Action scenes over-done

Rating: 6/10 (27 December 2012)

It's a mixed bag, but as a fan of LOTR this film was a bit of a disappointment for me. There were some well-scripted scenes and welcomed additions to the book, and some good acting, but my main gripe with this film is that the action scenes have become ridiculous and I'm surprised that Peter Jackson succumbed to this industry trend where the main characters survive impossible 1 in a million situations. Worse is the fact that many of the invented scenes were of this nature, extending the film to well over 2 hours and requiring 3 visits. Is it really possible to fall hundreds of feet and survive without a scratch? Or survive huge boulders being thrown all around you while you stand on a moving mountain? Fantasy this may be, but I'd call it ridiculous. Peter Jackson, and other movie makers, should perhaps look to The Game of Thrones for more realistic action and fight scenes. I don't mind if a film veers from the book if it is to cut short or to make connections - but this film adds scenes to bore us to tears with unnecessary, impossible and repetitive action scenes. I won't be going to see the next installment in 1 year - I'll wait until it arrives on satellite TV, such is my disappointment.