So, what did we think, those of us who (now including me) have seen it?
I enjoyed it, there wasn't a great deal of the Tolkien in there but there were some nice references and I thought Richard Armitage (Thorin) really played the character arc well and made the whole thing hang together on that thread.
Pet peeves:
- The love triangle, enough said
- Real continuity issues - the bell thing that lets the company out for the sally battle, the sudden unexpected goats, etc.
- The whole "let's make Alfred cross-dress for a cheap joke" thing felt a bit pointless, I'd have rather had more of the laketown-women being cool and hitting Orcs with spades or whatever.
- I felt that Dain really jarred with my image of him - perhaps more than for any other character in Jackson's movies. I don't think Conolly's Dain Ironfoot will be the one I carry in my head, which is a pity.
- The geography was, um. Arrrrgh.
Best moments:
- Thorin's dying words. Really beautifully played.
- The negotiations & Thorin's character arc were also very neat indeed.
- Bard was actually well played and in-character throughout, I thought the performance there was very good and the Thranduil/Bard/Thorin trio dynamic was worked out well.
- The auction at Bag End was done gloriously
- The giving of the mithril shirt - nice touch.