'd still be no closer to understanding the characters and their charm. I can see why they had to split the story into 3 parts - just to fit in all of the technical wizardry... and, of course, the growling.
Definitely a disappointment.