The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (FILM REVIEW)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Film
Review by Kam Williams
Tolkien Franchise Finale Features Bilbo and Pals in Epic Showdown
The Battle of the Five Armies
is the third and closing chapter in The Hobbit series based on the classic
fantasy novel of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien. The film also represents the
finale in the sextet of Tolkien adaptations directed by Peter Jackson also
including The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Picking up from where the
cliffhanger of the last episode left off, this action-oriented installment
opens with protagonist Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his dwarf pals fretting
over having unwittingly awakened Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). For, the
ferocious, fire-breathing dragon has left his mountain lair and begun venting
his wrath upon the helpless citizens of Lake-town.
Fortunately, a savior eventually
arrives in the person of Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) an intrepid archer who
takes aim at the seemingly-invincible Smaug’s Achilles’ heel. However, piercing
the tiny bare patch of skin on the dragon’s vulnerable belly doesn’t settle the
question of who gets the gold and priceless baubles still sitting inside the
now unprotected Lonely Mountain.
As
word spreads of the demon’s demise, greed gets the better of assorted individuals
who proceed to descend upon the area to stake a claim on the vast treasure.
Only the arrival of a horde of evil orcs doing the bidding of the avaricious Dark
Lord, Sauron the Necromancer (also Benedict Cumberbatch), inspires the contentious
masses to end their hostilities and join forces against a common enemy.
Clocking
in at a mercilessly-brief 144 minutes, The Battle of the Five Armies is not
only the shortest, but the most entertaining of Jackson’s Tolkien screen adaptations. Between
an engrossing plotline and virtual non-stop combat, the picture proves to be
just the perfect way to
bring down the curtain on a storied fantasy franchise.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated PG-13
for intense violence and frightening images
Running time: 144
minutes
Distributor: Warner
Brothers Pictures
To see a trailer for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVAgTiBrrDA
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