The Reel Review
This mind-numbingly frenetic CGI-fest more than makes up for the slower pace of the first two films in The Hobbit trilogy. While the best of the bunch, it still pales to the superb Lord of The Rings trilogy, weakened by makeup that makes Orlando Bloom look weirdly artificial and some distractingly unrealistic special effects. Despite that, the story itself is still entertaining and should mostly satisfy all but the most hardcore Hobbit purists.