I am a fan of this franchise and read all the books. This movie was a decent watch but it was just another set up for the actual story. Just like the part ones of the final Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Twilight, this was just fluff while you wait another year to actually see the story end. They definitely put more money into this one and it looked better across the board with lots of extra special effects but that is just to make you enjoy the fluffy set up since the story is not going to be completed yet.
I would obviously recommend this movie to anyone that is a fan of the franchise. It's more of the same and is again a decent watch but the movie ultimately doesn't go anywhere since this easily could have been trimmed down to be the first 45 - 60 minutes of the full final chapter.