BOX OFFICE REVIEW: The Hobbit - Battle of the Five Armies

[JessHorsley]

Orcs, Elves, Humans, Eagles and Dwarfs Battle Royale On The Big Screen...

The latest and final film in The Hobbit trilogy hit box offices nationwide this week; bringing a satisfying, if not long overdue, conclusion to the arduous travels of one Bilbo Baggins. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies delivers the culmination of the first two film's build-up; bringing together the five armies featured throughout the trilogy - Orcs, Men, Elves, Eagles/Shape-shifters, and Dwarves.

The film itself is an engaging and enjoyable bout; bringing to bear the five armies fans have been waiting to see meet on the field of battle. All that said, there have obviously been numerous additions to the original book by writers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh among others. While I'm not one of those who'd have their heads for modifying the original content or story; I do think the book is unworthy of the nearly 8 hours of screen time it's found thanks to the three films. While the three films are brilliantly brought to life with gorgeous special effects and intriguing characters, they do not tell the same story found in the book by the same name, originally published in 1937 with no grand visions of ever becoming a feature film blockbuster trilogy.

No one who's read the book will ever forget Smaug, the mighty dragon guarding The Lonely Mountain. Of course, fandom finds in this latest film a movie less about Smaug, who saw his smoldering screen time in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Here we find Smaug's final breath at the hands of humanity's hope, Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) in just the prelude to the film. And, of course, it's impossible to not cheer as Bard brings the beast to bay and saves those of Laketown from the dragon's firey inferno; but - in reality - as impressive as Bard the soon-to-be King of Dale is, it's really the Dwarves, including Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his entourage of warriors who light up the screen. Over the last two films, many Bilbo's merry band of warriors have defined themselves by their unique personalities, merits, wit, charm and - maybe most of all - their skill with an axe. Now, in this final film, the standouts include Thorin's nephews - Fili (Dean O'Gorman) and Kili (Aidan Turner); both of whom dedicate their lives to Thorin and, through sacrifice and service, give their all in defense of their king and uncle's quest for greatness.

Not to be outdone, the Elves step up their game here as well. In The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, we find the king of the Woodland Realm Elves and Legolas' father Thranduil (Lee Pace) riding astride a massive elk-like mount, ready to deal death to any and all - friend or foe - who would betray the elves and their goal of reclaiming the elvish treasure hidden among the gold under the mountain. Of course, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) makes an impressive appearance as well and continues to dual-wield blades with the best of them, cutting down orcs and wargs as quickly as we remember from previous films. Likewise, fans of the elves will appreciate the re-appearance of Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), Legolas' love interest who refuses to reciprocate. Instead, Tauriel has fallen for a Dwarf, Kili, providing fans for a preview of what Dwarf/Elf relations might someday become. Of course, this is just one more reason why Legolas hates dwarves and Tauriel's brief love affair with Kili provides but a taste of the type of relationship only a few on each side might hope for. In fact, Legolas' hate for the Dwarves will continue...at least until he meets and battles side-by-side with Gimli some years later in The Lord of the Rings.

As far as the film itself abides, it's long, it's filled with plenty of action, it's got a teaser of the reassurance of Sauron and it provides a great set-up for The Lord of the Rings trilogy; a film series which was and still is deserving of a three-part film series. Overall, while I thoroughly enjoyed each of The Hobbit films and The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies is by far the most engaging (due in no small part to the amount of battle and action), it's still hard for me to justify spending nearly 8 hours watching three movies to get the full story of a book that, for all intents and purposes, was written for tweens ages 10 - 14 years of age. While I've no doubt writer/director/producer Peter Jackson delivers a well thought out and enjoyable trilogy, as I said before, it's not the same story J.R.R. Tolkien set out to tell when The Hobbit hit book shelves in 1937.

For those who enjoyed the last two The Hobbit films, you'll love this action-packed conclusion. For those (like my wife), who haven't yet seen either of the previous two movies; you'll probably never see this one either...and that's OK. Classic fantasy literature coming to life on the modern big screen has a very particular audience it seeks to please. Considering the length and depth of The Hobbit on film, there are even fewer fans who'll endure the investment. Maybe I'm wrong and once the trilogy hits home video, more fans will watch it...but I don't think so. Either way, for looking to enjoy some of the most beautiful to watch and difficult to describe fantasy films ever made, be sure to check out each and every part of The Hobbit.

- Jess C. Horsley

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