I haven't read the books, but have followed the movies. Although there were some moments in the first half of the film that dragged a bit, I thought the narrative moved along well overall. Visually strong and imaginative, even if the dialogue was a bit prosaic or predictable.
If you are looking for a stand-alone story (beginning, middle, end), you've come to the wrong place. But it serves its purpose well enough -- an installment seeing up the final conflict.