The Hobbit

I just saw it yesterday and while it was good overall there's certain parts that I feel detract from the message. Commentary:

 Spoiler

1) It wasn't really necessary to have Bilbo saving the dwarves from the trolls. Granted, a great deal of The Hobbit is about Bilbo slowly showing what he's made of but there's also a message there against relying on people and it's better to establish Gandalf as a deus ex machina until the part when he has to separate from them.

2) I like the opening scene but really...did they have to also add in the part about Bilbo writing his memoirs, thus stretching out the prologue? The movie was almost three hours long and it actually didn't make as much of a headway as I thought it would have.

3) They also changed Thorin's character a bit. Though it seems to fit in with how he treats Bilbo later I really don't think that was needed at all, especially not all the fuss about going to Elrond. Speaking of that, the part about Saruman and Galadriel doesn't quite fit the mark...and I can't remember my lore too well but I somehow don't think Galadriel being out of Lorien would be a good thing.

Overall they made things a bit more dramatic and did some changes I didn't like (That part about Azog, really?) Otherwise it does stay true to the book and I did enjoy it. The scenery was to die for, as usual.