We went to Ipswich the other day to see The Hobbit part two which is subtitled The Desolation Of Smaug although I think 1000 Ways To Kill An Orc might have been a better name - I don't think it would be possible to slaughter any more of the poor creatures in a couple of hours.
We went to an IMAX screening and it really does make a massive difference for movies of this size. The sound is immense and you leave the screening literally exhausted and with your ears ringing from the effects of the ceaseless crashing and banging.
I like Martin Freeman but I loved reading The Hobbit and I don't think Freeman looks anything at all like the jovial little burglar that Tolkein left in my imagination. I'm not sure that anyone who has read the book could picture Bilbo as he is portrayed here. That apart, the film is fairly faithful to the plot (sadly for Marion who hates spiders and sat for over ten minutes with eyes firmly shut and asking me if the giant arachnids had gone yet).
Despite the multi million pound CGI I found some parts of the action scenes jerky but there is so much action in the film I won't complain. There's not a great deal to the story - Bilbo is the burglar who has been picked by Gandalf and the dwarves to steal the Arkenstone from under the mountain where it is guarded by the dragon Smaug. En route they come across plenty of danger resulting in spectacular fights and flights and, as it is part two of three, we end, as expected, with a cliffhanger and have to wait until next Christmas to see what happens next.
Director Peter Jackson has thrown in a dwarf/elf/elf love triangle that would probably have JR Tolkien turning in his grave but there's nothing wrong with a bit of romance and it was a welcome distraction from the incessant fighting. The critics have been fairly harsh on the film but if you want a couple of hours of action I think you'll enjoy it.
The movie ends with local boy Ed Sheeran's excellent I See Fire. I can see a future trivia quiz question asking what links Framlingham to The Hobbit.
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