PROS
- Visuals were cool
- If it was standalone it could have been better (you know, made in a Lovecraft fan-fiction manner, i.e. "based on the works and setting of J. R. R. Tolkien" and not "based on a book called 'the habit' or 'the hobo' or something the writers read once or twice twenty years ago")
- Acting and stuff was masterful
- Acceptable story change: Bard was more than some random costar
CONS
- Tauriel, Legolas, romantic subplot
- Beorn scenes were shit, left out Gandalf being a smartass
- Azog, so much
- Barrel ride has ∞% more elves and orcs
- Gandalf and the Dol Guldur scenes
- The ending. It's not finished, it has nothing to do whatsoever with the book
- All the little plot changes. Bilbo fingering the ring every five seconds, no crashing elf parties, Bilbo sees the lake when he climbs the tree, most of the Bard shit that had nothing to do with remaking him into someone who isn't a random costar
- AAA IT'S RADAGAST KILL IT WITH FIRE
- I know I'm repeating myself, but Legolas, Tauriel, and the romantic subplot. If they'd cut that bullshit they might've had a watchable film.
Overall, it's good... except Jackson stripped the good stuff and glued 'interracial romance', LOADS OF SHITTY FILLER, and superfluous representation of women (Note: My sole beef here is that he injected a new character for the sole reason of having a prominent female character. I'm not trying to be sexist, it's just there was stuff they put in just to have it, severely decreasing quality, like the whole rest of the film.)
2 ★ / 5 ★ would not watch again