For me, The Hobbit will always be the kids introduction to The Lord of the Rings. It reads a lot lighter than the more famous trilogy, especially if your mom was the one who read it to you, a chapter a night. Yeah, those days are pretty rare now, but the book still reads that way, plenty of gentle humor, fun surprises, quick dalliances with danger, and eventually a small war of three armies.

So it was with a little concern when I heard that Peter Jackson's follow-up to the massive Lord of the Rings trilogy would also be split into three films. I began to worry about "unwanted filler." This was backed-up by notes and articles about how Jackson would fill in some of the stories that were happening in the background, some from Christopher Tolkien's incredibly dense Middle Earth mythology books, and some actually hinted at in The Hobbit and other LoTHR volumes.

OK, so far nothing to be concerned about.

It was also expected that Jackson would take some time with story elements that in other adaptations have been condensed or even excluded. This could be an opportunity to fully entertain the story, to provide the viewer who is not a reader an experience closer to the book.

And that would be really cool.

Before we go any further, you're probably getting a feeling of dread, an approaching car crash, an inevitable train wreck. Let me tell you ahead of time that The Hobbit is a fine film, entertaining, with which some liberties have been taken, but nothing that would set Tolkien to spinning in his grave. No, not in the least.

I look forward to seeing it again, in a few days after the crowds die down a bit, and not just for the nine minutes of Star Trek Into Darkness that wasn't included in the press preview. Yes, it's good, and worthy of the prior films. Unless you're a stiff-necked purist you'll enjoy this movie as much as the prior films, providing you enjoyed the prior films. And if you didn't, what the hell is wrong with you?

All will be well. Continue reading or just go out and see the movie.

Still here? OK, here we go.

As mentioned, several things have been added to the story. I went back to the original book and reread several sections to verify my recollection.

In particular, there's an expanded introductory section about the Dwarves and how they lost their home and treasure. Given The Hobbit is a treasure hunt at heart this is a good grounding and doesn't spoil the otherwise wonderful introductory passages about "the Hobbit home."

The other real big addition is the introduction of a mini-villain for part 1, someone introduced in the dwarf history who has a grudge and a troop that figures in the battles ahead.

Yes, I said battles. They're kind of new, too. The few skirmishes from the book are expanded greatly in Jackson's Hobbit. It doesn't feel terribly out of place, but is a little weird if you recall the book where it's more about avoiding combat than diving into it with a war cry.

The culminating scene, spoiler free to say it takes place in a tree, is far more a battle than a surprise escape. No, that's still there, but we get to see some heroics that again may not please purists.

Along with this we have more than a few scenes with frenetic acrobatics and coincidentally advantageous collapsing structures than we've seen in even the Indiana Jones films.

Again, these seem to have been added more for the humorous benefit than to put us actually on edge. After the third set of these we start to relax and realize that nothing bad is going to happen unless it was in the book.

As a film, it's certainly reminiscent of the prior trilogy. We have a very familiar Bag End, and we see even more of Bilbo's home than before. It's pure fun. The return to Rivendell is somewhat less exciting, perhaps the animated long shots of the elven village didn't get the 3D love that the rest of the film has, it really felt flat and faded. Again, that may be because it's nothing we haven't seen already, over and over, it would have been good to explore this from some different angles.

And while we're on that subject, let's talk 3D. There was a flurry of news a few weeks back that the 48 frames per second 3D was driving viewers out into the street to vomit. In fact, it all spun out of a couple of Tweets that expressed some concern about people getting dizzy. And yeah, there's a reason for that.

The initial fly-through of the kingdom and treasure troves of Erebor is likely the cause of this concern. While it did not bother me, my seasick-prone wife was affected by this few minutes film. I don't get seasick, love the rolling motion, and although I found the spinning and twisting camera motions to be a little excessive no nausea was invoked in either of us. This is the absolute "worst" it gets in the whole story, so let's leave this as unwarranted Internet exaggeration.

In general, the 3D is much like what we saw in Avatar, more "looking into the fish tank of the film" than dodging spears flying off the screen. That's not to say that I didn't flinch from several arrow shots, and a few teeth. My next viewing will be in 3D again.

Special effects were generally what you would have expected from Jackson. CGI close-up work, reduction of actor's height, all the standard tricks from the Trilogy are repeated here with practiced excellence. There were only a few scenes that felt like this had been rushed, where shadows might not have matched up just right or motion didn't match the ground, particularly action scenes out on the planes with the wolf-mounted orcs chasing our band. Again, these are brief, but noticeable.

There, you survived. That was the bad news. Here's the good.

Again, there's a real worship of the source material here. Every scene is present, all the classic character lines preserved, and our actors are wonderful. You might even remember half of the dwarves names by the end of the film!

The shining moment, the one we've been waiting for, is Bilbo's fall into the dark under-mountains, to the lake in the dark, where he riddles with a slightly younger and perhaps more dangerous Gollum. The ring finds a new finger, and the seed for the trilogy is firmly planted.

Martin Freeman is a well fit and serviceable Bilbo. Yes, we did occasionally see gestures and takes from him that reminded him of his John Watson from Sherlock, but if you think about it the reaction to unexpected goings on isn't too far apart for either character.

Other returning characters are well including Sir Ian McKellen as a grey-again Gandalf, Ian Holm as our older Bilbo and Frodo by forever young Elijah Wood. Watching this prequel, we know where they will eventually go, and what they eventually become. This makes watching 90-year-old Sir Christopher Lee as Saruman particularly sinister as he sits at the elven council conversing about the approaching danger of the Necromancer (Benedict Cumberbatch in just a smidgen of screen time).

We also enjoy the dwarves partying at Bag End, their plundering of Bilbo's larder and the juggling of his plates and mugs. The planning with Gandalf and introduction of Bilbo as thief is lovingly correct and wonderful. And best, it sets up the dwarves' singing "Far Over the Misty Mountain's Cold."

You've heard a little of this in the trailer, but it's sweeping majesty is only hinted at there. Beginning with deep humming, then a single voice joined by others and building slowly and moodily to a height, what young man could listen to this an not want to go off on an adventure?

And so you should.

Far over the misty mountains grim
To dungeons deep and caverns dim
We must away, ere break of day,
To win our harps, and gold from him!

Ric Bretschneider