In terms of faithfulness to the original book, this movie fails to deliver. However, it did an excellent job of taking some of the basic concepts of the story and making a really fun movie out of it.
The 3D technology, while a neat gimmick, is not ready for prime time. and certainly not worth 13 bucks a head. This was the first time I'd seen a theatrical 3D movie since the 80s at Disney, and I was disappointed that the technology hasn't progressed as much as I'd hoped. Perhaps it was the equipment in our particular theatre that wasn't working properly.