'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies' review by Jake Boyle
Even fans of The Hobbit films (which I'm on the fence about being) generally don't contend that they're on much of a comparable level to the Lord Of The Rings. The first film has its moments throughout and there was a solid half an hour of enjoyment at the beginning of The Desolation Of Smaug but the less said about anything else the better; my apathy was such that I nearly didn't go and see this concluding chapter.
I'm glad that I did, though. On a purely visual level, The Battle Of The Five Armies is equal to (although not surpassing) the incredibly high bar set by Jackson's earlier trilogy - the special effects are so glossy and deeply-textured that they rival the beauty of the panoramic shots of the landscape. In most other areas, there's still a reasonable amount to be desired but definite improvements have been made. Most upsetting of the flaws that the film does have - above Bard's irritating children and the lifeless, hackneyed romance between Tauriel and Kili - is the briefness of the encounter with Smaug. After building tension and dropping out right before it boils over in the previous film, Smaug is promptly defeated in the time it would take a hobbit to finish an entrée. It baffles me why waging war against a dragon seems to have been considered something that needed to be got out of the way rather than indulged in, and why this was seen as a way to open this film rather than conclude the second one.
In more positive news, the titular battle is astounding. It's got the grand momentum and sense of epicness that hallmarked Lord of The Rings, but the most exciting moments are the most individual and offbeat ones - Legolas running up a collapsing bridge, Billy Connolly headbutting his enemies whilst calling them 'buggers', Thranduil (who Lee Pace plays with a bit more depth than before) charging into battle on his majestic moose. Martin Freeman is just as magnificently bewildered and contemplative as ever, and there's a noticeable step-up from Richard Artmitage, capturing Thorin's obsession with steely-eyed pathos and conviction running through every line of dialogue. The 'greed is bad' message at the core is as subtle as a troll in a china shop but it does engage the viewer; the exact same sentiment being applicable to Ryan Gage's comic relief as the slimy, cowardly Alfrid.
The way it deals with Smaug is a total disappointment, but as the film progresses it grows stronger. The Battle Of The Five Armies is a strong exit for the franchise, building upon and bettering what the other Hobbit films had to offer. It's got the stereotypical Jackson perks of being visually stunning and blisteringly exciting, but the performances and emotional tone of this film possess more feelings and naturalness than they have in past excursions. Uniquely, the running time does not feel stretched or padded, but this raises the question of whether this trilogy could have been improved by condensing it to the originally planned two films. Regardless, it's going out on a high.
I'm glad that I did, though. On a purely visual level, The Battle Of The Five Armies is equal to (although not surpassing) the incredibly high bar set by Jackson's earlier trilogy - the special effects are so glossy and deeply-textured that they rival the beauty of the panoramic shots of the landscape. In most other areas, there's still a reasonable amount to be desired but definite improvements have been made. Most upsetting of the flaws that the film does have - above Bard's irritating children and the lifeless, hackneyed romance between Tauriel and Kili - is the briefness of the encounter with Smaug. After building tension and dropping out right before it boils over in the previous film, Smaug is promptly defeated in the time it would take a hobbit to finish an entrée. It baffles me why waging war against a dragon seems to have been considered something that needed to be got out of the way rather than indulged in, and why this was seen as a way to open this film rather than conclude the second one.
In more positive news, the titular battle is astounding. It's got the grand momentum and sense of epicness that hallmarked Lord of The Rings, but the most exciting moments are the most individual and offbeat ones - Legolas running up a collapsing bridge, Billy Connolly headbutting his enemies whilst calling them 'buggers', Thranduil (who Lee Pace plays with a bit more depth than before) charging into battle on his majestic moose. Martin Freeman is just as magnificently bewildered and contemplative as ever, and there's a noticeable step-up from Richard Artmitage, capturing Thorin's obsession with steely-eyed pathos and conviction running through every line of dialogue. The 'greed is bad' message at the core is as subtle as a troll in a china shop but it does engage the viewer; the exact same sentiment being applicable to Ryan Gage's comic relief as the slimy, cowardly Alfrid.
The way it deals with Smaug is a total disappointment, but as the film progresses it grows stronger. The Battle Of The Five Armies is a strong exit for the franchise, building upon and bettering what the other Hobbit films had to offer. It's got the stereotypical Jackson perks of being visually stunning and blisteringly exciting, but the performances and emotional tone of this film possess more feelings and naturalness than they have in past excursions. Uniquely, the running time does not feel stretched or padded, but this raises the question of whether this trilogy could have been improved by condensing it to the originally planned two films. Regardless, it's going out on a high.
I was a captive audience (on a plane) for the previous installment, however it sounds as if it's worth paying to see this one!.
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