The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies *** (2014, Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage) – Movie Review

Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen return as Bilbo and Gandalf for one last time in Peter Jackson’s final Middle-Earth action movie that turns the two sweet, thoughtful characters into lusty action heroes and the final episode of the trilogy into one long, spectacular extended battle sequence. In Jackson’s new story, the friends have to battle a scary array of opponents and keep the terrifying dragon Smaug (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) from acquiring a kingdom of treasure and obliterating Middle-Earth.

It’s great as a brilliantly conceived and miraculously achieved CGI-everywhere 3D action movie, but very odd indeed as a J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation. Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro are obliged to make up their own stories, situations and dialogue, stretching these clever and imaginative people thin and ragged to come up with a third action blockbuster from a sweet, gentle, kind-hearted story from a relatively short book basically for young people.

The commercial pressures must have obliged Jackson to split into three films what he could have made as one perfect three-hour movie into this lumbering franchise. It’s such a shame, but there it is. He does his level best under the circumstances.

Freeman is more subdued, ruminative and appealing this time as Bilbo, and it’s great to have the return for a final curtain of McKellen, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Christopher Lee as Saruman and Ian Holm as Old Bilbo. Though, inevitably, as they’re shoe-horned into the real narrative, they don’t have much to do, it’s still all very satisfying. McKellen, Blanchett and Lee, particularly, make their screen time really impactful.

But it’s Leicester-born Richard Armitage who is certainly the movie’s hit turn, presented with the gift of what must be the film’s biggest role as Thorin Oakenshield. And he’s stupendous, a real star, totally up for the challenge and even more. Balancing Armitage’s tormented gravity, Lee Pace is fun in a camp performance as Thranduil, and Luke Evans again does well as Bard, at least till his role mysteriously disappears about two thirds through. This is among the movie’s many loose ends that feel as though the Director’s Cut will be able to tie up for us eventually.

However, I’m glad to tell you that it all ends well, back in the Shire of course, where it all started, and that all’s well that ends well. But I’m hoping that younger viewers who have never read The Hobbit will now buy a copy, an actual book please, and actually read it. Then the magic really begins.

There’s no doubt that The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies keeps moving dynamically and loudly along, and it is helped by having the shortest running time of any Middle-Earth movie, running at two hours and 24 minutes. Though it’s got a 12A certificate, it’s the darkest of the Hobbit films, leading back to the dark-toned story of The Lord of the Rings.

Jackson is a very serious man, so there’s hardly any humour, and what there is, is mainly in the hands of Ryan Gage, who gives a misjudged comedy relief turn as Alfrid. Of course Billy Connolly can’t help raising laughs as a very Scottish Dain and Stephen Fry is unintentionally funny as the evil Master of Laketown. At least it’s all busy and lively.

The intense battle violence comes complete with an endless series of limb hackings, beheadings, dismemberment, slashing and stabbing with swords. With extended sequences of such intense fantasy action violence and frightening images, it’s all quite queasy. I felt glad to be merely fighting my way through the Friday night crowds in London’s Leicester Square afterwards, and was glad also of the cold December air.

Still, I’m going to miss the regular arrival of the Tolkien movies. The saga was a landmark to plan the film-going year around and now, like Harry Potter, it’s suddenly gone. What will fill the gap in 2015?

Check out more reviews: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012).

Check out more reviews: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013).

© Derek Winnert 2014 Movie Review

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