I remember getting Strider and Legolas action figures for Christmas as a kid. I was in love with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. My family watches it every year on New Years. Like many it has become an important part of my families tradition and has partially added to my personal view on movies and opinions about them since I was very young. I, like many, expected great things to come from The Hobbit. I mean, come on, it's freaking Peter Jackson. The man who created Middle Earth. The overseer of my childhood favorite. At the first Hobbit film, I was disappointed by the lack of maturity. Their were jokes in these films (obvious ones at that), but I knew that Peter had to appeal to a younger audience in order to make this film work. At the second, I was bored by the lack of action and by the fact that character development was very limited. But, true fan I am, I walked into The Battle of Five Armies and took part in this the end of my era.
Picking up exactly where it left off, The Battle of Five Armies begins with the destruction of Lake Town by Smaug, who did not actually get desolated in the Desolation of Smaug (Spoiler!). Benedict Cumberbatch begins to throw flames upon unprepared Lake Town as the cowardly masters of the town flee with their gold. Bard, the boatman, saves the day completing the task his forefathers had started by shooting down the dragon with a deadly black arrow. His people rally behind him making him the new leader of Lake Town. In contrast, Thorin Oakenshield has fallen to the curse of gold, a curse which his family has known well. He grows sick with greed and evil creeps into his mind as he suspects his fellow dwarves of stealing his precious Arkenstone, the crowning jewel of the dwarf treasure. Bilbo has it though and is keeping it safe and hidden in order not to throw Thorin into even greater madness. Bard knows that his people need shelter and food so he leads them to the Lonely Mountain in hopes of collecting on the promise of riches that Thorin had sworn to give them earlier in the Desolation of Smaug. He is unwelcomed, however, by the dwarf king, who fortifies the mountains walls trapping himself and his thirteen friends in the mountain with the all desired gold of his ancestors.
Another has heard of the taking of the mountain as well. Enter Lee Pace. Thranduil, king of the Wood Elves, in interested in the diamonds which are kept in the treasure hoard of the dwarves. In hopes of attaining his diamonds, Thranduil makes an alliance with Bard to go to the mountain and get what they are owed. Thorin will have nothing of it. He refuses to give them a single coin. Thus the war has been waged. The Pale Orc (Azog) is still in hot pursuit of Thorin Oakenshield and the treasures of the mountain. He also brings his army to meet the mountain. So now you've got three forces- The Lake Town Citizens, The Wood Elves, and Azog's Army. Thorin will not go unprotected so he calls on his cousin of the Iron Hills to bring his forces to protect the Mountain. That's four. The final fifth army is a branch of Azog's troops which hail from an old forgotten Orc fortress. Their army is greater still, and their plan is to attack from the north and cut off the other armies. Death and ruin ensue and then-bam, it's over. Happy Hobbit goes home to live to be 111 and to have a party (with a ring safely tucked in his pocket).
Of the three, I believe this film is the best. There was plenty of plot in the beginning of the film mixed with more than enough action in the middle, and a sentimental ending for the criers in the house. There were several different leadership types that were highlighted throughout the film which helped show the value of being a humble leader among people. There was also a great 'lust not for gold' message throughout the film which showed the danger that greed can cause in a good man/character. Hey, there was even a love theme thrown in there "if it hurts, it's real". I'm not saying this movie was great; I was still disappointed, but I am claiming that if Middle Earth had to end on a note, this one was too badly out of tune.
Let's talk characters. Martin Freeman is by far the highlight of this trilogy. He is witty and heartfelt, strong and stubborn, but most of all he embodies a hobbit- down to earth and kind, but sometimes as fool hearty as the rest of us. Though he gets minimal screen time in this film, Bilbo is still the main hero of the movie. His scenes are poignant and important, and his emotions are real. Of the heroes in this film, another is Bard, the boatman. I was not a fan of Bard in the beginning, but he quickly became a favorite of mine in this movie. He proved to be a man worth his salt by taking his rightful place as leader of the Lake Town brigade. Thorin is also another "good guy". In this film, however, I think he fell very short of his previous hobbit work. His greed was apparent and well done, but as a hero, he didn't last very long. There's no denying it, I cried when some of my favorites died. And they did die. That's what they do. But I felt that the death scenes in this film were not well extended as to show the grief that they would cause.
My sister and I constantly found scenes and lines in this movie that were repeated from previous Middle Earth movies. Lines such as "we haven't eaten in three stinking days" and such were brought up, I know this seems trivial, but to a crazed fan like myself, these things stick out. The final battle scene between Azog and Thorin is also reminiscent of another important battle scene in the Return of the king between a certain dark power and a blond headed maiden (wink wink). Maybe I've spent too much time watching these films, but I believe that this stuff is important.
