8. The Barrel Scene - The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Say what you want about Peter Jackson's second instalment in his unlikely Hobbit trilogy, but the entire barrel escape sequence half-way through the film was damn good fun, and easily the best sequence of the film. I wasn't too keen on the fact that so much of it seemed to have been filmed with GoPro-type cameras (giving it a relatively amateur look), but the sheer majesty and scope of the set-piece was a joy to behold, and one of the better uses of CGI in a film that generally used way too much of it. The money shot comes when one of the barrels veers off course and ends up knocking over a seemingly interminable number of enemies like bowling pins, in what is possibly the funniest and most entertaining moment in the whole movie. The film may have been another relatively mild effort compared to Peter Jackson's Rings trilogy, but we were temporarily able to forget that in this awesome moment.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
