the hobbit: battle of the five armies review
Finally saw The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies. Similar to when I first saw The Return of the King in theatres, I have mixed feelings about the movie.
SPOILERS GALORE AHEAD. You have been warned!!
Highlights:
*Five seconds after his appearance, I suspected Bard was going to be my favorite character in the film. And he was above head and shoulders the absolute standout for me. Everything he did, the range of emotions he went through during the course of the story sucked me in. Loved him to pieces.
*Dwalin I thought was awesome, particularly during his confrontation with Thorin, and when he saved Bilbo from orcs during the battle.
*Balin, Balin, Balin.
*Bofur was an excellent BFF for the one or two seconds the camera focused on him and Bilbo.
*Bain, bless him, was a scene stealer.
*Legolas I really liked in this installment.
*I nearly clapped when Radagast and Beorn came with the eagles!
*During the scene when Thranduil told Legolas to go north and find Strider, Howard Shore introduced the theme for the Fellowship of the Ring, to my surprise and delight.
*Totally got chocked up when Bilbo took his leave of the remainder of the company.
*The parting between Gandalf and Bilbo warmed me from the inside out. (Though I do wish they had also shared a hug besides the handshake.)
*Thorin’s moment with Kili after he recovered from the gold sickness was lovely.
Disappointments:
*I am sorry, but I really, really, really hate how PJ handled the Durins’ deaths, having them happen separately and (mostly) alone from the main battle. I didn’t like the extra-long farewell between Thorin and Bilbo - no mention regarding Fili or Kili (whom supposedly he believes still lives)! I much rather wanted the three of them to die together; I imagined Thorin being struck down first, and his nephews dying while defending him. That would have had more of an impact on me than how it went down in the movie.
I confess that overall I’ve been frustrated with how PJ has handled the familial dynamics between Thorin and his nephews throughout the whole trilogy. In the first Hobbit there was no mention about the three being related. In DoS the real only “family” moment was Thorin ordering Kili to stay in Lake-town, and Fili choosing his brother over his uncle. Then here there’s the moment between Thorin and Kili, but Fili gets nothing. (Even in death, Kili and Thorin were mourned but Fili, nope.) …Is PJ not a fan of the Durin family?
*Thranduil... He is such a cool character, but here he was a complete jerk to EVERYONE (poor Tauriel and Legolas included), and I wanted to slap him constantly. Why, why?
*Kili/Tauriel. In DoS, while not a shipper, I didn’t really have a problem with them. But in BOTFA the romance felt completely out of place to me. I just…no. I was annoyed by how seemingly all the choices Tauriel made was because of Kili. I was unmoved by her witnessing Kili’s death and later mourning and kissing him. And PJ trying to make a triangle between Kili, Tauriel, and Legolas fell completely flat.
I rate it four out of five stars. Can't wait for the extended edition.
SPOILERS GALORE AHEAD. You have been warned!!
Highlights:
*Five seconds after his appearance, I suspected Bard was going to be my favorite character in the film. And he was above head and shoulders the absolute standout for me. Everything he did, the range of emotions he went through during the course of the story sucked me in. Loved him to pieces.
*Dwalin I thought was awesome, particularly during his confrontation with Thorin, and when he saved Bilbo from orcs during the battle.
*Balin, Balin, Balin.
*Bofur was an excellent BFF for the one or two seconds the camera focused on him and Bilbo.
*Bain, bless him, was a scene stealer.
*Legolas I really liked in this installment.
*I nearly clapped when Radagast and Beorn came with the eagles!
*During the scene when Thranduil told Legolas to go north and find Strider, Howard Shore introduced the theme for the Fellowship of the Ring, to my surprise and delight.
*Totally got chocked up when Bilbo took his leave of the remainder of the company.
*The parting between Gandalf and Bilbo warmed me from the inside out. (Though I do wish they had also shared a hug besides the handshake.)
*Thorin’s moment with Kili after he recovered from the gold sickness was lovely.
Disappointments:
*I am sorry, but I really, really, really hate how PJ handled the Durins’ deaths, having them happen separately and (mostly) alone from the main battle. I didn’t like the extra-long farewell between Thorin and Bilbo - no mention regarding Fili or Kili (whom supposedly he believes still lives)! I much rather wanted the three of them to die together; I imagined Thorin being struck down first, and his nephews dying while defending him. That would have had more of an impact on me than how it went down in the movie.
I confess that overall I’ve been frustrated with how PJ has handled the familial dynamics between Thorin and his nephews throughout the whole trilogy. In the first Hobbit there was no mention about the three being related. In DoS the real only “family” moment was Thorin ordering Kili to stay in Lake-town, and Fili choosing his brother over his uncle. Then here there’s the moment between Thorin and Kili, but Fili gets nothing. (Even in death, Kili and Thorin were mourned but Fili, nope.) …Is PJ not a fan of the Durin family?
*Thranduil... He is such a cool character, but here he was a complete jerk to EVERYONE (poor Tauriel and Legolas included), and I wanted to slap him constantly. Why, why?
*Kili/Tauriel. In DoS, while not a shipper, I didn’t really have a problem with them. But in BOTFA the romance felt completely out of place to me. I just…no. I was annoyed by how seemingly all the choices Tauriel made was because of Kili. I was unmoved by her witnessing Kili’s death and later mourning and kissing him. And PJ trying to make a triangle between Kili, Tauriel, and Legolas fell completely flat.
I rate it four out of five stars. Can't wait for the extended edition.