The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

It's been 13 years since the first instalment of Peter Jackson's epic retellings of JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth series, with The Fellowship of the Ring astounding audiences and proving that fantasy can be done right, garnering a high rating on IMDb and gaining new fans every day. But unlike the highly-praised and Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, the prequel Hobbit franchise has been met with somewhat mixed acclaim. It's too long, not enough in the book to allow a three-way split, or just too silly - and arguably, those claims are true. With The Hobbit trilogy complete with Battle of the Five Armies' recent theatrical release, as an overall view it does feel dragged out; with its slow opening, stronger middle and recent finale (which we'll get to momentarily), it does tread its footsteps throughout its lengthy journey from the Shire to Erebor and back again. But with the end of the Middle Earth saga now viewable, and no plans for a return in sights, The Battle of the Five Armies has a lot to carry on its 2½ hour-long shoulders. 

The film explosively opens with the swift conclusion to the Smaug the Dragon storyline (deliciously played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the previous instalment as he towers over Laketown. It's a stunning sequence - albeit with somewhat under-rendered CGI flames in some areas - only made more delectable with the visually delightful design of Smaug by Weta. It's just a great pity that the dragon is done with within the first 10 minutes, and only comes across as being in this film for the sake of having a cliffhanger for The Desolation of Smaug. It's disappointing how quickly they dispatch a major player in the first two films for the sake of an extravagant finale. 

That being said, it does still lead to a well-deserved breather as Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the Dwarves in the Lonely Mountain (which with each establishing shot reminding me of the Paramount Pictures logo), which is where the film truly begins. While the promotional material and title builds up for an immense battle - and it does deliver with the second and third acts - the scenes in which the likes of Bilbo, Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Bard (Luke Evans) discussing the events to come and the breaking of agreements. These moments carry the film along as you witness these characters react to how much the dwarves victory over Erebor has really come to naught, with Thorin suffering from 'dragon fever' and acting paranoid whilst Bard attempts to help his surviving neighbours of Laketown. Even with the sudden return of Lee Pace's Thranduil to have his share of the dwarf riches, all these characters from across both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings franchise come about to give not only a fitting farewell and/or setup for their returns in the original trilogy (except for poor Christopher Lee, who only has a few lines before popping off again), but to play key parts in the over-arcing storyline. That and for the big fight in the end. 

Once the Elf army turn up at the dwarves' doorstep and Billy Connolly comes riding in on a pig - a hilarious image and perhaps the best thing to come out of the overall trilogy - it's time for the war to begin, and it's hard not say that the titular battle is riveting. Granted, it's overlong and you do start to recognise the repeated sounds of clashing swords and shields, but it does pump up the adrenaline and excite audiences. The only major snag is that, at times, the visual effects are much lower in quality than in any other Middle Earth film. An example of this can be seen in a battle between Legolas (Orlando Bloom, who's looked very fake since his return in Desolation of Smaug) and one of the goblins over a stone building. It's a lengthy fight, but the setting makes it all seem incredibly fake. When considering how revolutionary the previous instalments to Jackson's series have been in terms of visuals, it is a great pity that his final retelling fails to recapture that same essence.  

Performance-wise, there's very little faltering, as each cast member gives their all to finish the series with style. But with the characters themselves, there's a number of elements which bring them down; particularly with some of the dwarves, who even after three films still have no major characteristics or roles to garner a memorable name. Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel and Orlando Bloom have little need outside of the battle - even popping off elsewhere for a scene only to go back again. It does bring the actors down as they do their best with the little that remains in the theatrical version (no doubt the inevitable extended edition will feature them more heavily). 

As the end of a trilogy of overlong films, it's hard to say they've been enjoyable. 2012's An Unexpected Journey, whist wasting a lot of its runtime on a meal in Bag End, did have some fun moments (and I don't say that because of Sylvester McCoy as the lovable Radagast the Brown); The Desolation of Smaug added a lot more action, with the segment featuring the titular dragon being a main highlight; and Battle of the Five Armies increasing the battle aspects which made 2003's Return of the King so loved. It may not be the most satisfying conclusion to the saga, and was definitely a series that only needed two parts, but it’s been a fun journey back in the lands of Tolkien's mind. 7/10.