I love the books, all of them. I did not find them a difficult read in high school or when I re read them years later. Will likely read them again sometime soon.

The movie was awesome. I have absolutely no issue with the melding of the info from the other books. It's not as if it was just made up and having nothing to do with the original story line. ie, not like the second Star Wars trilogy abortions. Putting it all in sequence together actually makes more sense to me.

The dwarves. OK, perhaps the portrayal isn't dead on balls accurate (thats an industry term...name the movie reference), but it wasn't so bad that I was upset with it.

I would give it 4 1/2 stars. Well worth the money and the time.