Fitting finale

Rating: 8/10 (11 December 2014)

The Battle of the Five Armies finally closes the biggest and most epic fantasy series to ever hit the big screen. And it does so in a fitting way: grand, epic and making the last connections to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The usual gripes of the Hobbit trilogy are still there: too much CGI, too little story mainly. But just like the Desolation of Smaug this is mostly forgiven by the way Jackson has once again managed to make everything work together. It doesn't feel as 'real' as LotR did, but by now we've come accustomed to the leading Ork villains being CGI characters. Unfortunately, in high frame rate resolution the CGI can be a bit clunky and fake. And if BotFA makes one thing clear, it is that this series should've never been a trilogy. Half of the first movie could've been cut, Smaug and the actual battle could've been one movie. Alas, that's not what happened.
Does that mean BotFA is a disappointment, victim of a story stretched too thin? No. All story there is serves to set up one of the biggest battles we've seen in the series, including LotR. One that is sure to excite. The finale on a misty and icy tower especially ranks among the best set pieces in Jackson's take on the series. Underlying themes of dragon's greed, akin to LotR's One Ring obsession work well and show a Thorin Oakenshield that grows ever more insane.
Smaug's short presence in this movie is sweet, but in the end made me wish his story would've been either wrapped up in the previous movie or be bigger in this one. A great character with so much screen presence, and a shame to only be in here for a few minutes.
There actually is a lot of great humor as well. And big surprise: it isn't even distracting! Right- hand to Laketown's ruler, Alfrid, especially has some great scenes. Although I can imagine people disliking him. Personally, I feel he was a great addition, just like some of the Dwarf fighting and the new uses of the Cave Trolls.
Meeting up with the Shire for once last time, finally, was a bit emotional. A sort of cinematic homecoming after all these years. A sense of the peril in Middle Earth finally being over. And while BotFA isn't perfect and certainly has its flaws (most of which are true for all 3 Hobbit movies) it is a fitting finale to a fun and entertaining trilogy.
8/10