Ravishing and yet frustrating

Rating: 7/10 (1 June 2017)

Version I saw: UK cinema release (HFR 3D IMAX)
Actors: 7/10
Plot/script: 5/10
Photography/visual style: 7/10
Music/score: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
I was a defender of Peter Jackson as the Hobbit films released to disappointed audiences, but it now seems clear that he didn't know what he was doing with the story. The Dol Guldur/Necromancer plot line really was tacked on for no good reason, adding almost nothing except opportunities to foreshadow the events of Lord of the Rings. The over-abundance of characters is a nightmare to manage, and yet they still get corralled into one place at the climax for the battle of the title. Smaug gets killed off before the opening credits. It's all a bit messy.
And yet, the film remains very enjoyable, and I think, very good. The absolute orgy of scenery porn photographed by Andy Serkis' second unit combines with the master craftsmanship of Weta Workshop in both CGI and physical props/costumes/set dressing to make a sumptuous feast for the eyes. I honestly believe that if a viewer spent the whole movie focusing exclusively on the backgrounds, they would come away satisfied.
And the acting is not bad either. Admittedly, none of it (and nothing else in the movie either) has a shred of subtlety, but the cast do a good job of portraying those big, blunt emotional arcs. Thorin's (Richard Armitage) operatic descent into madness and then redemption, Bilbo's (Martin Freeman) fear, suspicion and ultimate bravery, Tauriel's (Evangeline Lilly) pointless romantic sub-plot, all are implemented with gusto, and come across about as well as you could reasonably hope.
As a die-hard Tolkien fan, I am happy to spend as long as I can in this Middle-Earth that Jackson has created. If the films had been 9 hours each, I would be fine with that. With more rigour at the screen writing stage, all three films could have been considerably better, but I am very happy with what we have.