Thanks for the very nice review, and I tend to agree with your comment above. And this movie will make a KILLING on 2nd and 3rd showings. I see probably 3 movies a year on average, but I FULLY intend to see this movie 3 times just by itself. Peter Jackson, you da MAN!
This is the very rare movie you could take your church's youth group to - or the whole church for that matter - and no one would feel ashamed or insulted or anything else like that. People are tired of that... and this movie (and to some extent, "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone") delivers an innocent alternative. Lord knows we need good medicine like this after a season of grief.