The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

So here it is...

Our last trip to Middle-Earth on the cinematic screen for at least the foreseeable future. 

Many would argue that this Hobbit trilogy has been weaker than the original, Lord of the Rings trilogy. For the past two films, I've been defending it as it should be noted that The Hobbit is a different type of story than Lord of the Rings. This trilogy's previous films, An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug ranged from great, if not overly long, to an absolutely fantastic "classic", respectively. 

Battle of the Five Armies represents Jackson's shortest trip to Middle-Earth yet, which, once you begin to watch the film it becomes abundantly clear why: the plot is the title. While the "battle" doesn't take up the whole run time, the entire movie is focused on the leading up to it, the battle itself, and the aftermath. It serves well enough as a send-off to the trilogy and our passion for Middle-Earth, but I also found, despite how much I enjoyed the movie, that it was the weakest entry out of both trilogies. 

Gandalf is a Cougar!

Five Armies picks up seconds after Smaug, with the iconic dragon attacking the city and looking as good as ever. Cumberbatch gets much less screen time and dialogue here, but still manages to steal the show whenever he is in use. Within about 15 minutes there is resolution to that plot line which immediately makes you wonder why they didn't just tack it on to the end of the last film (probably to ensure butts in seats is my guess). The next hour or so is spent building up towards the battle and displaying how Thorin Oakenshield has become "sick" with greed over the treasures in the mountain. Armies are coming to make their claim on the treasure and it begins to drive Thorin to madness. The film really only feels like an end...a conclusion that feels as if it's missing a beginning and middle. The previous two films were able to accomplish the traditional story arc (beginning, middle, end in the most basic sense) to a certain degree, but Five Armies really struggles from the get-go to feel anything less than an extended edition of films from the past. That odd notion aside however, it still means that we get to go back to Middle-Earth, and that's always an exciting proposition. 

"I love...Gooooooooold!"

Even Bilbo is CGI this time around! Lookin good!

With Five Armies being all about a battle, it's easy to get excited based on Jackson's on-screen accomplishments with Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith, arguably two of the best on-screen large scale battles ever produced. Five Armies isn't afraid to bring the thunder, featuring bouts of tons of fighting between men, elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, trolls, bats, eagles, etc. It's all pretty epic and well orchestrated. Despite that, the battle just honestly isn't all that fantastic. It's a lot of shield hitting, swords clashing, animal riding, and general carnage, but none of it is all that imaginative. During the main battle we don't have hardly any single-character instances of bad ass moves, or near-peril miracle saves. That's not to say there aren't some awesome scenes...they come at the end when some of the key good vs. evil face-offs occur. They are all good fun to watch, with some awesome kills, but none are really equivalent to any of Smaug's highly entertaining battles. I also found some issue once again with the over-abundance of CGI in the film. It's been highly prevalent in this series, but I think Smaug suffered from it least simply because Smaug himself hardly looks fake in the slightest. But the trolls, larger orcs, and Azog all are obvious CGI effects here and while they are top of the line CGI, one can't help but wish that they were practical. There are several instances where it gets so CGI heavy that one cant help but be convinced they are watching a scene without a single real aspect to it.

"Free breakfast burritos, THAT way!"

Five Armies is able to capture the heart of series and focus on what has always been the strength of Jackson's Middle-Earth: the characters. Bilbo is still a great protagonist and a leader without even knowing it and his daring attempts to save his friend, Thorin, from the madness of greed is some heart wrenching material. Additionally, and some may disagree, but I thought the love story between Tauriel and Kili paid off for the most part, as well as some of Legolas' issues with the elves (which eventually leads to a name drop that will put a smile on fanboy faces). Jackson wisely keeps the resolutions to a minimum this time and is able to wrap a pretty little bow on the trilogy within about 15-20 minutes of the battle ending - a far cry from his multiple endgasms in Return of the King. One can't help but get a little teary eyed as Bilbo makes his way back to his home knowing that this is it. Fans of the series have every right to be sad, but at the same time we got six fantastic movies out of it, as well as arguably one of the best trilogies ever created.

From a technical perspective, Five Armies is exactly what you would expect from a movie in this series. The cinematography is grand, albeit a little crowded in the battle scenes and the sound editing is top notch. The original score is still great, although I would say we hear it the least in this film when compared to the first two. Seeing as how the movie generally stays put at the Lonely Mountain, there aren't too many sweeping New Zealand landscape shots, which is a huge bummer, but they simply don't fit into the film much at all. 

As Legolas shoots foes he hums, "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate..."

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies have been some of the most epic ever created. I agree that The Hobbit is the weaker trilogy of the two, but given the quality we are talking about, that's not all that important. Whereas I personally felt as if the first two films justified the decision to split the book into three parts, it's really Battle of the Five Armies that is the most glaring reminder that it just wasn't necessary. 

It's still a well crafted film, but one with not much to do once it's all said and done. As great and entertaining as it is as a blockbuster I think that when the time comes for fans to want to re-watch all six films in both trilogies, that Battle of the Five Armies will be lowest on the priority list. 

Farewell Middle-Earth! Until we meet again!

CONS:

• The film really only feels like an "end" and never establishes a solid beginning or middle
• The resolution of Smaug's storyline is short enough to where it leaves you wondering why the hell it didn't happen last film
• The central battle is epic, yes, but also one of Jackson's least innovative
• Lack of traveling Middle-Earth/New Zealand is a bit of a bummer
• Far too much CGI that looks like, well...CGI. I still heavily question the decision to make Azog (and other large enemies) fully digital
• The weakest entry of all six films
• Jackson ties up the plot threads of this trilogy nicely, but the ones concerning Sauron are a bit rough around the edges when it comes to transitions to and from scenes

PROS:

• Entertaining from start to finish. Smaug is a delight, the battle is epic, and the final showdowns are innovative and fun to watch
• Strong cinematography and sound editing throughout
• The characters are here and the film provides room for their growth and to explore the love and conflict between them. Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin, Legolas, Kili, and Tauriel will all be missed
• Freeman and Armitage continue to prove that they were the perfect selections for their roles
• A fitting end to one of the greatest series of movies ever made
• Jackson is able to wrap things up swift and tidy, all while leaving a tear or two in your eyes

Rath's Review Score: 8/10

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