Director: Peter Jackson

Starring: Martin Freeman, Evangeline Lilly, Richard Armitage & Benedict Cumberbatch

Running Time: 144 mins

Release date: 17 Dec, 2014

Worldwide Gross: $122,200,000 

 

 

Basic Plot:

 

After Thorin’s (Richard Armitage) company reclaim Erebor, the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) begins to lay waste to the nearby Laketown. Smaug is soon felled by Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) however the people of Laketown are left homeless and devastated. Upon arriving at the mountain seeking compensation they find an increasingly mad Thorin refuses to help, instead focusing on finding the lost Arkenstone. With the assistance of the Elven King Thranduil (Lee Pace), who is also looking to reclaim previous jewels from Erebor, Bard resolves to go to war with Thorin.

 

Meanwhile the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) is saved from the clutches of Sauron by Radagast (Sylvester McCoy) and the White Council. Upon his release he travels to the mountain to warn everyone of Azog’s (Manu Bennett) arrival with legions of Orcs set on claiming Erebor for themselves. All the while Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is determined to save Thorin from himself even as The Battle of Five Armies begins.

 

Clock Watching? 15/20

 

Let’s be honest! All of The Hobbit films have had serious pacing issues as a result of stretching a fairly small book into a trilogy. The amount of bloat on display is all but inevitable. Thankfully, The Battle of Five Armies falls somewhere in between its predecessors, not as charming as the first film but not a slog like the second. Sure Smaug’s attack on Laketown still feels better suited as a climax to an earlier film but it’s a thrilling start nonetheless.

 

Much of what happens feels necessary to put the pieces in place for the epic finale, even if some of it does seem like a stretch. Why does Thranduil suddenly now care about reclaiming Elvish bling? Why do Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lily) have to go on a scouting mission only to find more Orcs? And why is the actual hobbit becoming an even more perfunctory character in The Hobbit?

 

The only real point that the film starts to drag is some time into the actual battle.  Don’t get me wrong, the good people at Weta are still unmatched in doing huge scale fantasy warfare. It’s just we’ve seen these kinds of huge battles before. You would think with a much more colourful band of characters there’d be more fun in some of the individual combat scenes. Sadly, despite the source material, The Battle of Five armies is still trying to ape its big brother in being a straight faced, dark fantasy.

 

Oscar Performances? 17/20

 

As with The Desolation of Smaug, Richard Armitage takes centre stage as Thorin’s lust for gold reaches its peak. Once a reasonable man of honour Thorin becomes obsessive, paranoid and eventually tyrannical and Armitage sells the hell out of it. As his inner rage reaches the surface his steady voice giving way to booming proclamations that echo with power.

 

Unfortunately, this does mean Freeman falls ever more into the background as Bilbo becomes a relatively minor player. He has plenty to do in trying to protect Thorin from the Arkenstone but his truly funny moments are few and far between. Evangeline Lily though still manages to show off her action chops as Tauriel. It’s a testament to her ability that the character’s strength is never undermined by her goofy romance with Kili (Aiden Turner).

 

Lights, Camera, Direction? 18/20

 

Whatever the film’s failings, the special effects are still top notch. Smaug is still a fearsome combination of CGI and voice acting. The assembled armies feel like something on as large a scale as there’s ever been in this franchise. Plus, all of the combat has a clear sense of direction and force.

 

The only real let down is in the sense of tone with the film attempting to insert some of An Unexpected Journey’s colour and levity into a much more serious story. Scenes of the master’s assistant Alfred (Ryan Gage) weaselling around, feel out of place amongst the now destitute refugees from Laketown.

 

Conversely, the film never takes the opportunity to use some of its sillier elements appropriately. You’d think a Warhammer-wielding Billy Connelly and an Elk-mounted Thranduil would get some amazing action beats. Instead it’s the same brutal, grey hand-to-hand combat we’ve seen before.

 

Tell a Friend? 16/80

 

The Battle of Five Armies is still going to be one of the biggest films of the year. A mostly satisfying conclusion to a story audiences have been following for three years now. If you’ve come this far you might as well finish the journey but those still new to the series can give it a miss.

 

Again? 12/20

 

Not likely. By all rights this story should never have been stretched into three parts, and the bloat on display does not encourage repeat viewings. Wait till it’s on TV.

 

Total: 78%

 

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies may not be the best in the trilogy but it rounds it off nicely. Great performances, incredible action, plenty to enjoy if you can get around how contrived the whole thing is.

 

by Liam Macloed