As I type this, I have the strangest feeling of déjà vu.
It was only 11 years ago where I said goodbye to the denizens of Middle-Earth with the final chapter of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King. At that time, I was saddened to director Peter Jackson's incredible vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world behind, but I prayed to the almighty film gods for the day when I could return to Middle Earth for the adaptation of The Hobbit.
Nine years later, in 2012, I got my wish.
And so here we are, at the end of another journey with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the final installment in The Hobbit trilogy.
We pick up immediately after the end of The Desolation of Smaug, with a rather quick opening sequence where Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) starts to lay waste to Lake-Town and its inhabitants, all while Bilbo and the rest of the Dwarves look on in horror.
Smaug is soon quickly dispatched (spoilers if you've never read The Hobbit, though if you haven't....why are you still reading this review go read The Hobbit!) and Thorin (Richard Armitage) soon tries to locate the Arkenstone, the crown jewel of the Dwarven fortune. This begins to drive him mad with dragon-sickness, which is the Tolkien way of saying that Thorin basically gets greedy:
Thorin's thought process summed up in 5 seconds!
Meanwhile Gandalf (Ian McKellan), is still held captive by Sauron's forces at Dol Guldur, but is soon rescued by Galadriel, Elrond, and Saruman (Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, and Christopher Lee, respectively). He then goes to warn the others, where the armies of Elves, Men, Dwarves, and Orcs come together at Erebor's doorstep.
What follows is quite possibly the biggest and bloodiest real estate battle in history, as the Battle of the Five Armies over who reclaims Erebor and its treasure soon begins.
With the release of this film, this marks the possible final time that we will ever venture into Middle Earth (or, y'know, until Jackson makes The Silmarillion or someone comes up with the oh so brilliant idea to reboot this series...). So does this final entry in The Hobbit trilogy not only satisfy those who have been on the ride since the beginning, but also those who grew up with Lord of the Rings?
While I have a few issues with the film, it is still a satisfying conclusion to The Hobbit trilogy .
With the release of this film, this marks the possible final time that we will ever venture into Middle Earth (or, y'know, until Jackson makes The Silmarillion or someone comes up with the oh so brilliant idea to reboot this series...). So does this final entry in The Hobbit trilogy not only satisfy those who have been on the ride since the beginning, but also those who grew up with Lord of the Rings?
While I have a few issues with the film, it is still a satisfying conclusion to The Hobbit trilogy .
Both Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage conclude their excellent character arcs and give amazing performances. In Armitage's case, he really gets a chance to shine in terms of his acting. His character goes through this enjoyable arc and his friendship with Bilbo and his kin are wonderful to watch. Freeman himself also shows Bilbo's character arc as well, going from a quiet, helpless Hobbit to a hardened warrior. Both these actors pull this off brilliantly.
The supporting cast did a fine job as well. It's always nice to see McKellan as Gandalf in the role again he owns this character. The Company of Dwarves also stood out because you feel sorry for them near the end. Their leader, their king, is slowly going mad, transforming him into someone completely unrecognizable. You feel sorry for them and that they went through all these trials only to see their leader become lost until he finally snaps out of it.
Now, there are some issues with the supporting cast. For one, I STILL do not see the reason why Legolas needs to be in these films other than to serve as another connective tissue to Lord of the Rings (for further proof of this, wait until Legolas' very last scene.....you thought the references in An Unexpected Journey were obvious....). The same goes with the appearance of Blanchett, Weaving, and Lee. It's great to see them back (even if I call shenanigans on 92 year old Lee spinning around and swinging his magic staff around like an awesome warrior), but it feels unneeded. They are there only as a way to pad the plot and pave the way for Lord of the Rings
Also, Legolas is not only essentially the elf version of Benjamin Button, but he still defies the law of physics and is basically the third Mario brother (you will understand what I mean if you decided to see it).
The supporting cast did a fine job as well. It's always nice to see McKellan as Gandalf in the role again he owns this character. The Company of Dwarves also stood out because you feel sorry for them near the end. Their leader, their king, is slowly going mad, transforming him into someone completely unrecognizable. You feel sorry for them and that they went through all these trials only to see their leader become lost until he finally snaps out of it.
Now, there are some issues with the supporting cast. For one, I STILL do not see the reason why Legolas needs to be in these films other than to serve as another connective tissue to Lord of the Rings (for further proof of this, wait until Legolas' very last scene.....you thought the references in An Unexpected Journey were obvious....). The same goes with the appearance of Blanchett, Weaving, and Lee. It's great to see them back (even if I call shenanigans on 92 year old Lee spinning around and swinging his magic staff around like an awesome warrior), but it feels unneeded. They are there only as a way to pad the plot and pave the way for Lord of the Rings
Also, Legolas is not only essentially the elf version of Benjamin Button, but he still defies the law of physics and is basically the third Mario brother (you will understand what I mean if you decided to see it).
Another issue that I was not a fan of is the romance between Fili (Aidan Turner) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly). While it was built upon in the last movie, here it feels.....underdeveloped and rather rushed. First they meet, make small talk, then fall in love instantly without barely knowing each other. I know Jackson needed to put this in here to have a romance similar to Arwen and Aragorn, but it feels rather unneeded (although it does give way to one of the most unintentionally hilarious lines delivered in the movie)
However, the big reason people want to see this is because of the Battle and Jackson does not disappoint in this department. While admittedly VERY CGI heavy, the battle does not disappoint and is extremely well shot and choreographed. This rivals Jackson's own work on the Battle of Helm's Deep or the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Some of the fight shots are just breathtaking to watch, especially when the Orcs show up.
Finally, while I did complain about having characters and name references in for the sake of making connections to Lord of the Rings, I felt as if the ending tied everything up very seamlessly. The last two minutes of this movie feel as if we now have a natural story to watch with Jackson's Middle Earth saga. The final connection is there and it felt like we had come full circle and that we are ready to say farewell to this world, possibly forever. (Billy Boyd's song at the end credits definitely helps that).
Overall, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a very satisfying conclusion to The Hobbit trilogy as well as Jackson's Middle Earth saga, although not without its issues. While the trilogy may not have packed the emotional punch as the original LOTR trilogy did, there is no denying the legacy of these movies that many will discover for years to come.
Grade: B+
Grade: B+
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