I went into the movie slightly skeptical, but not wanting to taint my view (from knowing ahead of time many of the changes/additions and expecting some deliberate "butchering" or the story) I tried to be objective as a fan of the books and of Jackson's previous LOTR trilogy.

I was able to see the 24fps 3D version and was thoroughly impressed. I'd love to see the 48fps but alas it is not available near me.
As a big fan of the Tolkien books and of Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy, I can honestly say I loved this movie. There were a few minor/annoying changes for a fan of the book:
Bilbo delaying the Trolls until dawn (not Gandalf),
Azog being such a prominent antagonist (and alive for that matter),
The stone siant fight was a little overdone,
The way the troop was captured by the goblins really annoyed me for some reason,
As did their "roller-coaster-like" (as someone else put it) escape
and a few other minor things.

But as a whole, the movie was excellent. It captured the lighter feel of the Hobbit and the characteristics of the various dwarves while still holding true to the serious undertones, beautiful scenery, and general "Middle Earth" feel that Tolkien so vividly described and Jackson has so excellently (in my opinion) depicted in film.

I Definitely feel that it is worth the watch. I enjoyed the 3D, it wasn't obnoxious or overbearing, but I'm sure it will look great in 2D as well. I though the pace was pretty good except for the slightly slow start in the Shire. I loved the incorporation of a few of the songs/limericks/etc, including "That's what Bilbo Baggins Hates," "Misty Mountains Cold," the Goblins "Song" about torturing the dwarves, etc. hopefully more of that to come!

Overall I recommend seeing it and though it was VERY well done! I know this is a little fragmented, but I'm not a writer:) Hopefully this will help some of you want to go see it even more! Again these are just my opinions so take them or leave them . . . see the movie and decide for yourself:)

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