Great visuals....but otherwise only worth renting.

Rating: 5/10 (19 December 2012)

I'm going to say upfront that the visuals were great and the 3D felt worth it for this film. The visuals and cinematography were the best I've seen since Avatar. However, it felt to be lacking in every other instance.
The beginning when Bilbo meets Gandalf felt incredibly awkwardly written and performed. It was as if the writer's did not know how to reintroduce characters we are all plenty of aware of. Aside from the initial action scenes this movie was not starting off on a good foot. This then led to the hour long "dinner party" which was boring and quite frankly not needed. I am sure this was only an excuse to make the film hit it's three hour mark. It could have been cut drastically and still held it's merit.
I love Martin Freeman (Sherlock and Hitchhikers Guide were great roles!). However, his brand of humor and acting did very little for this movie.
At times certain things seemed to be added only to make all ring's fans happy they were back in middle earth. There was no other good reason. The reintroduction of Frodo in the beginning is one of them.
Also the humor in this film felt very off most times. This film did not hold the same vibe as the previous trilogy. Perhaps that was the point. The goblin king seemed like a dumb comedian rather then a king.
The movie really does not begin to take-off until more then half-way in.
As I stated though visually it was amazing. The CGI characters were the most real I've ever seen. I hope the following films have more substance and less fluff.
If your a rings fan go see it. But if not, you are better off renting it and skipping the boring parts. The story doesn't add much to the previous trilogy.
This may actually be the first film that should be released as a director's cut, with less footage....