The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five
Armies
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Graham
McTavish, Stephen Hunter, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, James
Nesbitt, Adam Brown, Aidan Turner, Bret McKenzie, Dean O’Gorman, Lee Pace,
Stephen Fry, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, and Luke Evans
PG-13
144 Minutes
Three films about one book have been leading up to the final
battle described in the subtitle of Peter Jackson’s final adaptation of J.R.R.
Tolkien’s seminal novel “The Hobbit”. This film finds numerous forces, orcs,
elves, dwarves, and men, vying for control of a mountain that shelters riches and is protected by the fire-breathing dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch).
Jackson transitions into the bulk of the narrative quicker than the last two
outings, this time focusing less on the journey and more on the excitingly
culminating and again visually impressive combative finale. Unfortunately it’s hard to
ignore the lengths to which the material has been stretched, ultimately rendering the final venture into the world of Tolkien more lackluster than
shining.
The end of “The Desolation of Smaug” left our disheveled
band of dwarves and lone weary hobbit in the shadow of the vengeful dragon
Smaug, who was in flight to wreak devastation on the people of Lake town. Smaug’s
arrogance ultimately becomes his weakness as Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans)
challenges the dragon with an arrow. While the dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield
(Richard Armitage) becomes consumed by the gold in the mountain of Erebor,
leading Thorin to unreasonable and erratic behavior. Once the numerous tribes
in Middle Earth become aware that Smaug is no longer protecting the gold in
Erebor depths, many journey to take their share of the riches. Thorin is unwilling
to part with the treasures, which leads to an epic battle between five forceful
armies for control of the mountain.
Peter Jackson has been crafting Tolkien’s world for well
over a decade. So it’s without any surprise that “The Battle of the Five Armies”
looks and feels confidently rendered. The effects are again impressive,
especially the final battle that has everything from burrowing creatures to
enormous charging reindeer, however there is also much more. The landscapes are
beautiful and the scope, which moves from flowing aerial views to the pummeling
chaos of the trenches, manipulates the pulse of the action. In one of the best
scenes from all of Jackson’s Tolkien voyages Thorin Oakenshield stands toe to toe with the
leader of the orc army on top of a frozen waterfall, the sequence displays all
the skillful measures Jackson has successfully incorporated into the design of
his past films.
While the film is mostly consumed by the final battle, the
narrative takes time to catch up with other Middle Earth mainstays like Gandalf
(Ian McKellen), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), and Saruman (Christopher Lee) while
also wrapping up some of the supplemental side stories that take place.
Unfortunately these subplots hamper many of the good things that have been
peaking, such as the changing character of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) who
has been thrust into a complicated heroic role. There is also a forced love story and a
few time-consuming nods at events of the future, which move the focus away from the
interesting dynamics formed, during all the time together in the first two films, between the band of traveling dwarves.
Many of the issues with “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five
Armies” shouldn’t concern Tolkien fans much. The film is action packed and
remains exciting, albeit somewhat monotonous, from the beginning to the
conclusion. Three years of returning to Middle Earth may seem too long, and the
debate will be made of whether this book adaptation needed such lengthy
treatment, but it comes with a bit of melancholy knowing we won’t have a new
trip into the world of Tolkien coming next winter. It’s hard to question the
success of a film when that sentiment remains in the end.
Monte’s Rating
3.50 out of 5.00
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