There are few things in this or any other world as satisfying as the completion of something. Like finishing a big project, eating an entire wheel of cheese, or watching the last film in a trilogy that had no right being a trilogy in the first place. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies gives you that euphoric rush of fulfillment, partly due to the bombastic ending, and partly due to finally reaching the end of this severely elongated trilogy.
We return to Middle Earth for possibly the last time. Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) is on his way to destroy Lake-town. He is harpooned by Bard (Luke Evans), but not before he sets the whole town ablaze. Meanwhile, our plucky group of dwarves led by Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Bilbo (Martin Freeman) have take over the mountain, but now they must defend from not one or two armies, but 5. Thranduil (Lee Pace) comes with his army to take the mountain for himself, but then changes sides when the forces of darkness attack, wanting their piece of the prize.
Meanwhile, Gandalf (Ian Mckellen) is being held captive by Sauron and his forces while Sarumon (Christopher Lee), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett, and Elrond (Hugo Weaving) come to save him. Gandalf quickly gets to his feet and rushes to the battle, trying to save the situation and unites the forces of elves and dwarves. The only question is, will they be enough to take out the massives battalions of orcs and goblins?
I’ve been a long fan of Tolkien, Middle Earth and really any underdog tale involving hobbits, but this particular film trilogy took a toll on me. Everything in The Battle of the Five Armies is really the only moment I was excited to see this story created cinematically, and it Peter Jackson did a good job bringing it to life. Good, not great. The CGI explosion of fighting at the end seemed overly bombastic with a lot less emotionally invested, and a little too reminiscent from our first Middle Earth trilogy. Namely Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, except that in the vast armies we still felt a connection to the conflict. This time around, we are bombarded with a full screen, small scale battle, not really caring which side wins or loses because that is not the focus of the film. The pay-off was as satisfying as it could be, but at the same time it did not merit a trilogy.
There is little that made this entire trilogy worth even watching up to this point and it was Martin Freeman and Ian Mckellen. The charismatic and quirky Bilbo, played by Freeman, gave life to the stagnant panoramic shots and the sometimes glacially paced scenes. Coincidentally, one of my favorite scenes in the film didn’t actually occur in this book, but in “The Silmarillion”, and the sequence was also the most originally done (cinematically) in this second trilogy. That scene is when Gandalf went to face Sauron and then was saved by his friends. That intimate (in comparison) battle is what won me over this time around because it didn’t leave me feeling like I was lost in a crowd. With the heavy handed CGI and heavily watered down story, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies manages to finally draw to a close this long, drawn-out trilogy with a feeling of satisfaction.
RATING: ★★★★★★ (6/10 stars)
Excerpt: Still Alice, based on the novel of the same name by Lisa Genova, is more of a question than a statement. When our mind starts to betray us, taking away our memories, our experiences and even our independence, are really still the person we used to be? Are we still Alice? Julianne Moore’s inspired performance may sway you one way or the other on the topic, but ultimately leaves it open-ended. Aside from the great performance, it’s earnest sincerity elevates what could easily come off as a made-for-tv Lifetime film. Instead, it leaves you understanding what going through that type of situation feels like, even if you’ve been fortunate enough not to have witnessed Alzheimer’s effect first hand.
Still To Be Scene 