I saw it at a Cineplex UltraAVX theater in 3D @ 48FPS.  It is definitely different!  The 3D aspect did look good, but there is something unsettling about it.  It does feel like Live TV, or like a video game.  Not sure if it's because I'm not just use to it.  The Jury is still out for me.

Last I heard Avatar 2 & 3 are reportedly using HFR, but Cameron is going with 60FPS.

I don't think they have 2D 48FPS screenings, do they?  I'd think any projectors that can do 48FPS would also have 3D.

Hobbitses. Who wants to see a movie about hobbitses, my preciousssss. We hate hobbitses forever. 

It was everything I have come to expect from Peter Jackson.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My own dissenting point of view is simply this...if you're going to stretch a 280 page book over 9 hours, then you had at least better be pendantically faithful to the damn text.  Of course Jackson can't stop himself and manages to screw with the few pages of actual printed material that make their way into this first third of the story.  I expect additional material.  How can you not have some padding over 9 hours?  What I don't expect is messing around with what little actual source material is left.  I won't bother with spoilers, but I too found it to be everything I expect from Peter Jackson.  Please god, don't let there be extended editions when it hits home video.

Quoting mdnitoil:

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My own dissenting point of view is simply this...if you're going to stretch a 280 page book over 9 hours, then you had at least better be pendantically faithful to the damn text.  Of course Jackson can't stop himself and manages to screw with the few pages of actual printed material that make their way into this first third of the story.  I expect additional material.  How can you not have some padding over 9 hours?  What I don't expect is messing around with what little actual source material is left.  I won't bother with spoilers, but I too found it to be everything I expect from Peter Jackson.  Please god, don't let there be extended editions when it hits home video.

There is

Quoting scotthm:

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Quoting Ken Cole:

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Mostly I'm wary of it being stretched to three films.

I saw it Friday and it would have been better as a 2 hour film, IMO.  But I enjoyed it overall.

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I had no problem with the run time.  While some movies feel long, this one didn't.  Not to me at least.  I also have no problem with Jackson taking some literary license.  I don't need the films to be 100% faithful to to book.

I probably won't get to see this at the cinema, but can't wait to see it.

More importantly, I don't care what anyone else thinks of it. But, then again, I don't tend to read reviews until after I've seen something.

I thought it was great.  It is a bit padded, but given that this trilogy is likely the last visit to Middle Earth, I don't mind.  We saw it in IMAX 3D (don't know if it was the 48 fps, it's Louisville KY after all) and, while it took a bit of getting used to, we were very impressed with the whole look of the film.  Fully intend to see the other two in the same format.  Well worth the money and the extra half-hour drive for the 3D.

I'll pick up the extended editions when they come out.