This Could Have Been Better

Rating: 6/10 (15 October 2015)

Whenever I saw the Hobbit films for the first time, they seemed amazing. It probably helped that before Desolation of Smaug came out I hadn't read the book in years. Even after I re-read it, though, I still found them fun, and not as devoid of emotion as everyone says they are. But when you wait a while and you let what you saw turn over in your mind for a bit, the flaws start to appear. That's exactly what happened with each Hobbit movie, including this one. And this time the flaws are more obvious.
This movie continues with what the previous two did right. This includes excellent acting and casting. I never felt that anybody was miscast and they all did a very good job. Like in the previous films, Martin Freeman shone as Bilbo Baggins; I believe that he was perfect for the role, which is why it's a shame he felt more like a major character instead of the main character.
The Dol Guldur subplot was something I enjoyed, and it helped tie the Hobbit in with Lord of the Rings, as well. It could be considered padding since it doesn't have much bearing on the dwarfs and Bilbo's story, but it's a good story to connect the two series.
The movie also gives Thorin, Kili, Bard, and Thranduil more of a personality, like the last one did. However, while they built up some personality for some of the characters, they just didn't grab me the way the LotR characters did, except for Gandalf and Bilbo. Thorin's death was sad, but I didn't feel too upset, the same goes for Kili and Fili's deaths. In contrast, I still get sad every time I see Boromir die, but I don't really feel anything for the trio of dwarfs.
Much of the third movie felt like soulless fighting. It took up the majority of the story (unsurprising considering the title), but it didn't have much feeling in it aside from the deaths, which was still rather minimal. Return of the King, in contrast, had a very long battle, but it had emotion in it.
Tauriel's character also does nothing for the plot; she only served to be the token female (aside from Galadriel, who actually did something) and a love interest for Kili. Legolas' impossible stunts were also grating and took me out of the story due to how unrealistic they were.
It still has the Middle-Earth spirit in it, but much of Battle of the Five Armies is emotionless padding that has bright areas. To me, it's not as bad as some people who rabidly hate it claim, but it doesn't hold a candle to LotR, either.