Epic finale to a legendary story...

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2014)

"In a hole in the ground there once lived a hobbit." An unexpected journey took him over hill and under hill through elvish lands and goblin tunnels where he found that one ring that would soon decide the fate of middle earth against rising evil. Now, the company of Thorin has entered the Lonely Mountain and led Smaug the terrible to seek his fiery act of revenge upon Lake town. Meanwhile, the dark shadow has risen from the past and it threatens to return to the peaceful lands with nefarious orc armies marching towards the gates of Erebor. Against such an enemy, the dwarfs shall follow their King, Thorin, one last time into an epic battle consisting of five armies. 'The Battle of the Five armies' is closer to Tolkien's Hobbit than its predecessors and with just a 144 min duration that engaged viewers with some exemplary CGI and emotionally charged performances, Jackson leaves the world of epic fantasy on a high note.
Fire and death follow Smaug's blitzkrieg on Lake Town, that paid no heed to Bard's warnings of imminent ruin. The black arrow is what shall stand between the dragon's wrath and survival of lake men who suffer the consequences of the dwarfs creating havoc in his lair within Erebor. The bowman's heroics saved the town from death but not from ruin and soon he marches with the survivors towards the mountain, to claim their share of the treasures that was promised by Thorin. The King under the mountain has reclaimed the dwarf homeland and the dragon sickness (greed) has taken over his mind while he incessantly searches in vain, for the Arkenstone. With the lake men and wood elves as his unwelcome hosts demanding their righteous share of the treasure, Thorin chooses war in his defense with support from the ironfoot dwarfs in his cousin Dain's army.
Meanwhile, back in Dol Goldur, lady Galadriel aids Radagast in Gandalf's release, only to be challenged by the spirits of the Ringwraiths. That's when Elrond arrives and together with Saruman the white, they confront their greatest fear that has arisen from the dead. In a CGI heavy sequence, the white council overthrows the dark lord's spirit with an incredulous assurance from Saruman that he will take care of Sauron himself. We all know how that went down..... Dark clouds gather at the gates of Erebor and as legions of Orcs storm into the valley, every character from the book and Jackson's creative mind is engaged in an epic battle that draws a close to the quest for Erebor.
In the midst of the chaotic battles, there yet remains a focus on the relationships between characters and how their dynamics play out when the world around them faces destruction. Jackson's invention of the Tauriel-Killi saga comes to its befitting end with Evangeline Lilly having her fair share of action sequences. Bard rises as a leader of the lake men and while being a responsible father as well, he leads the defense in the ruins of Dale. Thranduil (Lee Pace) marches his Elvish army to the gates with the intention of securing the white jewels but ends up in a battle that he always wanted to avoid. Gandalf (Sir Ian Mckellan) confronts his greatest fear and while he directs the forces strategically during the main battle, at the end of it all, he appears calm and collected while lighting his pipe as though it was just another day in Middle Earth. Legolas (Orlando Bloom)'s stunts are immense fun to watch as he defies gravity with swift actions especially against Bolg, the orc. Thorin, the new king under the mountain goes through a remarkable transition from a determined leader of his company to a tenacious guardian of the profound treasure. This is more a story of Thorin's journey to take back what was once his people's and some of his insecurities seem justified to that end. But the heart of the story is with Martin Freeman's Bilbo Baggins. The lazy Hobbit turned reluctant adventurer who sheds all inhibitions when it comes to choosing right v/s wrong. He is as natural as Bilbo as he is Dr. Watson.
Jackson plays all his cards, always keeping the faithful reader and dedicated fan as his target audience. The CGI is superior to some of the sequences in the prior films and takes advantage of the large canvas that Jackson provides for WETA.
Howard Shore is partly responsible for the film's epic feel. The soundtrack is powerful in times of war and with tunes of Lake Town and Shire repeating at the poignant moments, one simply becomes a part of the scene. Every digression, addition and impulsion over the previous two installments falls in place now as Jackson manages to steer to the conclusion in less than 150mins. But there's one keen element that is missing from this series. It is the lack of desperation in the quest. Even if the treasure for which the five armies battle it out is immense in measure, the stakes still do not seem high enough. Perhaps this is simply because 'The Hobbit' was a children's tale that Peter Jackson turned into a perilous journey through evil lands seeking justice but ending up with greed.
Overcoming the flaws of the previous films in the Hobbit trilogy, Peter Jackson ensures a solid end to a story that shouldn't have taken this long and at the end of all the perilous battles, losses and victories, he smoothly completes the transition to the story of the fellowship. That moment brings cheerful heaviness to the heart at the conclusion of a journey that though off-sequence does feel complete, while leaving a bitter sweet feeling that only Peter Jackson and his dedicated team could, one last time.

9.341 on a scale of 1-10.