Bloated, exhausting and full of subpar CGI.

Rating: 4/10 (29 December 2014)

The Hobbit was already seen by most as the weaker, shallower series within the Middle Earth cinematic saga, and this underwhelming trilogy-closer does nothing to dispel that line of thought. Essentially the final act of the second instalment stretched out to feature length (giving further credence to those who argued a two-parter would've been more suitable), Peter Jackson's latest effort is one prolonged climax that will test the tolerance of even hard- core Tolkien fans. There are a few choice one-on-one fights that quicken the pulse, however for a film that relishes in grand-scale combat, it is disappointingly dull. Majority of its set pieces are muddled and repetitive, and, surprisingly for Jackson, the geography of the action is often confusing. Perhaps most shocking, however, are the subpar effects littered throughout – be it the completely computer generated wide shots or the CGI-augmented warfare. Thank goodness for Martin Freeman though. His Bilbo Baggins remains the best thing in the LOTR prequels and every time he is on screen, which unfortunately isn't as regularly as in the first couple of outings, the movie gets instantly better. Richard Armitage also captivates as bullish Dwarf leader Thorin and Ian McKellan's Gandalf is as watchable as always, whilst Evangeline Lilly is a refreshing presence in the only notable female role. Condensed into an hour finale for Desolation of Smaug, the eponymous battle could have been an intense, breathless culmination to an entertaining series. As a standalone entry (even at a franchise-low 144 minutes), Battle of the Five Armies is saggy, exhausting and one of the biggest let downs of 2014.