The Hobbit down to 69% on RT, 59/100 on Metacritic

[Gothbogg the Ripper]

This movie is a masterpiece. It feels very much like a book adaptation, with long scenes of dialogue between characters that haven't been to vigorously cut down.
It is a very, very good movie. The acting is - with one exception - uniformly brilliant. The soundtrack is as hauntingly beautiful as one would expect. And the story goes nice and slowly, never trying to rush to the conclusion, takings its time and allowing the audience to slowly become reacquainted to the grandeur and danger of Middle Earth.

What else can I say? I adored this film, it was a marvelous experience. At no point was I bored or checking my watch, I was hooked from the beginning and never lost interest.

Let the reviewers say what they will, they are entitled to their opinions. But I maintain that this was a magnificent achievement that both hearkens back to The Lord of The Rings and at the same time maintains the more jaunty, fantastical ethos of the source material.