SPOILER FREE
Before weighing in on The Battle Of Five Armies, I think it's appropriate to revert back to the other two installments of the Hobbit trilogy and Lord of the Rings briefly before discussing the newest film. Let me start by saying I absolutely adore the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. I never got to see those films in theaters during their initial runs which was a huge regret to me until they replayed them in a 2012 marathon upon the release of An Unexpected Journey. What makes them great to me is they take you on a journey with their characters in this truly incredible universe that was not seen before previously if you don't include the original Star Wars trilogy. To me those are the two greatest trilogies in the genre of fantasy. Lord of the Rings is a remarkable filmmaking achievement and one of the rare trilogies that gets better with each installment. My personal favorite film in that trilogy is Return of the King which currently sits in my top 15 movies of all time list. Having said that, I have some strong opinions towards the Hobbit trilogy. On one hand, I enjoyed the new series to a certain extent but also feel that it has certain flaws which hold it back from being as great as Lord of the Rings. I understand that both series are separate and The Hobbit is only 320 pages compared to the three books the original trilogy followed under, but I also feel that's where the problem comes in. How does 320 pages qualify as being its own trilogy? That was an issue on every fans minds going into the newer trilogy. Unlike most people who were disappointed by An Unexpected Journey, I really liked it. It kept the spirit of the original films and felt like another great adventure was starting up again. The soundtrack was also very Lord of the Rings utilizing many familiar musical tones while also creating some great ones of it's own such as Song of Lonely Mountain. The Desolation of Smaug I didn't enjoy as much as Unexpected Journey because it felt that the majority of it was just character and story filler to get to the real event of the film which was the introduction of the dragon Smaug. Smaug is truly amazing to look at visually but the problem lied with waiting two hours to get to the point where he shows up then cut the film right when his character's story arc was about to begin. Looking back now that all three films are linked together, that one doesn't appear to be as terrible now but is still my least favorite of all six. I guess you're all wondering how Battle of Five Armies did huh? Well here it is.....
I liked it. The film is not without it's issues such as the overuse of CGI, unnecessary humor during the battle sequences in the films third act and just an overall feeling that the trilogy as a whole doesn't compare to the greater one it gets linked too, but in the end its a good movie. Battle of Five Armies is the Return of the King of the newer trilogy giving it an epic and grand feel that feels more Lord of the Rings than Desolation of Smaug did. The plot of the film lies with Bilbo and the Company of the Dwarves being forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keeping the Lone Mountain from falling into the hands of a rising darkness. While at the same time, contending with the wrath of the mountains dragon named Smaug.The emotion with the characters is present here such as the friendship with Bilbo and Thorin that ends in tragedy. The film also contains more heart than the previous installment and feels more epic in scope. The opening sequence with Smaug destroying Laketown is phenomenal and one of the great high points of this new trilogy. Benedict Cumberbatch's voicing of Smaug is chilling yet terrific. Martin Freeman's performance as Bilbo Baggins is the most emotional of all three movies, and falls in line with Ian Holm's performance as the older Bilbo perfectly. Ian Mckellen does great as usual as Gandalf, showing us that no one else on Earth could've played this part better. He was born for this role. Richard Armitage as Thorin was at his best here and really captured the corruption the mountain of treasure was having on his characters state of mind. Orlando Bloom shines again as Legolas, though it feels a little weird that he's in this trilogy. His character attributes to some of the more glaring flaws of this film involving the overuse of CGI.
Battle of Five Armies directed by Peter Jackson feels more like LOTR in this film than the last one did. It's gritty, rich, grand, handled with great care and heart, and done in a way where it begins to take the shape and form of the movies that lay before it. Howard Shore's score for Battle of Five Armies marks a considerable improvement over Desolation of Smaug's soundtrack, adding more familiar tunes such as the one involving Bilbo and the Shire. Though one wishes that Shore and Jackson used the Lonely Mountain theme throughout the whole trilogy instead of just one film. To me, that was the theme that represented the entire Hobbit trilogy and became a wasted opportunity not having it in the latter films. It would've gone great here. The film has some touching moments such as the final scenes with Bilbo and Thorin reminding viewers of the friendship Frodo and Sam had in the original trilogy. I do wish that Jackson gave the film a little more of an emotional punch like he did with Return of the King. That's not to say the drama isn't there but it could've been more powerful. The movie's final moments do what Revenge of the Sith did for the Star Wars prequels, which is to bridge together the two trilogies by making sure all the puzzle pieces are in place. However, when one watches the final minutes of Five Armies, one gets the feeling that even thought he trilogy as a whole is a satisfying journey...it just doesn't compare to the greatness of the first films. I understand those who say you can't compare the two trilogies because the stories are different but in all honestly, it's human nature to do so especially if the same characters are used.
In the end, Battle of Five Armies provides a reasonable satisfying conclusion to The Hobbit trilogy, though the debate will always carry on whether these movies really should've been three films. Personally, Jackson would've done just as good or better with two movies. Having three movies is more of the studios doing than his own. If you were one of those people who loved Unexpected Journey but found disappointment with Desolation of Smaug, Battle of Five Armies will win you back as a fan. If you loved the first two going into this one, then you have nothing to worry about. If you are someone who feels the first two films are not on the same calibar as LOTR and feel disappointment, this movie will not bring you back to that level but it's worth seeing because it's a good finish to not just one but two trilogies as a whole. With this film. Peter Jackson bids farewell to a universe that he not only brought to the big screen, but over the course of 13 years has become one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons in movie history.
8/10
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