Battle Fatigue

Rating: 6/10 (31 December 2014)

￼ This film is mildly recommended.
Let's face it: The Hobbit film series was bloated and overblown from its initial start. The slim book became a overly-massive trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, in the hopes of making a classic epic story with his prior Lord of the Rings fame and pedigree. The first film from this franchise was a disappointment, with too much broad slapstick and silliness; the second was a vast improvement with its darker mood and stronger character development, although its ending was abrupt and too much the cliffhanger. Part Three, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, immediately takes flight from that final shot of Smaug, escaping and soaring above, set to raise havoc on the village and its habitants below.
￼Three may not be the charm, but it does have some thrills, more so in the hand-to-hand combat sequences toward the end of the film, less so with the endless army battles on a grand scale. Jackson and his company provide enough of a rousing adventure even if their overuse of CGI sacrifices its characters and story. Too often, the film resembles a video game in far too many action sequences. While it's true that everything about this film installment entertains, it all seems frenzied and artificial.
￼The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies also seems choppy and redundant. While there is much to admire technically and the visual look of the film is epic, Jackson pacing is off this time around as he undercuts his suspense with the episodic structure of the film. He becomes too preoccupied with the war sequences and their staging, relishing in the slaughter and celebrating the war, the very antithesis of the Tolkien source. But it does sell more tickets.
￼The actors try to bring some depth and emotion to their underwritten roles, but seem to be mere pawns in Jackson's action gamer. Most of the actors overplay their roles with hammy facial expressions and gestures, barking out the dialog rather than subtly underplaying their line delivery. Some of the sound design is over-amplified to give a more dramatic spin, but the opposite effect applies. Coming off best are Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Aidan Turner and Evangeline Lilly; others like Lee Pace, Billy Connolly, Stephen Fry, and, at times, Richard Armitage suffer with their poorly written characters. However, Ryan Gage as Alfrid plays his character like a Monty Python wannabe, trying for comic relief and coming up this short of annoying. Even more talented actors seem wasted with mere walk-ons like Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, and Hugo Weaving.
￼Production values continue to be top notch, particularly the art direction by Simon Bright and Andy McLaren. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies could have used a lot less armies and a lot more depth in the characters and story. The war may have been won, but the battles were lost in this film adaptation. GRADE: B-
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