Director: Peter Jackson.
Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom.
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| "And I say, let us all cut off our hands and replace them pointy objects, damn the consequences." |
It's finally over. Thirteen years since Peter Jackson first took us to Middle Earth, his role as tour guide through Tolkien's fantastical lands has come to an end.
Because of this massive journey there and back again, The Battle Of The Five Armies is a film that not only follows on from the two previous (surprisingly solid) Hobbit movies, bringing that trilogy to its conclusion, but which also serves as a farewell to a six-film saga that's raked in almost $5 billion (and counting) at the box office and 17 Oscars.
It also serves as a lead-in to The Fellowship Of The Rings (The Hobbit is a prequel trilogy after all).
That's a lot to put onto the shoulders of one film, and The Battle Of The Five Armies unfortunately is not the momentous masterpiece required to meet these expectations and obligations, making it a slightly disappointing note to finish on.
But this is really only by comparison because let's face it - The Hobbit trilogy was always going to be measured against the feats of The Lord Of The Rings films, ie. The One Trilogy To Rule Them All, and The Battle Of The Five Armies must stand in the shadow of its predecessor's conclusion, The Return Of The King.
Taking all this into account, ...Five Armies falls short but still manages to be a rollicking good ride and a decent-enough farewell to the world of hobbits, orcs, elves and dwarves, mixing good humour and heart to balance the over-the-top ridiculousness that creeps in as Jackson and co attempt to meet the lofty duties thrust upon this closing chapter.
While the eponymous battle takes up the majority of the two-hours-plus running time, the film also concerns itself with Thorin (Armitage) descending into treasure-induced madness AKA "dragon sickness", Bard (Evans) assuming the mantle of Laketown leader, Gandalf (McKellan) dealing with the growing evil that is playing a hand in the battle and pointing towards the rise of Sauron, and the weird subplot of elf-dwarf love between Tauriel (Lilly) and Kili (Aidan Turner).
But really its all about the battle, which unfolds in an escalating series of set-pieces, charges, rallies, sacrifices, and last-ditch displays of bravery that are a largely impressive combination of special effects and solid performances.
The opening sequence, which sees Laketown set aflame by the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), unfortunately sets the tone for the aforementioned over-the-top ridiculousness. It's only Jackson's knack for deftly sliding in a moment of comic relief that brings things back to (middle) earth, allowing the audience to settle back into the tone and groove of life in Tolkien's realm.
The biggest issue here is the very criticism levelled at Jackson since he announced Tolkien's slight children's book would be made into three films - there's not enough material to go around.
While he and fellow writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro stretched An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation Of Smaug comfortably, ...Five Armies almost reaches breaking point as the battle rages on and on (interestingly, ...Five Armies is the shortest Middle Earth movie to date).
This leaves us with a film that is only for the devoted Tolkienites. Beyond the battle itself, the padding includes plenty of nods to The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and information dug from Tolkien's lengthy appendices. If you've never seen any of these films, let alone the two previous Hobbit films, this movie is not for you.
For the fans, ...Five Armies will leave you with mixed feelings. It's a sad farewell to a wondrous world that is always worth visiting, but it's ultimately the weakest of the six films.
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