I have a few nits to pick:
- The pale orc - he didn't exist in the book (or the appendices in LoTR, either)
- The troll scene - didn't play true to the book either
- The goblin escape - the scene between Bilbo and Gollum ('Riddles in the Dark') takes place after Gandalf rescues the dwarves - Bilbo is lost during the escape when he falls off (Dwalin's?) back
- Bilbo is a little too decisive and brave - he's supposed to be much more of a wilting lily until the whole Mirkwood episode
- The dwarf party is not adverse to seeing Elrond in Rivendell in the book
I'll give the Radagast / Dol Guldur bit a pass since it is in the LoTR appendices as well as the rewrite of the 'Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire' scene since the changes were due to the whole inclusion of the pale orc (which I already bitched about in my bullet points). We'll see how they handle Beorn and Mirkwood in Part 2 next December - if they do a good job of it, my opinion of the first movie will probably improve. As it stands, I give it a B (mostly because they actors do a good job with what they've got).
-D
I give passes to some of the points you make as well.
The pale orc is Azog, from the Appendices under "Durin's Folk" and in the movie, he kills Thrain, Thorin's father - but this is different than the book.
The war between the orcs and dwarves was sparked when Thorin's grandfather, Thror, literally walked into Moria by himself and was killed by Azog and his head was cut off. Thror's only companion, Nar, was sent back by Azog as a messenger to the dwarves not to come ever again to Moria as beggars.
Thrain, Thorin's father, gathered as many of the dwarves as he could to take vengeance on Azog and the orcs of Moria.
But in the book, Thrain is not killed by Azog, but rather Thrain's cousin, Nain - and it is Nain's son, Dain who actually kills Azog.
In the movie, Thorin faces Azog but only wounds him but cutting off his arm.
It would be my guess that PJ & Co. changed this for the big payoff when we get to the Battle of Five Armies so that Thorin can face Azog and kill him.
However, this will be different than the book, because, Azog was killed by Dain and it was Azog's son, Bolg, that we read about in the Hobbit who comes with the orcs from Moria in the Battle of Five Armies - and it is Beorn who kills Bolg.
Kinda convoluted from the book - so I can understand how PJ & CO changed this to be more directly connected between Azog<-->Thorin.
I agree that Bilbo's courage is developed too soon, but given where PJ cuts off the first movie - it is a 'feel good' moment where Bilbo saves Thorin from Azog.
I get the Radagast tie in - but I didn't like the bunny sled sequences.
The Troll scene I give a pass to --- in the book it is Gandalf and some ventriloquism/voice throwing 'magic' that gets the Trolls to bicker amon themselves until dawn.
I'm still noodling out what I don't like about the meeting in the movie at Rivendell between Saruman, Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond. I tend to take this as a meeting of the White Council in regards to Dol Goldur and the power that is taking shape there.
In the book, by this time, the White Council knows that it is Sauron taking shape again and is looking for the One Ring. And Saruman is playing both sides against the other to delay any move against Dol Goldur so that more can be known concerning the whereabouts of the One Ring.
The movie makes it seem as if none of the Wise know about Sauron reforming or that the One Ring was not destroyed in the Second Age, and is being sought after.