Thought it was great, darker tone which fits in the the books and the way they did Smaug was great
Tauril was a really good add too
I wonder if the first scene was part of the re-shoots, it would have seemed out of place if it wasn't used in that exact spot
the ending was frustrating but in a "I can't believe it's been 2.5 hours all ready" type thing
I thought it was interesting I read in one of the magazines at the theatre where the first one was originally going to end (when it was 2 movies) and it reminded me exactly of FOTR, I'll put in spoiler just in case since it's a part of the 2nd movie