A Fitting Tribute to JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2014)

'The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies" roars with an electrifying opening sequence depicting Smaug setting Laketown ablazed in an apocalyptic fire. Right there, Jackson's mastery of visual spectacle is already screaming, but as the events unfold, the script starts losing track. In the wake of its phenomenal visual achievement, 'The Battle of Five Armies' fails to deliver its narrative as powerfullly as it should be. There are more than enough moments when weak dialogues and one liners fall beneath the overwhelming action-packed CGI-rendered sequences.
Peter Jackson's soaring vision of J.R.R Tolkien's Middle Earth remains unfazed by time, if anything it only exceeds past any cinematic triumph measured by ambitious visualizations. While its true "Battle of Five Armies" has almost nothing new to deliver, there are quite enough heart-stirring sequences to boast, particularly the death scenes of Kili and Thorin. Amidst of narrative shortcoming, Martin Freeman's exceptional Bilbo Baggins shines, there are moments when he seems to be playing a supporting character, but on his owned sequences, he dominates, along with the dwarfs that share their deserved spotlight. It is during in those little moments that the film is saved from being drowned in its own grand visual ambitions, filled by terrifying creatures and jaw dropping sequences "The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies" is a visual extravaganza beyond measure. It is not devoid of shortcomings, but in general, this film can never be placed below exceptional, a fitting closing tribute to one of the greatest stories ever told. This movie deserves 9 of my 10 stars.