Peter Jackson's CGI boreathons tumbled at last

Rating: 2/10 (24 December 2014)

At last THE END of Peter Jackson's mind and bum numbing CGI so-called epic spectacles. They have become increasingly repetitive, dull, uninteresting and smugly self- satisfied at their own success. Scripts are shallow and full of plot holes, as they vainly struggle to catch the fine timbre of say 'Ben Hur' or 'El CID'. That the director and his writers fall short is due to elongation, greed and a belief in their own legendary status. It is called hubris. The plot is simple -dragon killed, orcs are on the rampage, and King Dwarf goes mad a la 'Sierra Madre.' Cue overlong battle between five armies for the treasure! Since when do Stephen Fry's miserable plebs constitute a fighting force? Yes, you guessed it - the Orcs almost win hands down until a drawn out fight sees their barbarian leader downed and a Dr Who arrives with the Eagles - Roman Legions - to sweep all before them (just like the ghost army in LOTR! Oh dear, this really is a fresh film! Various lines are tied up to lead onto the main book/film, except what happens to all the treasure? Terribly unsatisfactory, only illuminated by the odd bit of acting from messes Freeman and Armitage, who deserved better from this lazy, long drawn out, over hyped children's serial.