The women in our family appreciated being able to sit through the whole movie without feeling ancy to leave. However, we also felt the movie fell short of embodying the adventure of the book. It also failed to thoroughly introduce new characters or reintroduce little-seen, old characters. The men in the family just thought it lacked the fighting, battles, and thrill. They preferred the Transformers movie. We all agreed that the scenery, musical score, sets, & acting were absolutely fabulous. Big applause for Emma, Helena, and really the whole cast. There were very solid, gratifying moments in the movie. We enjoyed the exploration of teenage love, angst, and emotional development.