Maybe I'm just less cynical than most of you...

I didn't walk into the movie expecting it to be the book reincarnated.
I don't WANT it to be the book reincarnated.
Because then, honestly, why would anyone read the book if they could just sit for a few (*coughninecough*) hours and watch the movie and get all the same stuff out of it. And that's not fair for Tolkien.

The Movies are just an adaptation. They are PJ/FW/PB's adaptations. I use them to amplify my own understanding of Tolkien. (and I'm one of those crazy people that read through the entire Tolkien Scholar section of my College Library, including Tolkien's letters.)

I, honestly, LOVED the movie, even more than AU. I tried my best to avoid spoilers, but listened to the Podcast (by the Tolkien Professor, whom I love to listen to!) titled A Bit of Wookie: Riddles in the Dark Year 2 in Review which summarized all we know from the production videos, the EE of AU, and the trailers and what we should expect to see in the movie (and which things were still completely up in the air!).

Here's what I loved:

-Mirkwood: fantastic! Loved how they changed it to be sort of psychedelic lost-ness instead of chasing after a party in the dark. (right? how would they even do that on screen?)
-Spiders: the whole encounter was very well done. Love that Bilbo still had his Hero moment!! Love that we could hear the spiders talk, and the naming of Sting was awesome!
-Elvenking's Halls: Loved the characters here, loved the architecture, loved that we actually got to see the drunk elves fall asleep so Bilbo could steal the keys! (That was a bonus in my book! I really did not expect them to ever put that on screen)
-Tauriel: I loved that she was graceful and strong yet still feminine. I always wished we could have seen more female elves and this is just what I wanted! (see below!)
-Bard. 'Nough said.
-SMAUG. I was so scared that he was gonna look stupid and cartoony (seriously, how do you realistically make a lizard face speak without it looking stupid?) but he was PERFECT. wow.
-All the rest of Laketown was awesome as well. People, political climate, etc...
-Thorin: my heart really went out for him, especially his desperation when the door didn't open (which I was equally freaking out about! Props to PJ!)
-The Dwarves were all fantastic.

Here's what I wanted more of:

-What's up with Thranduil's face? He alludes to "knowing" dragon fire and then goes all zombie... I really hope we get more elaboration on this in the EE!
-Beorn: his section was so rushed we didn't really get anything else out of him other than he hates goblins, is extremely large, and can turn into a bear. I WANT MORE PLEASE.
-Tauriel: I wish we could have learned more about her backstory. She talks about how she is more concerned with the outside world than anyone else in Mirkwood. Somehow Thrandy and Leggy's comments about how she is "lower" and shouldn't care about other creatures makes her go over the edge and run off to fight her battle!! I think that learning of the arrow-wound to Kili (and that no one but the elves knew it was a morgul shaft but didn't care if it killed the dwarf) was the straw that broke the mumak's back and sent her off. I also love that she as a warrior gets a chance to turn her skills to healing instead of killing, even if it is in defiance of her Lord (who has been a jerk to her, really...). The romance didn't bother me, mostly because I saw it as sort of one-sided (Kili to Tauriel, where as Tauriel's attraction is more of the unknown, of wanting to go and help the world and learn more about it instead of being cooped up in mirkwood). Hence why we need MORE TAURIEL BACKSTORY SO WE UNDERSTAND HER MOTIVATIONS MORE CLEARLY PLEASE.

I actually felt the beginning was a little rushed (I wanted more Beorn! More Mirkwood! More Elvenking!) but I fully expect it to be filled out in the EE.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Hope I didn't upset too many people! haha