Worst of the series.

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 2014)

Unfortunately each successive installment of this Hobbit trilogy not only failed to build on the previous film but actually left even more to be desired. Yes, this is the film where the resolution finally comes to fruition. Yes, they did a fantastic job connecting this trilogy to the amazing Lord of the Rings trilogy through this film. Yes, the action sequences, the special effects, and the acting were all top notch. But I can't help but feel like this movie just missed in a few key areas. The characters, for example, feel less authentic than in the previous films and, being that this is the movie where a lot of death and tragedy occurs, you're not connected or attached to them because of that. It also didn't have that key character who carries the movie. While Bilbo was this trilogies Frodo and they carry the narrative, neither actually carried the film through the action. In the LOTR films, Aragorn and Legolas did that. The problem with this trilogy is that Thorin is no Aragorn and Legolas isn't featured enough to compensate for that. You end up with Dwarfs without sufficient development and essentially faceless elves and humans and none of it connects to the viewer on an emotional level. That being said, I think this movie, when marathoned with the previous installments, will resonate better. I just don't think it stood alone enough to live up to the epic standard already established in the universe.