[Movie Review] The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Posted on December 17, 2014 by thegrandshuckett in Movie Reviews // 0 Comments

Director: Peter Jackson

Writers: Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay), Peter Jackson (screenplay), Guillermo del Toro (screenplay)

Runtime: 144 min

Main Cast:

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins
Ian McKellen as Gandalf
Orlando Bloom as Legolas
Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
Luke Evans as Bard
Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield
Evangelline Lilly as Tauriel
Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug/Necromancer

Guest Review: by Erika T

We have arrived at the final entry of The Hobbit Trilogy. Did Peter Jackson save the best for last?

In this film Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his companions must slay Smaug once and for all to reclaim Erebor and its vast treasure. Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) must juggle between the corruption of greed and maintaining friendship and honor. And Middle Earth has a war on its hands with Men, Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs all fighting, but who is friend and who is foe?

What I Liked:

Unlike Desolation of Smaug, while this one was in 3D I did NOT see it in the high frame rate format and for that I am grateful. To me that format is too detailed for my liking and it feels as if I’m either on the set myself as a part of the crew holding the boom mic, or I’m watching a stage play. The sets looked more artificial. So it was a relief that this format was more along the lines of what I’m used to and I’m able to take my imagination to the proper place without that distraction. There was a good bit of humor in the right places as well.

My favorite action moments probably belonged to Legolas (Orlando Bloom). It was clear to me that a lot more time went into making his fights more creative than the others. It was entertaining watching how crafty and versatile he was with or without his trusty bow.

Due to this film I don’t believe the second one needed to be a cliffhanger. The issue of movie 2 was resolved right off the top of the movie. Though perhaps this was done to provide another significant action sequence to break up the potential monotony of the battles. I would say it was one of my favorite parts of the film cinematically.

What I Didn’t Like:

I didn’t find the battles quite as engrossing as I had hoped. There was a lot of action, yes, but nothing was particularly memorable save for the final showdown between Azog and Thorin, though it was for entirely different reasons because to me it was a little strange in terms of flow. I understand that it’s CGI but the movements were a little unrealistic to me in some spots and I wasn’t exactly sure what Peter Jackson was going for.

I think the romance aspect was really unnecessary between Tauriel (Evangelnine Lily) and Kili (Aiden Turner). The character was more love fodder than anything else, which I found a bit disappointing in a primarily male dominated film. The character had other things going for her that could have been expanded upon, but I think Jackson went for cheap emotional impact instead. I also didn’t see the point of Legolas pining after her without proper resolution. Overall the romance to me was sloppy and underdeveloped.

Summary

I’m sure people will still be debating the necessity to break this book, The Hobbit, into 3 films. I wouldn’t say I loved this trilogy more than The Lord of the Rings, but if you are a fan I think it is still enjoyable enough to revisit the world one last time.

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