Good, but not brilliant

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2014)

Saw this in Imax 3D at the first showing in B'ham UK. I had to queue, at 0945! In the am! Firstly, you need to be up to date with both the last movie Desolation of Smaug, and the first (Fellowship of the Ring : first and still the best). Some scenes which might seem non-sequitur rely on an enthusiast's recall of the original story and the preceding two movies in this latest trilogy. The rather thin plot, which follows upon the demise of the lovely Cumberbatch in the disguise of the loathsome Smaug (not a spoiler I hope) revolves on the Dwarf King wanting to hold on to more gold than there actually is, at least in this world (or any other I strongly suspect) - anyway, enough to disturb the balance of earthly economies. So that's the first 1/2-hour dealt with. The rest of the film is a confusing battle between Dwarfs on the inside (with gold), Men and Elves on the outside (who want the gold), Dwarf Cousin Billy Connolly and his mates on the outside (who want to help the little guys on the inside keep their gold), and no fewer than two whole armies of the spectacularly-poor-warrior Orcs on the outside who don't want the gold, just the whole mountain, together with everyone's death. No change there, then. Gandalf, as usual, flits ineffectually in and out of the movie to give some continuity with the previous screenings. And no-one needs to eat or go to the toilet. If you like Dungeons and Dragons, you'll love this. If you liked Lord of the Rings, you may be disappointed. It was all rather 2-dimensional for a 3D-movie. And me? I loved it, can't wait to see it again.