They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard, to Isengard, to...

...well, the Lonely Mountain anyway. That's what happened in the first five minutes of this final part of Tolkien's original masterpiece turned into a film. The rest of the two hours....I'll get to my opinion of that later.

I realise that it's now April and the final piece of the puzzle that is the Hobbit came out in December last year. But let's be honest...I needed the time to ruminate on what to say about this latest adventure.

It's quite well known that I'm a pretty intense Tolkien fan. To the point where people are work have suggested I give a lecture on the history of Middle Earth. I regard this whole fantasy as something that has actually happened (maybe in a parallel Universe or on a planet far, far away), just like some Terry Pratchett fans believe that there might actually be a Discworld placed atop four elephants riding a giant turtle making its way across the sky (OK, I believe in that one too).

Anyway, the point of this ramble is the Hobbit is only one very small adventure in the history of Middle Earth and therefore lacks importance in the grand scheme of things. It is so easy to think of this good humoured story about a bunch of bumbling dwarves searching for their stolen treasure as merely inconsequential.

And maybe it would be, except for one very important fact:

If those dwarves hadn't been looking for a burglar to steal back the Arkenstone from the frightful Smaug then...

Bilbo would never have found the ring of power...

Gandalf would not have delayed the return of Sauron who was posing as the Necromancer...

Frodo would never have inherited the ring and set off to destroy it...

And Sauron would have returned in all his malice and destroyed the world of men, dwarves, hobbits, you name it.

So the tale of Bilbo's adventures through Moria and to the Lonely Mountain is at least as vital to the history of Middle Earth as any other and it is only with all that context in mind that you can truly enjoy the vision that Tolkien created and Peter Jackson turned into a digital masterpiece.

Now that this has been established, let's get on with the key business at hand. How was the film that we have all waited for so long for? Was it worth turning a 300 page storybook into an eight hour epic trilogy?

Yes to the last question I think. I was very luckily treated to a full viewing of the trilogy at the 02 cinema the night the final film came out and watching the entirety of the saga gave me a full appreciation of the story's intricacies and happily allowed some real development of the characters themselves. Let me start with the aspects I enjoyed the most:

The development of Bilbo's character. It is so difficult to imagine Bilbo as anything but that ring obsessed ancient hobbit that we experience in the Lord of the Rings. But in these films we gain an appreciation of the fact that everyone was young once, and Bilbo was courageous, generous and truly faithful to his friends. Unlike Frodo, who is driven by his need and the pressure of the fellowship to destroy the ring, Bilbo could have left the dwarves whenever he got fed up of them. He has no real responsibility to them and yet he continuously risked his life for a cause that he grew to believe in more with every second. He literally faced dragons for Thorin Oakenshield yet he never followed him blindly...as evidenced by his refusal to surrender the Arkenstone to satiate Thorin's growing insanity.

Gandalf's story is also one I truly enjoyed. Peter Jackson took a bit of artistic license on this one, as the full story of Gandalf's battle with the necromancer is only lightly touched on in the book. However I enjoyed the scenes involving the council, particularly the battle in which Sauron is driven away. Galadriel is revealed in all her powerful glory and this moment cannot fail to remind fans that Galadriel is a daughter of Finwe and Olwe, the leaders of the elves of old, a Noldor who has passed through the depths of time, seen her family slaughtered by the cruelty of Morgoth and Sauron. This scene reminded me of the tears I shed every time I read the Silmarillion, of the cruel loss of life of all those beautiful, powerful elves. Galadriel is one of those few powerful who remain, and in her light shines the light of every Eldar whose life was forfeit to the malice of Morgoth and the foolishness of Feanor's vow for the Silmarils.

The deaths of Thorin, Fili and Kili. It would be sadistic of me to say I enjoyed this, but I appreciated

the courage of Peter Jackson in maintaining the key element of the story. The result of the War of the Five Armies was the waning of the House of Durin, a terrible loss from the world. Durin was of course the eldest of the seven fathers of the dwarves, the first created by Aule the Valar in his desperation to create life. Durin also founded the Mines of Maria in the depths of Khazad-Dum, which features heavily in Tolkien's works. Balin, one of the thirteen dwarves is another of Durin's folk, and is mourned by his cousin Gimli in the Lord of the Rings. The final scenes of the Hobbit shows the dwindling of the race of dwarves, a terrible loss for Middle Earth and another result of the horrors of Sauron and his master, Morgoth.

What didn't I enjoy? One key thing in particular, and that was the whole Tauriel/Kili/Legolas love triangle. It is totally nonsensical and I can't understand where PJ was going with this. This was not the place to be proving a point about interracial relationships. I'm OK with the introduction of Tauriel's character (after all, you have to appeal to wider audiences to sell cinema tickets)  but I cannot approve of the associated storyline. There has never been love between elves and dwarves, with the exception of Legolas and Gimli, and this additional fictional relationship makes a mockery of something that should have been unique.

Additionally, I see why it was possible to invent this relationship as Kili was not a dwarf in the traditional sense. Aidan Turner is hot and let's be honest...there's no such thing as a hot dwarf. An excellent example of the influence of Hollywood overtaking the need for historical accuracy.

BUT...I think I can happily say that was my only issue with the trilogy. I've heard people say that the third film was a waste, with an hour and a half of the film being spent watching a war. But I wasn't bored once and you have to appreciate the skill it takes to film a war and make it continuously interesting.

One more thing...I did enjoy the development of Thranduil's character and relationship with his son Legolas. I don't know what that thing about his face being marred by dragonfire was about but it was interesting to see that Legolas is sent to seek out Aragorn at the end of the film. It was simply a shame that Aragorn didn't appear in the film at all. To be honest, I thought PJ might extend the film to include some events that occurred after the war and are listed in the Silmarillion but that was unfortunately not the case.

So, to recap, an excellent film in my eyes that mainly stayed true to Tolkien's image. I can't wait to buy the extended box set. And Peter Jackson, if you ever happen to read this....please please please work your magic on the Silmarillion. I want people to understand the majesty of Middle Earth's history, and you are the only person who can deliver that in the way it deserves.