Fans of JRR Tolkien have given their collective thumbs up to a new trailer for the first Hobbit movie which was released on Thursday.
The website theonering.net says: "We think it looks pretty sweet" after the trailer, lasting around two and a half minutes, was showcased online.
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The trailer, released as part of Tolkien Week, marking the 75th anniversary of the book's publication, comes nine months after the first teaser for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey appeared.
Along with familiar faces, Gandalf, Gollum and Bilbo Baggins the preview features dwarves, goblins and giant wolves as Bilbo is selected to be the 14th member of a group determined to reclaim the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug.
MTV.com also gave the trailer its approval saying it gave the longest look at the Riddle in the Dark scene, for which the book is renowned.
It said of the scene with ring-loving Gollum: "It falls in line with the lighter, more comedic tone of "The Hobbit," compared to the brooding of "Lord of the Rings."
The Hobbit, which is being released in three parts, has been shot in 3D and at 48 frames a second, twice the speed that has been the standard since the 1920s.
The first movie will have its world premiere in Wellington in late November before its global release on December 14.
