A mixed bag

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2013)

Problems:
1 : Ragadast the brown. This character was terribly misjudged, was Jackson hoping to cater to a younger audience ala Jar Jar Binks. In my experience comedy relief characters never truly work in big films and the only relief here is when his scenes are over. I mean who wants to see a hippy old guy with bird droppings caked on his face riding a sled pulled by giant bunnies. I had to check my drink to see if it had been spiked by LSD. Get lost Ragadast!
2 : The Goblin King. This testicle chinned Jabba the hut wannabe is not the slightest bit scary. First impression of him was that the rendering could have been better, I saw this movie twice in cinema, firstly in 3D 48fps and then in 2D and The Goblin King looked noticeably faker in 3D 48fps. It also annoyed me when he started a sing a long. Stop singing you fat fool, it feels like I'm watching a Dame Edna cabaret show. Heaven forbid.
3 : Unnecessary characters. old Bilbo, Frodo, Galadriel and Saruman had no need to be in this movie and I challenge anyone to defend their scenes as essential to plot. Ian Holm and Christopher Lee look so old and rigid its as if they have a team of puppeteers just moving their facial features and its really sad and distracting. Why have them in it? Did Jackson just want the gang back together for old times sake. These scenes should have been saved for the extended editions which begs the question what will be in those editions? Will we get a sequence where Gandalf has a bit too much to eat at the opening meeting in Bilbo's and has to rush to the bathroom and is too big for toilet bowl and blocks it in a scene reminiscent to Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber. Perish the thought.
4 : Galadriel. This character is utterly useless, she just stands around posing. She cant even walk because she will trip over in that long dress. Then she tells Gandalf if he needs her help to call her and just disappears from shot. Where did she go? Did she hide behind the pillar? Makes no sense, if she can just transport around the place at will then why didn't Gandalf call her for help when they were in peril at the end instead of sending a bug off to get giant Eagles. Galadriel is as much use as a glass hammer.
5 : Trolls. Tom, William and Bert. I mean really? Tom, William and Bert. Are they tax accountants, sesame street puppets or trolls?, awful names for threatening characters. That whole sequence irritated me, felt like something out of a Narnia movie, too silly and lame comedy.
What was good?
1: Gandalf. Ian Mckellen is fantastic as usual, every time he appears on scene its like an old loved friend returning.
2: Thorin = total bad ass
3: Gollum. Steals the whole movie with the riddles in the dark sequence that is compelling to watch. Gollum is scarier than he was in LOTR, cant fault this scene.
4: Music. I enjoyed Howard Shores score, its not as memorable as his LOTR score but he does the best of what he has to work with and the main dwarf theme is suitably rousing, I also loved his music used when the Eagles arrive and rescue our heroes.
5: Final showdown, I was gripped by the tree top escape from Azog and his wargs, I felt real emotion there, it felt like the old LOTR movies and I was captivated and didn't want movie to end from that point.
Overall: I did like this movie, it entertained me.