I remember the first film, no not the first in this contemporary series but the first attempt to bring the books, to cinema.
In terms of contextual cohesiveness and pacing I feel it did a better job, than its latter day counterpart. I believe with this effort they are going for sweeping epic but somehow it comes across as inexplicably pedestrian.
Yes cinematography is remarkable, as are CGI effects but the pacing is slow and things happen that don't come together all that well or give the sense that they are contributing, meaningfully, to the overall story. Acting is competent but again, its not remarkable, which I think is in part down to a lack of depth, in characterisations.
I know this review probably wont be popular or reflective of the mainstream but I sense they are trying to do too much and as a consequence, achieving too little.
In summary, visually compelling but lacking in a certain intensity and depth. Feels contextually spare and at times redundant, if that makes sense. Still worth a look if you liked the books.