Okay, I just saw "The Hobbit". Nice movie. Much as I would have expected. Lovely to look at. And it's always good to see those magnificent Elves, the very image of what we humans could be if we rose to our very best...although they only appeared for short segments. Nice to see the Dwarves get their day on film too.

The section with Gollum was the most memorable part.

It won't have near the impact the LOTR trilogy did, but I think the fans will mostly enjoy it.

I also enjoyed seeing all the interior shots of "Bag End", and, no, I didn't find the movie "too slow", but I do think it's a bit much to stretch that particular story out to 3 movies. 2 movies would probably do it fine.

I do find it a bit odd that a dozen Dwarves can repeatedly fight vast numbers of Orcs, assorted monsters, and Goblins, slay them in droves, yet not lose a single Dwarf while they're doing it.

That doesn't happen in real war. It gets a bit silly after awhile, watching it happen onscreen. I think Orcs and Goblins can fight better than that. If they couldn't, they'd all just give up, surrender, and go home. And after all, where is the drama in watching battles where they never lose a single man on the "good guys" side? And do Orcs and Goblins also have mothers who weep when their sons don't come home? (It seems quite likely that they would....if they really existed at all.)