First and foremost this film managed to capture the lighthearted tone of The Hobbit while keeping the seriousness of the Dwarves' quest ever apparent, however, the movie shines (as did the Lord of the Rings) through Jackson's ability to capture the world of Middle Earth.

The sets, costumes, and scenery immediately catapulted me back into Middle Earth, from Erebor to the Shire to Rivendell. Again New Zealand's landscape did nothing but stun.

The casting could not have been better. Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage make the best Bilbo and Thorin I could have hoped for.

Contrary to many reviews I've been seeing, I didn't think the additions from the appendices detracted at all from the movie, but I could watch any stories of Middle Earth unfold for hours and still be entertained.

I could continue to go on about the great things this movie did, but in the end it comes down to this: It captured what I imagined while reading the Hobbit. Scenes such as Riddles in the Dark, Roast Mutton, even Bilbo and Gandalf's good morning were done so well and so true to the book I couldn't help but love it. Also it was really cool to see the elves be so "elf-like", loving fun and music, for once, instead of so grim like they were in the Lord of the Rings.

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