I am a 15 New Zealander and have been a LOTR fan since I was little when the movies first came out. Having read and enjoyed The Hobbit, I was really looking forward to seeing the movie! Especially because I was now old enough to fully understand what was happening in the film. I went to the premiere in Wellington which was an amazing experience, getting me even more excited to see the film.
A friend and I went to see the film on the 12th and we both thoroughly enjoyed it! The plot was slightly ruined for me because I read the book but it was great to see the book followed so closely! Also meeting Radagast the Brown was great (and little Sebastian the hedgehog!), he is definitely one of my favourite characters! The extra parts in the movie that weren't in the original book were great and I'm looking forward to see how the Necromancer becomes part of the rest of the films. Also it's a new experience to hear laughter in the theater unlike the LOTR films. Much more light-hearted than LOTR as well which was great.
I found the pace to be perfect. I found each scene to be just long enough to get into the scene and tell the story but short enough that they didn't seem to drag on. Despite being almost 3 hours, I thought the length was great. I don't think I could've stood it being any shorter! But like the scenes, it wasn't so long that it seemed to drag on.
It's great also to see foreshadowing in the film for the Lord of the Rings which was less obvious in The Hobbit. Also some early introductions in the film, such as the giant spiders and the Necromancer, introduce the scenes to come better. This way the events won't seem so random, as they somewhat did in the book. This way we have a hint of what's coming rather than creatures just showing up later.
Lastly, the animation was great throughout the movie. The Goblin King's chin discomforted me slightly however but really added to the character. What really stood out for me in terms of animation was right at the end, Smaug's eye. So realistic and to see it so big on the screen, it was amazing! Really, really looking forward to see the rest of him in the later movies.
All round it was an amazing movie and I am definitely going to see it again, this time in 3D 48 fps in the Embassy Theatre. Very excited!

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