We come to it at last -- the end of an era. The Middle-Earth saga is (essentially) complete with the third and final entry in the trilogy of The Hobbit films, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. It has certainly been a long road to get here, not the least of which has been making three movies out of a single book. I've had a mostly positive outlook on such a choice, as I feel the reasoning was sound in fleshing out additional characters and stories, but even I knew after the announcement of a third movie and the eventual name change what to expect. The Battle of the Five Armies is exactly what it sounds like: a giant effin battle. It's maybe a testament to how padded out the movies have become to make an entire film out of the last few chapters of the book, but while Five Armies certainly feels like the most stretched of the trilogy, I found it to be no less satisfying. Indeed, the battle that is the film's namesake is one hell of a battle, and despite a lingering overall feel, Battle of the Five Armies does just enough right to send off the movies in a proper and dramatic fashion, even if it doesn't reach the heights of something like Return of the King.
The film picks up immediately after the events of Desolation of Smaug, with said fiery-breathing-Cumberbatch-voiced dragon descending upon Lake-Town to exact vengeance. Battle of the Five Armies literally wastes no time getting straight to the action, and it's quite a move to resolve the aftermath of Desolation in a very dramatic and exciting way before the opening title even shows up. With Erebor vacated, Thorin and his company take control of the city and its riches. Both the people of Lake-Town and the elves of Mirkwood stake claims on parts of the great treasure, but Thorin is overcome with a sickness of the mind from the treasure hoards, and becomes paranoid, obsessed, and near-mad. Strife looms overhead as the nearby city of Dale is occupied by the men and elves, who prepare for confrontation unaware of the threat of the orcs led by Thorin's nemesis Azog closing in.
Gandalf's side of the story in Dol Gulder from Desolation is also concluded right away, where the White Council comes to his aide in one stellar and crowd-pleasing scene. I mean, Saruman O.P. Oh and Galadriel don't take anybody's crap. And Elrond is just a badass. Really, it's quite a fun scene! Although I have to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about that entire story arc. Yes, it's a nice way to connect to Lord of the Rings by showing Sauron returning, but at the expense of basically sidelining Gandalf until he can reunite with Bilbo and the dwarves. I...understand why it's the case, even though it is primarily fan service.
And speaking of fan service, goddammit Legolas! Alright, I think it's fairly safe to assume that Legolas is included primarily as another popular connecting character to Lord of the Rings that isn't Gandalf or the White Council. You know something though? I'm, personally, fine with that. I am perfectly and totally fine with that. Legolas is and always has been an audience favourite, and at the very least, it makes logical sense given he's the son of Thranduil. A minor thing I love too (SPOILER ALERT), he provides an awesome way for Thorin to get Orcrist back after being captured by the elves in Desolation. It makes for an excellent, little scene near the end of the film (END SPOILERS). Legolas also serves as a sort of proxy between Thranduil and Tauriel, and with Tauriel being a character entirely unique to the film trilogy, I was eager to see how her side of the events would unfold. Tauriel's confrontations with Thranduil prove quite interesting, and serve as a notable contrast between her eagerness to help and Thranduil's reluctance to sacrifice the lives of his kin.
As is the namesake of the film, yes, there is a battle. A large battle of which involves fewer than six and more than four armies. The action involving and surrounding the battle itself is, indeed, quite excellent. There's lots of sweeping landscape shots and up-close scenes of the armies doing battle both on the fields and in the city. I must say what a joy it is to finally see a Dwarf army do battle, as apart from the beginning of Unexpected Journey, not even Lord of the Rings featured the race in such a large number. Finally seeing them contrast (and throw insults at) the elves is a definite highlight, especially given what comes right after!
This does, however, function highly into my disdain of the overuse of CG. Particularly in Dale, there's an awkward combination of CGI and characters that interact in oft-putting ways. It makes some scenes in Dale and elsewhere simply feel too artificial. It's an issue I've had with the entire trilogy, really. CGI just doesn't do some scenes the justice they deserve. But otherwise, it all generally works. It likely won't age well, but for now it's a petty grievance, and hardly destroys the film.
Despite the CGI issues, the one-on-one fights between characters are still pretty great, and Thorin's in particular is resoundingly satisfying (yes, even with the silliness of that scene. You know the one.). I found Thorin's arc, extending from the two previous films, to be fairly gradual, and quite well done! What a wonderful comparison it is to make between Thorin and his treasure, and Bilbo or Frodo with the One Ring. It's fascinating and interesting watching Richard Armitage give Thorin such a menacing feel, and makes for engaging scenes with Thorin and either the elves, or his company. And it's certainly enjoyable watching Thorin try to fight his own sanity, and the aftermath.
There is no doubt in my mind however that Battle still feels like the most padded of the three movies. It's obvious having three movies of one book feels awkward already, but the trade-off of having added material is, well...having added material. For instance, there's a great deal of talk about the forces of Angmar to the North that Thranduil, Legolas, and Gandalf make mention of. Okay, great, I love that their talking about Angmar! It's a substantial series of events to allude to. But...this is the last of the three movies! Why must you bring it up only to have such a plot subside nearly immediately, only made mention of once more during the final scene with Legolas?
I don't agree though that other additions have the same problem. I genuinely found that other additions to the movies over the books, such as the confrontation between Thorin and Azog, paid off in a surprising and profound manner. It's more in the context of character interaction, and expanding roles rather than sidelining them. Thranduil and Bard are good examples, where the situation in Dale prior to the battle is a part of the book, but is given far more visual cues and context in the film. And having Gandalf and Bilbo there too is a plus.
By the end, Battle of the Five Armies delivers on a satisfying and emotional level, that much can be said. No, it doesn't reach that epic feel of Lord of the Rings, and Battle certainly feels like the most stretched out, with silly moments and an over-abundance of CGI and fan-service souring the experience. And yet, the film resolved everything between narrative and action in a gratifying and substantial way; a way unique to the film trilogy. It may be a sort of give-and-take scenario here, where for every enjoyable scene there's a scene of fluff and fan-service to go along with it. However, Battle has the added benefit of being the concluding entry in a trilogy, and as such has far more weight to every scene. So, I feel it's a classic case of the good outweighing the bad. Far from perfect, and yet, surprisingly successful in concluding a trilogy, and providing closure and a full-circle to the Middle-Earth saga.
YAY
- You certainly get a battle; exemplary and gratifying action. Gets right to it!
- Most additions made to the movie from the book pay off surprisingly well.
- Narrative is wrapped up with emotion and satisfaction. As good a conclusion as could be hoped!
- A final, excellent score from Howard Shore (and excellent credits song by Billy Boyd!).
- Enjoyable crowd-pleasing moments that make for fun times! However...
NAY
- ...some of those moments feel arbitrary and silly. There's an over-reliance on fan-service.
- Some scenes use far too much CG, and make for awkward interactions with characters.
- The most visibly stretched and padded of the trilogy.
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