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A welcome homecoming to Middle-earth after a long absence. Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage are worthy additions to the Pantheon of characters that we've now seen inhabit this world. I've seen this three times now, and it gets better on reviewing (and was already a solid "4 rings" the first time around). The textures and details, the acting nuances, the important themes all merit a good long "soak", and I found it wonderful that the telling of the Hobbit's tale has time to breathe. I love the back-story additions, and the loyalty (and deepening) of the characters. (And I say that having had major issues with how Faramir, Treebeard and Sam were mistreated in LotR.) I had no problems with the HFR -- and found that it enhanced my experience of the heavy-action scenes. So much to see! I have quibbles of course (I wish Gandalf had pushed Bilbo out the door of Bag End; I could have done without the gratuitous stick bug or snot gags; I wanted a Gandalf/Eagle conversation; I wish Bombur had had at least one line). But there's so much done RIGHT! (The initial "good morning" dialog with Bilbo and Gandalf; the gravity of Thorin; Cockney trolls; the Riddles in the Dark scene; Bilbo's pity for Gollum; the character-deepening moments for dwarves that were merely random-colored cloaks in the book, like Ori's bravado or Bofur's combination of humor and humanity.) December 2013 can't get here fast enough!!
