Reals fans will be disappointed

Rating: 7/10 (13 December 2013)

It physically pains me to give a Tolkien film less than 9, but this movie was closer to a 6.5.
Gripes 1) The most overpowering is also not new: the story told in this film doesn't match the one in the book.
To get that mini-epic feel from an ambling adventure story the pacing is relentless. It's like being on a 5 day tour of 12 countries around Europe. Where Thorin and Co. spend weeks recuperating in the book, they spend a single night in the film. There is no sense of wonder, only urgent CGI action.
2) These prequels are destroying the continuity of wonderful Middle Earth created in the trilogy.
Honoring the history and depth of ME, in LOTR all the races clearly have different origins, folklore, language and civilization.
Due to what I can only imagine as temporary insanity, this film consistently humanized the enemy, sometimes in direct conflict with the book. Though the Goblin King in the first movie was probably the worst offender, there are several scenes in this film where untranslated orc grunting, mob mentality or simple snarling would be better than English voices coming out of monster mouths. (And no, I'm not referring to the dragon who was played perfectly)
3) Extra characters that hurt more than they helped.
The Hobbit is supposed to be about the hobbit. And Bilbo absolutely crushes it in the book. Time after time he gets the dwarfs out of scrapes with no loop holes and stacked odds. And he does it by being clever and quick and all kinds of lovable underdog ways. He becomes the quiet hero.
Don't get me wrong--I'm happy we got the elves. Tauriel is utterly a dazzling addition to the story that fits seamlessly into Middle Earth. Watching Legolas in action is pure satisfaction. You don't realize how much you missed him until you see the iconic jump-shots with his old Mirkwood bow. But so much of the flash and glory was given to the elves at the expense of Bilbo. The connection to our unlikely hero was traded for blatant fan-pandering where pretty people kill a lot of orcs really, really well.
I want to love this movie that way I love the annually watched extended LOTR films. But instead of exploring a deep, magical world with characters you grow to love, all I get is a string of cut scenes from the PS4 video game. Too much action, too little wonder, and less depth.