'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' Review

After thirteen years, two trilogies, over 1000 minutes of screen time, and garnering millions of fans around the world, Peter Jackson's adaption of J.R.R. Tolken's Middle-Earth saga has come to an end.

'The Hobbit'--the 255 page book that has been adapted into a trilogy under much controversy--is given its final swan song in 'The Battle of the Five Armies'. 'Five Armies' takes place mere seconds after last year's 'Desolation of Smaug' cliffhanger, with Smaug the dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) being driven away from the dwarf kingdom of Erebor by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his ragtag group of dwarves, while our titular hero (Martin Freeman) watches Smaug go on to attack the nearby Laketown, helplessly. 

Smaug does indeed attack Laketown in the opening ten minutes of this film; quite spectacularly I might add. This pre-title sequence is one of the trilogy's most thrilling moments, and sets the stage for what you're about to see quite wonderfully. At many times, 'Battle of the Five Armies' truly feels like the viewer's reward for enduring the previous two mediocre attempts at Peter Jackson trying to revisit the world of 'Lord of the Rings'. While 'Unexpected Journey' was boring, and 'Desolation' felt bloated, 'Five Armies' seems to have a clear and brisk pace that makes it an extremely enjoyable, yet not flawless farewell to the franchise.

The most obvious thing to examine first in 'The Battle of the Five Armies' is...well...the battle! The fight between dwarf, man, orc, and goblin is pretty terrific. Granted, I would have absolutely preferred it if less computer effects were driving these brawls, but for what it is, it's a true blast. Not to mention, that this battle is just a true love letter to fans of this universe. If you love orcs, goblins, wizards, cave trolls, and the always present giant eagles, consider this an early Christmas present. Peter Jackson films this explosion of fantasy creatures duking it out in such a way that there are times where you will truly want to stand up and cheer. Howard Shore's score also adds a real epic atmosphere, making it far less forgettable than it was in the first two movies. 

                                   

That being said, the movie is not all about a giant two and a half hour battle, as I was worried it would be. Trailers and early reviews made me fear that I would be stepping into Michael Bay's 'The Hobbit' rather than an emotionally satisfying finale. Surprisingly, this may be the movie in which I found the small character moments the most impactful. Due to its shorter running time (THANK GOD!), and its emphasis on giant sword fighting sequences, the quiet moments are somewhat few and far between. Yet, this makes them far more important in my opinion. When Bilbo and Thorin have a heart to heart, it's impactful and doesn't fall into the trap of useless rambling that the previous two flicks fell into. Plus, the performances here are all terrific as you'd expect. Ian Mckellan still plays Gandalf with the same energy as he did back in the early 2000s. Martin Freeman shines as Bilbo. Richard Armitage plays the power hungry Thorin perfectly. Yet, the real surprise was seeing Luke Evans reprise his role as the Bard from the last film. His character has some real stand-out moments. 

Alas, it isn't all perfect. I don't think anyone should be surprised that there are still some lingering problems in the finale for a trilogy that--all in all--shouldn't really exist. For example, the addition of Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and his new counterpart, Tauriel (Evangeline Lily) is definitely less grating than it was in 'Desolation', but it's still far too obvious that their sequences are just shoved in by the writer to make this film over two hours long, and incorporate not-so-subtle foreshadowing to the events of 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Someone should've reminded Jackson that 'The Hobbit' is not a prequel to Tolken's masterful three parter, but rather its own self contained story with elements of that great tale. Also, the romance between Tauriel and the boy band dwarf, Kili, still seems a bit forced, but luckily it has a tad more development attached to it. And there's one thing that's just been a nitpick of mine ever since I saw the original films: SLOW MOTION! I don't mind it, but Jackson abuses the hell out of it in almost all of his films, and this is no exception.

Quibbles aside, 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' was the return to Middle-Earth I wanted ever since this bloated trilogy started in the first place. In many ways it's the 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'-style finale. Meaning that the first two films left much to be desired, yet the conclusion was the movie that took you back to the world you knew and loved in all the right ways, even if it was just a little too late.

 I'm glad that those previous six hours in the movie theater feel worth it now.

Grade:B+

Review by: Josh McCormack