Please - read the book first

Lord of the Ring fans have been waiting for this a long time.  But do yourself a favor... if you haven't read The Hobbit yet, do so before you see the movie.  Otherwise, your imagination will be hijacked by the images from the film.  Let your mind do the work first before putting your grey matter in neutral in front of the screen.

From the Wall Street Journal online:

'The Hobbit': Lights, Camera, Action — Finally

Bilbo Baggins's journey through treacherous lands swarming with goblins and orcs, deadly wargs and giant spiders, shapeshifters and sorcerers has begun filming, at long last: "The Hobbit" movie kicked off shooting in Wellington, New Zealand, today.