I can thank Peter Jackson for brightening up over a half-dozen Boxing Days now with his blockbuster tributes to the world of JRR Tolkien.

Unlike the LOTR trilogy, The Hobbit films have felt lighter and more tailored for an audience of children.

Watching the third instalment for a second time I was not surprised to notice a distinct lack of blood. Five armies with nary a drop of the red stuff speaks volumes about Jackson’s motivation in making these films.

Just like Star Wars toned down the violence to allow for a more child friendly classification, The Hobbit Trilogy is a much more accessible set of films than the disturbing characters at the heart of the LOTR films.

While anything above an MA+ supposedly requires an adult to accompany persons under the age of 15, an M rated film (which is what all 6 Jackson/Tolkien films are) allows pretty much anybody to buy a ticket.

And why wouldn’t they?

When it comes to rollicking blockbuster action on an epic scale, nothing comes close to these titles.

Despite claims that these three films could well have been condensed into two, the final episode of Bilbo Baggins (along with his friends and enemies) delivers entertainment in spades.

It caps off the less popular Hobbit trilogy with a flourish, and an enticing invitation to watch (or re-watch) the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy with a solid grounding in the faces, names and motivations of the charcters of Middle Earth.

4 Stars.