Magnificent production

Rating: 5/10 (4 January 2013)

A fantasy film produced to the highest possible standards. The music swells and toots with power, the cast offers charming and hilarious performances, and the set design, effects, costumes and props are all meticulously reproduced.
Leisurely paced, and filled with action set pieces, to keep the film flowing, it rarely drags, except for the several false starts at the beginning. It is wonderfully shot, landscapes and city shots are particularly beautiful. The special effects, a huge part of this film, are well done, computer generated characters are particularly impressive, their faces having full range of expression. The script is a little underwritten, as is the story, to really validate the running time, but there is enough going on on screen to make the time go by.
Martin Freeman's performance is more than serviceable, his facial expressions and exasperation are amusing, and his deadpan entirely fitting to the part. Ian McKellen inhabits his role as expected. The dwarfs, awash with regional accents, are distinct and carry enough charm, freely mixing humour and drama as needed.
My main problem with this movie is its formulaic precision. As action builds and our heroes' situation becomes untenable, they will be saved right in the nick of time by a Gandalf, elves, dwarfs etc, whoever. After each action sequence, queue dramatic music and several shots of the beautiful rugged landscape; the same with the introduction of each character: queue an introductory shot and the orchestra swells, in particular Galadriel and Elrond.
If I was younger and less cynical I would commend this work for its sheer size and ambition; a masterpiece of film-making.