Based on 304 votes and 85 reviews.
This is no Star Wars prequel trilogy! As high as the extended LOTR movies raised the bar for me, I was admittedly skeptical about the prequels being able to live up to the hype. This movie was not a disappointment, but I did feel like something was missing by the end and I'll wait for the next two movies to see if it gets sorted out. I have only read "Fellowship of the Ring" so this opinion is strictly based on the movies. It is worth seeing at least once if you liked the original trilogy to form your own opinion. I would also encourage an IMAX viewing to see the extended sneak peek of the Star Trek movie which looks EPIC.
long, boring and no ending
Its hard to please everyone. This movie is fantastic. The visuals and the acting was great. I love the movie cant wait for the next one.
Freeman steals this just as he had Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Extremely slow introduction to the movie. Do no expect any action in the first hour. There is far too much narrative and unnecessary backstory, ok if naive to Tolkien but I don't suspect that is the majority of the audience. Movie improves once the action starts in the 2nd half but doesn't quite redeem itself. The villians are displayed a bit comically which made some scenes more silly than suspenseful. The scenery is beautiful just like in LOTR, but overall the movie was disappointing.
Morgan Freeman proves what an outstanding actor he is yet again.
We all loved it. Just saw it in 2D matinee and avoided the line-up. Will see again in 3D. Whoever was complaining about lack of action - there is a lot more to come - lots of giant spiders, etc. The name, being the title of the first chapter is perfect. It couldn't be called There and Back Again when they don't get back until the third segment. And whoever said there was no ending - of course there wasn't - it's a third of the way into the story, but showing Smaug's eye opening up was a good preview of what's to come. Those who left near the beginning must have ADHD. Don't comment if you walk out before anything happ
OUTSTANDING! Martin Freeman deserves an Oscar nomination!
Really loved this! Hard to imagine anyone but Martin Freeman as Bilbo now...
very well done. the beginning was a bit slow but then picked up. Saw it in IMAX 3D and it was breathtaking!