The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies Review: The Most Powerful and Strongest Film in the Trilogy

The movie picks up exactly where the last film, THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG finishes off and Jackson opens the film in the way he means to go on – in monumental, quick-paced fashion. Smaug The Stupendous (Benedict Cumberbatch) makes his way for Lake-town to burn the city to ashes leaving Bard the Bowman (played superbly by Luke Evans) and his iron arrow in hot pursuit of the target to finish the job his ancestor had started in order to rid Middle Earth of the beast and save the people in his town. Meanwhile, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) is becoming obsessed with his treasure hoard in Erebor as his dragon sickness slowly consumes the King Under the Mountain and Gandalf is locked in an iron cage, over the edge of Sauron’s ruined castle.

Having assumed the audience is already heavily invested in the trilogy and familiar with the plot, there is no room for reminders in this big, fantasy epic – but why bother? Jackson divulges straight into the first of many battles from the word go and that is what the filmmaker needed to do rather than change the pace in order to painstakingly go over old ground. There is a major titular battle lurking, waiting to be revealed and thankfully the film hits the ground running.

Many plot strands need addressing, which are strewn over different locations in Middle Earth. In the rather dark and violent setting at Sauron’s castle a fantastical scene plays out with Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Saruman (Christopher Lee) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) fending off evil spirits – definitely not for the faint-hearted. During which, Galadriel undergoes a chilling transformation in her fight against the darkness and he who lies in the shadows. 

With the plot speedily heading towards the 45-minute battle scene, there is very little room for anything light in this outing during the onslaught of sword-whielding, orc impaling and disembodiment of the rancid creatures, which is exactly what most fans will have been hoping for. The moments of fleeting comedic respite are largely provided by Ryan Gage in his role of the greedy, gold-loving coward, Alfrid.

Even Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) cannot provide much light relief in his predicament as he remains in the lonely mountain of Erebor – the place where the film is largely centred around. The titular character is fighting his own small battle against Thorin Oakenshield who is drastically losing himself and all that he stood for after becoming fixated on every piece of gold coin he has and thanks to his dragon sickness, there is no penny to spare in order to help the people of Lake-town as he once promised. Aside from losing his memory of the respectable dwarf he once was, the mighty Thorin is becoming a crumbling individual in danger of losing his honour and the promises he made.

Harbouring such desirable treasures and with Smaug dead, all eyes turn to the mountain and the glittering rewards that loom inside. Several armies are set on breaking down the walls of Erebor to spoil in such pleasures, but Thorin and Company are not planning on giving up that easily. Elves, dwarves and humans are all at battle with each other and during their distractions, they are unaware of the biggest battle yet to come, brought to them by the hordes of Orcs about to besiege them. 

It is at this point that Jackson sweeps you up and takes you on an intense 45-minutes of battle, which gets the heart pounding and leaves you gasping for breath in his most epic battle scene since the days of Lord of the Rings. The prolific director certainly set the visual standards back then and pushed the boundaries of what technology can do, but in this closing story, he raises the bar even higher. The battle commences in the most grandiose of proportions and it definitely delivers, achieving the goal of the film.

The battle scenes are loud, noisy and delightful to watch, which are intensified by Howard Shore‘s music during the most active and fearsome of scenes, but the score contrasts beautifully during the more emotional scenes – and yes, there are some! Without spoiling the plot for those who have not read the book, the final scene between Thorin and Bilbo is extraordinarily emotional and heart wrenching which is perhaps the biggest surprising element of the film and demonstrates once more the attachment towards the characters who we have followed on their tumultuous journey.

Although the trilogy is based on Bilbo, it is evident in the final film that in fact it is Thorin who is really the central character and the one who is embarking on his own journey – psychologically, emotionally and physically. Bilbo of course plays his part, but the plot and battle puts Thorin centre stage in this movie. Richard Armitage’s portrayal of the sickening dwarf is exemplary, as his character’s mentality shifts in dramatic fashion. Armitage is able to deliver the menacing, powerful, intimidating side to Thorin so convincingly, yet in stark contrast, he exudes emotion impeccably offering a flawless performance in the more touching, final scenes showing the vulnerability and hidden sensitivity of his character.

As the film wraps up, one feels the sense of the final goodbye, not just for the audience, but also for the director himself. Jackson’s visual imagination is simply sublime and his achievement has been even more impressive – monumentally pulling off a three-part film from a book that on paper would not lend itself to that possibility.  

Having set the tone so definitively at the outset, each film has delivered exactly what it promised, in uncompromising fashion. THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES is the most powerful, bravest and strongest film in the Hobbit trilogy and provides the fitting closing cap that the story deserves and even more so for the cinematic legacy of Peter Jackson.

Verdict