Final installment in Hobbit Trilogy is as epic as you’d expect.
Peter Jackson’s three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit has overall proven to be less than what it could have been. The first installment, An Unexpected Journey, had a nice blend of Tolkien’s original tale and additional content connecting it to The Lord of the Rings. The next installment, The Desolation of Smaug, didn’t blend the two parts of the saga so well: when the focus was on the main story, progression was smooth and engaging. But when it shifted focus to the subplots, the movie dragged along, making me roll my eyes (and don’t even get me STARTED on the most evil cliffhanger in the history of evil cliffhangers). The redeeming factor, of course, was the subtitle character and primary antagonist of the original story: Smaug the Magnificent (excellently voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), and oh boy, was he magnificent! Hands down, this is the best CGI dragon in the history of live-action cinematic dragons.
Now we have The Battle of the Five Armies, the long-awaited conclusion that, like Smaug’s live-action incarnation, lives up to the hype surrounding it. Starting out, while the second movie showed us the magnificence of Smaug, this movie’s opening, picking up immediately where the second one left off, shows us why this magnificent creature is so feared...and it delivers, as Smaug here is, to quote my older brother, “terrifying.” Of course, that only lasts for the first five minutes, as he’s shot through that hole in his armor before the movie’s subtitle shows up, conveniently falling on top of the destroyed Lake Town’s fat, power-hungry leader, killing him.
With the dragon dead and winter quickly approaching, Bard, now leader of the townsfolk, places his hope and trust in Thorin Oakenshield, rightful King Under the Mountain, who promised the townsfolk that when the dragon was dead they would share the spoils with them. But Thorin, now holding full control over the mountain, is obsessed with finding the Arkenstone, a precious gem his fathers handed down and treated as the emblem of their kingdom while driving them mad. The greed that now infests his heart (called Dragon-sickness) drives him to break his promise to the townsfolk, stating (in a sinister echo of Smaug in the previous film) that he won’t part “with a single coin.”
Take one look at all the gold in that mountain, and then tell me that Thorin is in his right mind. Go on. I dare you.
The townsfolk aren’t the only ones who want something from the mountain, however. The elves from the previous film also have a stake: bright gems made of a certain material. Of course, to the naked eye, this is easily accepted, but to a critic’s eye (even one as reluctant as me), this has “we needed something to get the elves involved in this because they won’t just fight for no reason” written all over it (did any of that make sense? I’m having a hard time making sense of it myself).
But wait, there’s more: Azog, an evil Orc-lord and Thorin’s archrival, is also leading a considerable force of Orcs on the mountain in order to take it for the reviving Sauron as a strategic point.
I can see where this is going.
And you probably can, too. After all, this movie is named after a battle, so it makes sense that these conflicting goals end up bringing these parties into war with each other. And who is caught in the middle of it all? Title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who once again shows us why he is the title character. I’ve always enjoyed the moments with Bilbo in these movies, with the only exception being the ending of this movie (more on that in a moment). More often than not, these movies, unlike The Lord of the Rings trilogy, show us wizards, elves, dwarves, orcs, and goblins. Bilbo is the only one of his kind in the mix: a Hobbit whose life used to revolve around trivial things like doilies. Whenever he does something heroic, we’re reminded of how far he’s come since he left Bag-End. Also, that magic ring he found in the dark caverns beneath the Goblin kingdom actually manages to keep its dark aura concealed until the very end of the movie; I was grateful for that, since in this story the Ring, while still inherently evil, is seen only as a trinket of wondrous magic. The first two movies (particularly the second) went too far in reminding us of the Ring’s true nature.
Yeah, I know it’s evil. I saw the other movies, okay? I’m not stupid.
Hey, come on. I told you, I’ve seen the other movies. I know it’s evil, okay?
Are you listening to me?!
No. No, he isn’t.
Blast it all.
The first part of the film does a very nice job at its assigned task. While the other two films involved a blend of main plot and subplots, this one has only to build up to the battle we’re anticipating. Everything we see throughout this first part, whether it’s main plot or subplot, is geared toward this climactic battle. The battle itself takes up the bulk of the rest of the film, ranging from clashing armies to rallies to victory, and then, at long last, Thorin and Azog meet and have their long-awaited final battle.
While the results of said-battle are just what I expected, the actual battle itself was more original than what I’m used to. I’m not sure why there was snow and ice around them, but Bard did say that winter was coming, so it’s not out of place. And how did it end? Thorin killed Azog, and Azog killed Thorin.
The best part? I predicted that it would end like that from the start. What up, yo?
Okay, all joking aside, there were two things, and two things only, that majorly disappointed me in this movie. One of them, brought back from the last movie, was the once-implied romance between Kili the dwarf and Tauriel the elf. They should have left it as “implied,” but they didn’t. Nope; they just had to let the romance bloom. After all, they love each other, right? Put them together, right?
The shippers are not impressed.
The other majorly disappointing thing about this movie was the ending, by which I mean everything following Azog’s death: from Thorin’s last moments to the bitter end. I remember well how Thorin passed away in the animated version of The Hobbit from before I was born: it was long, somber, and a heart-jerker. Here? Just a few last words to make amends with Bilbo before the hobbit weeps for his dead friend.
I was not impressed.
Also, what’s Tauriel doing with Kili’s - NO, NO! DON’T KISS HIM!
Ugh.
And how did Gandalf know that Bilbo found a ring?!
The end of the main story has Bilbo returning to his home...only to find the hobbits in the village auctioning off his stuff, as he is presumed dead. An indignant Bilbo makes things straight and returns home a changed man...er, hobbit. You’d think he’d settle down, smiling at the adventure and marvelling at the amazing things he saw, hoping to do it again someday.
Instead, his focus is on the ring as its sinister theme from The Lord of the Rings plays. Next thing we know, it’s sixty years later all over again, back at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring.
I would be more satisfied if there was a sense of resolution to this story, like there was in the animated version and, I assume, in the book as well (I haven’t read it). Sure, you can give a nod to the future adventure that Frodo will embark on to complete what The Hobbit began, but here, everything exists to point to that adventure.
It’s almost like Peter Jackson is using these movies to say “Go watch The Lord of the Rings!” Come on...can’t we have the story we know and love without thinking about what’s coming after?
On the whole, I can’t complain too much. The Battle of the Five Armies is a satisfying third film with an unsatisfying ending, but given that this third film ends the story, it’s a good conclusion overall. But why is it called the defining chapter? Because it’s the last film that involves an official story from Middle Earth? Because there’s no more material to -
Puh-lease. I may be reluctant, but if you think I’m a stupid critic, you’re dead wrong. I know how Hollywood is nowadays: they always try to milk every last drop out of a franchise, even if the audience hates what they’re getting as a result. And I’ll have you know right now that Tolkien’s Middle Earth is FAR from out of content to work with...unless Jackson decides to disregard The Silmarillion.
But he won’t...not even if he tries.
The Battle of the Five Armies is definitely epic. But is it the defining chapter in the Middle Earth saga? I highly doubt it.
4/5 stars
