Dec 30th 

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies* (12A)  
(Odeon Colchester)                           

(US/New Zealand 2014)

The slaying of lethal dragon Smaug leads to a tussle between opposing forces for the gold of Mount Gundabad.
Eventual conclusion of Jackson's hugely inflated adaptation of Tolkien's novel, made as a "prequel" to The Lord of the Rings, and displaying The Return of the King's tendency for long goodbyes, with a very long drawn out conclusion after two hours of incessant noise and action interspersed with some occasionally daring moments of character introspection, with the actors giving as best as they can against such a huge canvas.

Written by: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, from the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Producers: Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner, Fran Welsh, Peter Jackson.
Director: Peter Jackson.
Starring: Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch (voice only), Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Billy Connolly, Ian Holm, and others.
Photography: Andrew Lesnie.
Music: Howard Shore.
Production Design: Dan Hennah.
Visual Effects Supervision: Joe Lettieri.

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES. The Ring comes full circle.