Very impressed with how this was made into a 3 hour movie. I liked how they filled in background stories on the main characters. Surprised by the new antagonist for Thorin - thought it would take away from the Hobbit, but it worked out very well. The special effects have really come a long way since the Lord of the Rings - which already set the standard. The opening sequence included much fast camera work that worried me as it was cleary filmed fo induce nausea for 3D fans (note: I did not watch in 3D). Thankfully, the director got it out of his system early and move along to normal camera motion until, most notably, the Goblin King scenes. Very much looking forward to the next one.