These first two episodes were good enough for me to keep watching. Some of the scenes were fairly ponderous, with long visual sequences. I am not against sweeping visuals when they enhance a mood or feeling, but many times I found myself wondering, "Why are they showing this?" Some of the Harfoot and Dwarf comedic dialogs were gimmicky and a little too strained for my taste, but I appreciate the attempt.
I guess my biggest thematic concern right now is how they develop the motives of the elves. Tolkien makes it clear that many immortal elves succumb to despair because they live in an ever-changing world where things do not last. Shipping off to the island in the West was the ultimate surrender, and not a contest prize the way it was portrayed in this series. As Galadriel explained in LOTR, the Three Rings were made to primarily to stave off the passage of time and to preserve what the elves had built.
What I am really looking forward to is the Ents! Treebeard is my favorite LOTR character. I have a big old tree in my back yard ... I wonder ...
