The Battle of the Five Armies immediately picks up where The Desolation of Smaug ended, with the angry dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) making good on his word to reign fiery terror on the people of Lake-town, including the heroic Bard (Luke Evans) and his family. But a even bigger threat approaches in the form of Orc armies led by the vicious Azog (Arrow's Manu Bennett) and his son Bolg (Lawrence Makaore). With the armies of Dwarves, men (led by Bard) and Elves led by King Thranduil (Lee Pace) converging on the Dwarven Kingdom of Erebor where Thorin (Richard Armitage), Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the rest of the Dwarven company are waiting, the stage is set for a showdown of epic proportions...
The Battle of the Five Armies cuts right to the chase with a terrific 10-minute airborne assault. No flashbacks, no exposition; just intensely harrowing destruction. Talk about putting your best foot forward. With this scene, Jackson and co. show that they mean business and that, in my opinion, they really care about their audience. While the biggest complaint about the first two Hobbit films is arguably the excessive bloat, Jackson and co. open up with the goods. And they are some glorious goods. Keep in mind these are just the first ten minutes, and yet they may make the most spectacular segment of the film.
After that, the film mostly focuses on character for the next 45 minutes. Don't get me wrong; there are the expected sweeping shots of giant armies marching to war and there is also a fantastic rescue scene which allows three of the Middle-Earth series' supporting characters to kick some serious ass one more time, but for the most part this section of the film deals with character conflicts. And it is truly compelling stuff, with the actors bringing all that they have to the table. There is a real sense of intimate urgency to the 'smaller' scenes in this film which proves propulsive.
Armitage and Freeman are terrific, the former dealing with a destructive dilemma (tackled with surprisingly powerful intensity in more than one scene) and the latter trying to do the best for his friend. Their scenes together are wonderfully well-executed, particularly one early scene where Thorin's attitude changes when faced with Bilbo's humble intentions. As the wizard Gandalf, Ian McKellen is as great as ever. This is one of the defining roles of his career (along with Magneto from the X-Men series), and in what is his final portrayal of this character, McKellen reminds us why he was such a perfect choice. Whether friendly or intimidating, lovable or fierce, he nails every note. Lee Pace and Luke Evans both see more screen time and more important roles here as King Thranduil and Bard respectively, and they both seize the bigger opportunity to make an impression. Evans forges a really likable and relatable character out of Bard, fighting to protect his people and particularly his family, while Lee Pace is spot-on in his coldly fierce portrayal of Thranduil. Orlando Bloom yet again slips effortlessly back into the role of Elven archer Legolas, getting plenty of bad-ass moments while also bringing more weight to the role (although some of those bad-ass moments do tip towards the ridiculous). By the end of this film, you can see more shades to the character than one might have expected from simply watching him in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Graham McTavish, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner also get some strong moments as the dwarves Dwalin, Balin and Kili respectively. Evangeline Lilly brings impassioned emotion to her role as Elven warrior Tauriel, even though she unfortunately falls victim to the 'damsel in distress' syndrome later in the film. There are also wonderful appearances from some beloved supporting characters which I won't spoil, although if you've seen the recent trailers, you might have some idea who I'm talking about. Finally, there is a fantastic appearance from a certain actor who brings their usual energetic gusto to proceedings. I am slightly annoyed that I knew who it was before I saw the film, but the audience's reaction to their appearance pretty much made up for it.
After the film's first hour, the titular battle erupts, and it is tremendous. By turns epic and intimate, heroic and brawling, this is big-screen spectacle of a very high order. Jackson proved with the Battle of Helm's Deep from The Two Towers and the Battle of Minas Tirith and Pelennor Fields from The Return of the King that he knows how to corral truly jaw-dropping battle royales, and while the Battle of the Five Armies isn't quite on the same level, it is still a marvel to behold. It's clear that CGI plays a huge part in crafting this battle, but I have to agree with those who say that it's not as intrusive as in scenes from the previous Hobbit films. With an incredible level of detail and invention on display, the action rarely flags or grows tiresome. The hand-to-hand combat is also brilliantly done, particularly in the one-on-one duels which conclude the clash. Another factor in the action avoiding tiresomeness is the careful interspersion of character moments, which remind us why we should stay invested in the onscreen carnage.
As with any Middle-Earth film, The Battle of the Five Armies is visually stunning. This is not only due to the brilliant visual effects work by Weta Digital but also to the wondrous cinematography by Andrew Lesnie, who use the majestic New Zealand landscapes to typically gorgeous effect. Howard Shore once again provides the perfect musical accompaniment with a score which hits every note whether rousing or emotional, huge or small (special mention also to the lovely song titled The Last Goodbye which plays over the ending credits, sung by none other than Pippin Took himself, Billy Boyd). There are great uses of sound, too (I love how they alter the voice of a major character to reflect what his character is going through). The costumes, props and set designs are once again fantastic; part of the reason why the battle avoids becoming stale, in my opinion, are the different locations where the battle is taking place.
I can't write this review without mentioning the direction of Peter Jackson, who has been at the helm of the Middle-Earth series from beginning to end. Now has he made the right decision every step of the way? No. While the visual effects in the Hobbit trilogy are brilliant, one does wish that Jackson had put an emphasis on striking a balance between practical and visual effects as in The Lord of the Rings. But in spite of the flaws on display, Jackson's strength for capturing conflict of a grand scope remains undiminished and he, along with co-writers Phillipa Boyens, Fran Walsh and Guillermo del Toro, do great work of adding fantastic character moments of often surprising subtlety.
As with any Middle-Earth film, The Battle of the Five Armies is visually stunning. This is not only due to the brilliant visual effects work by Weta Digital but also to the wondrous cinematography by Andrew Lesnie, who use the majestic New Zealand landscapes to typically gorgeous effect. Howard Shore once again provides the perfect musical accompaniment with a score which hits every note whether rousing or emotional, huge or small (special mention also to the lovely song titled The Last Goodbye which plays over the ending credits, sung by none other than Pippin Took himself, Billy Boyd). There are great uses of sound, too (I love how they alter the voice of a major character to reflect what his character is going through). The costumes, props and set designs are once again fantastic; part of the reason why the battle avoids becoming stale, in my opinion, are the different locations where the battle is taking place.
I can't write this review without mentioning the direction of Peter Jackson, who has been at the helm of the Middle-Earth series from beginning to end. Now has he made the right decision every step of the way? No. While the visual effects in the Hobbit trilogy are brilliant, one does wish that Jackson had put an emphasis on striking a balance between practical and visual effects as in The Lord of the Rings. But in spite of the flaws on display, Jackson's strength for capturing conflict of a grand scope remains undiminished and he, along with co-writers Phillipa Boyens, Fran Walsh and Guillermo del Toro, do great work of adding fantastic character moments of often surprising subtlety.
Now there are issues with the film. At 144 minutes, this stands as the shortest Middle-Earth film. While this helps in making this the most fast-paced of the Hobbit trilogy, there are moments where the film seems rushed. This is particularly true of the very end of the titular battle and scenes wrapping up what happens to certain characters (some character appear and disappear just as quickly). I say this as someone who is a fan of the ending/s to Return of the King (an aspect which many people have criticised due to its length), so that may play into why I find the sense of rushing a problem particularly towards the end of the film. Still, this is something the Extended Edition could improve. Secondly, a supporting character from The Desolation of Smaug is promoted to a major source of comic relief here. I liked the character in The Desolation of Smaug as someone who gave the audience understanding of the particular environment he inhabited, but despite some funny moments, the character seems mainly out-of-place here. That might have been the point, but even if it was, it doesn't work in the way the filmmakers likely intended and the character is an odd point for so much focus. While some of the Dwarf characters do get their moment/s to shine, the majority of the Dwarf characters are kept in the background once again. This isn't as big a problem for me as it might be for others (13 characters are a lot to develop especially with everything else going on in this trilogy), but it's still worth noting. It's particularly disappointing that James Nesbitt's character Bofur, who had some strong scenes in the first film An Unexpected Journey, seems to have been slowly but steadily downgraded with very little to do here. Finally, while it's to be expected of a battle this scale (the same thing could be said of the Battle of Hogwarts in the final Harry Potter film), I couldn't help but wonder where some characters were in the middle of the fighting. This isn't a major problem, but more something which niggled me upon the second viewing.
While I enjoyed An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug, they often felt bloated (especially Smaug, which I felt had so much unnecessary filler). The Battle of the Five Armies escapes that problem, and comes the closest out of the three films to achieving the grandeur of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. There are grand moments of heroism and intimately poignant moments between friends which recall The Lord of the Rings, and the concluding frame links in nicely with The Fellowship of the Ring. By the end of this film, we have an epic six-film chronicle of Middle-Earth, and while there are undoubtedly problems, it's still a series which I will cherish. The Battle of the Five Armies not only earns my affection for being a part of the Middle-Earth cycle, but for also improving on the faults of its predecessors and making me excited to watch all films back-to-back. Where I'll find the time, I don't know, but that is a story for another time...
Verdict
After two enjoyable but less-than-stellar outings, Middle-Earth gets some of its footing back with The Battle of the Five Armies. The virtuoso spectacle is present right from the off, most of the actors shine in their roles, the technical credits are top-notch as per usual and Jackson helms proceedings with confident grandeur. There are definite problems which are hard to ignore, but by the final frame and its linking into The Fellowship of the Ring, this is still a worthy entry into the Middle-Earth saga.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.
While I enjoyed An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug, they often felt bloated (especially Smaug, which I felt had so much unnecessary filler). The Battle of the Five Armies escapes that problem, and comes the closest out of the three films to achieving the grandeur of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. There are grand moments of heroism and intimately poignant moments between friends which recall The Lord of the Rings, and the concluding frame links in nicely with The Fellowship of the Ring. By the end of this film, we have an epic six-film chronicle of Middle-Earth, and while there are undoubtedly problems, it's still a series which I will cherish. The Battle of the Five Armies not only earns my affection for being a part of the Middle-Earth cycle, but for also improving on the faults of its predecessors and making me excited to watch all films back-to-back. Where I'll find the time, I don't know, but that is a story for another time...
Verdict
After two enjoyable but less-than-stellar outings, Middle-Earth gets some of its footing back with The Battle of the Five Armies. The virtuoso spectacle is present right from the off, most of the actors shine in their roles, the technical credits are top-notch as per usual and Jackson helms proceedings with confident grandeur. There are definite problems which are hard to ignore, but by the final frame and its linking into The Fellowship of the Ring, this is still a worthy entry into the Middle-Earth saga.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.
