I finally saw it.

Rating: Null/10 (14 September 2015)

I can't say that I was anticipating this film a whole lot. After the first two films I felt this third installment was in that same vein in terms of level of entertainment.
I don't know why, but this movie didn't capture my imagination like the fantasy films I grew up with which were by far more primitive in the technical department, but seemed to have a bit more heart than Jackon's take on Tolkien's Hobbit tale.
This movie opens with the battle between Smaug and the people of Laketown. To me it was somewhat anticlimactic, but I understand why it was put in the opening of this film, and not as the climax at the end of the second film, but it still feels like a bit of an odd fit.
The movie focuses on the climactic battle at the end of "The Hobbit", and it's done a-la Peter Jackson; lots of action twists and drama.
And I guess that's my only real complaint about Jackson's films (including the Rings movies), and that is that they do seem to be a bit over dramatic, full of angst and pathos where perhaps there wasn't any in the original tale. And I guess that's why that in the end, even though I can accept and enjoy the films for what they are, I really didn't connect with them as such, and still have a kind of detached like for them.
Hey look, I won't come down on the films. I think they're okay. I do think they're a bit over dynamic, overwrought in the drama department, but good technical explorations of how far a good competent director can take a beloved myth cinematic-ally.
However, when all is said and done, I think I still prefer the primitive Rankin-Bass animated special that aired all those decades ago (now on DVD). For some reason there's a bit more magic in that version than I found in these films.
The Battle of Five Armies, again just my personal opinion, seemed a bit over the top in the action department, but that's Jackson's style. There wasn't much in the way of explaining how and why some of the powers got to be where they are, and it did seem very much like the people of Dale / Laketown were under-represented, and given a rag- tag fugitive look than what came across in the book.
All in all these are competent movies, but I think they're made for a myth savvy younger generation, and perhaps not quite for kids or adults who would have also liked to have enjoyed the tale on a more basic level.
Enjoy or watch at your own risk as you see fit.