A superhero film at best

Rating: 5/10 (18 December 2014)

This final installment of the Hobbit trilogy started strong. As a big Tolkein fan I enjoyed the background in this film - would be interesting to see a supercut of just these parts from each installment. So far: visually stunning, a great experience and a clever film.
However the minute the battle was reached the film fell down. The opening 10 minutes was very 'Lord of the Rings'-esque, brutal fantasy and a the Jackson we came to love. But it lost its way, the following 40minutes of battle was completely confused and lost with little to no dialogue, character development or plot that didn't feel entirely predictable. Heroics and characters became one dimensional superheroes, gratuitous and self indulgent.
In summary: 6/10 for a solid blockbuster but a good LOTR film, cheapened and lacking the class of Jackson's previous real visual effects.