This was the best "didn't have to read the books" movie of the series yet. However, part of what I liked about the first movie was that I got the inside jokes. Also, some of the items were just so fake, they distracted from the movie...BAD wigs, some of the visual effects were beyond cheesey, etc. (Seriously...with all of the money these movies have made, they can't get better hair treatments?) Based on the promos, I thought it would be more action packed than it was...turns out the promos had most of the action scenes in them. Still, a must see for fans of the books. Likely better on the smaller tv screen at home where the cheap distractions are less noticeable.