Entertainment - Yes, Tolkien - No

Rating: 7/10 (21 December 2014)

I think by the third time around it should have been clear to just about everyone that the Hobbit movies bear very little resemblance to the books. Hardly any character was left unchanged, and the concept of the world of Middle-earth itself and what makes it tick... though it did follow the main turning points of the plot.
As Martin Freeman said in his interview to the Empire Magazine, it was either psychological thriller or a slapstick comedy - and for me it was definitely slapstick comedy.
The prologue, which showed burning of the Esgaroth and the slaying of Smaug by Bard the Bowman was not slapstick - but then again, it was just the prologue. It did not set the tone for the movie, which had endless Legolas fighting laws of physics tricks, clichéd dialog and love triangles with an impossible love twist, unnecessary detours, and comic relief both as intended by Peter Jackson and where it was not, but grew naturally out of ridiculousness of it all. However, because I have taught myself to forget about canon when watching the films, I enjoyed it a lot my first time around. I laughed a lot, I applauded when Azog jumped out from under the ice...
If you liked Desolation of Smaug, I think you will like Battle of the Five Armies too - it has the same pure entertainment quality to it, like a video game or an amusement park ride, but unlike Desolation of Smaug, I never felt the movie drag and wasn't tempted to look at my watch.
What it does lack is the coherent plot development, and especially the closure of multiple plot lines. So we are left hanging as to the fate of Erebor, the fate of the Arkenstone, etc. In a way, it feels like LotR spin off/fanfiction in terms of not being able to stand on its own. More LotR movies than the book Hobbit on which it is primarily based. I highlight that, because tout as they might the "Appendices", there is hardly anything borrowed from there. It is basically the Hobbit book and the screenwriters' imagination.