What about Second Breakfast?

Well I went to see the Hobbit today. I saw it in glorious 3D, running at 48 fps and almost entirely digital.

What can I say?

There's only one thing I can say, actually: well done, Peter Jackson.

I'm afraid I still have some hang-ups about filming it at 48 fps - there are times when it shows, and not in a good way. Particularly in the brighter opening scenes, there are times when the characters' movements are too fast, or jerky and robotic, and it breaks the spell which otherwise held me for the duration of the movie. But it shows the characters in great detail; Jackson is right when he says it's an immersive experience. The realism is such that, in the parts shot in the beautiful New Zealand location, you begin to feel like you're on set, watching a play rather than a movie.

But then we get to the lair of the goblins, and it begins to feel more like the whole thing should've been done in CGI - there's too much digital there, the dwarves and Gandalf stick out in a bad way. At times it feels like they're not part of the world they're adventuring in. In the darkness of Gollum's lair, however, the CGI comes into its own; Andy Serkis' neurotic, skeletal character feels like a part of the environment, and when he and Bilbo have their riddle contest it is chilling.

For the most part, the action on the dwarves focuses around four of them: Kili, Fili, Balin and Thorin are the centre of the action, the other nine taking very much a background role. It's clear, however, that each dwarf is unique, a character in their own right, though I think even Tolkien realised he'd overdone it with thirteen of them. I will say one thing for all of them, though; watch the troll scene, there they really shine. The action is a little hard to follow, but believe me when I say elves have got nothing on these guys.

I said yesterday that I was worried the 3D would be used as a gimmick, but it certainly worked here. I actually flinched when the goblins fired arrows towards the screen! Peter Jackson has certainly made it work here, but I worry that it's overwhelmed by the sheer amount of CGI in there. It doesn't delve into the uncanny valley with the humanoid characters such as Gollum, but you certainly notice that the goblins are computer generated. In fact, you notice most things which are computer generated, and I blame this on the hi-def, high-speed frame rate, which shows everything up.

This is a problem with the acting too. Martin Freeman is good as Bilbo, but there were times when I just felt like he wasn't acting at all. There were times when it was Martin Freeman as the hero, not Bilbo Baggins. I'm not one to talk, of course - I can't act for toffee, and I have the emotional range of a potato - but Martin has brought a certain aloofness, a certain Britishness, to the role, and there are parts where it doesn't fit quite right.

All this, however, can be forgiven, because despite all the niggling details, the trifling errors, Jackson has created a suitable epic. Its scale is grand, its villains truly villainous and its heroes of only the most heroic stock. And when I can find myself watching it and wishing I could watch the rest already, I'd say that film is truly epic.

So, Mr Jackson, I ask you: when can I watch the next bit?