Flash Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
It has been a long time; some people had relationships that were of a shorter duration. When we first met my eyes were dazzled by your beauty and my mind was tickled by your fanciful creativity. You showed me places I had only read about in books, never imagining I would see them come to life. I so enjoyed listening to your stories as the images you created appeared before my very eyes. You had this ability to sweep me away to a place where I could forget my problems and let the little boy inside of me come out to play. The years have been good to us. Like any relationship we settled into an easy comfort as we grew old together. Though my hearing and vision may not be as good as it used to be, I still looked forward to the tales you would tell me. After all this time I very much appreciated the fact you did not judge me if it looked like I was about to doze off during your storytelling; you know I never did. By the way, whenever I needed to take a bathroom break I always quickly ran there and back so I would not miss much. DIRECTOR Peter Jackson (King Kong, The Lovely Bones) and I started our journey back in 2001 at the release of his first film from his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Twenty-three years later we meet again for the last movie of his Hobbit franchise. This film festival winning adventure fantasy was just as spectacular visually as the previous ones. I particularly admired Peter’s eye for detail when it came to the scenes. Besides returning cast members Ian McKellen (X-Men franchise, Gods and Monsters) as Gandalf and Martin Freeman (Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) as Bilbo Baggins, there was newcomer Billy Connolly (The Boondock Saints, Quartet) adding a bit of life with his character Dain. Let me start by saying I enjoyed this film more than the previous one. Smaug the dragon, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imagination Game, Sherlock-TV), who ended the last movie began this one with a fiery blast. What it boiled down to for me (no pun intended) was the script could not match the visual technical achievements of the scenes. After all this time there was a tired feeling to the last couple of pictures. It seemed as if this final installment was repetitive, with added fillers. For me watching a nearly one hour long battle scene was a laborious undertaking; it lost intensity as it went on. There was a “let us throw everything at them” quality to it. I am, however, glad I saw this movie. Our relationship may not have been as fresh as it once was, but I could not stand Peter up.
2 2/3 stars
Posted on December 22, 2014, in Fantasy/Sci-Fi and tagged 2 2/3 stars, adventure, Benedict Cumberpatch, billy connolly, fantasy, film festival winner, ian mckellen, martin freeman, peter jackson. Bookmark the permalink. 19 Comments.
Well put.
Thank you very much.
Reblogged this on Rosevoc2's Blog.
I had to see the film but was ultimately disappointed. I think they rued the decision to make 3 films. Until they see their inflated bank balance again. There just wasn’t enough source material to use without stretching things too far. Not the ending I was hoping for but one I will live with.
I agree with you 100%; too much filler that would not be needed if they did not split the story into 2 movies. Thank you for stopping by to leave your comments.
A good movie with some resemblence to the book 🙂
Reblogged this on Người Đến Từ Bình Dương.
This is what I thought about the last film.
I understand; they both were too long and should have been made into only 1 film with tighter control.
I saw this in 3D and really enjoyed it. The 3D was the best I have seen yet. I agree the battle scene did seem a bit long, but overall I did enjoy it. Thanks for the review!
I was wondering about the 3D effects, thank you for telling me and for coming by to leave your comments. I am glad you enjoyed the movie.
Fine review. It seems like everyone its right around the middle on this film.
I agree; now that I reviewed it I have seen several reviews and they are in the 2-3 star range. Thanks for the support and comments.
I had to see this last one too but as with others it was slow starting for me. I was glad they finally picked up the pace otherwise I might have been embarrassed by my behavior. Still, would not have missed it for anything. Love Bilbo Baggins.
I agree Bilbo was a solid character throughout the film. Thanks for taking the time to share your comments.
I wonder what J.R.R. Tolkien would have thought about this movie!!!? I enjoyed it – even went twice to see it, but the characterizations, especially Bilbo’s character arc, were weak. I’m going back to read the book! Great review.
Thank you for your comments. I am impressed you sat through this film twice; you are one serious moviegoer. Enjoy reading the book.
eh…this felt like a cash grab, with some action scenes thrown in. there really was no reason for this to be split up into 3 movies. I made peace with it being 2, but 3 was just a bit much. also, shouldn’t a movie called the hobbit actually focus on the hobbit?!?
great review, man!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your comments. Really, I wished they had not split this story apart like they did.