Movie Reaction: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Formula: The last part of The Hobbit + filler

Why I Saw It: I will always return to Middle Earth if presented the opportunity.

Cast: Again, it's big. Martin Freeman as Bilbo gets to drive a lot of the movie, which isn't something I should have to point out in a series called "The Hobbit", but it hasn't been that way much of the time. I'm actually going to stop there because it's such a big cast that I could go on for a thousand words reflecting on them. Needless to say, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, and all the dwarves are back.

Plot: As much as I would've preferred "There and Back Again", the title says it all. This is the battle of the five armies. Smaug is dispatched before the title of the movie even shows on the screen. From there, it's an arms race as Dwarves, Elves, Humans, Orcs, and...who is the fifth army...woodland creatures? I think...regardless, it's an arms race for the five armies that eventually breaks out into a full scale battle that goes on as long as any of the great Middle Earth battles do. The scale and execution is wholly satisfying and enough characters get their moment to shine.

Elephant in the Room: <Inevitable Lord of the Rings comparison>. No, it isn't Lord of the Rings. At no point does it feel even as important as the fight in the woods at the end of Fellowship of the Ring. Haven't we tired of saying it's not as good by now? It's well done for what it wants to be. Could it have been better as two movies? Of course. Given that it's a superfluous movie, it's solid. I think it's finally hitting me that this really is going to be the last of Middle Earth, at least for a long time, so I'm being more forgiving than normal.

To Sum Things Up:
You might as well finish the trilogy. This won't be anyone's favorite Middle Earth movie. I'm not sure it's even likely to be the favorite Hobbit movie. It's still a lot of big battles, cool looking costumes, and actors getting really into their parts. I could pick at a lot of things in it as I have with the other movies, but I just don't care to. I don't have it in me. Maybe I've gone soft.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend