Great end to an uneven trilogy

Rating: 7/10 (13 December 2014)

Let me say at the outset that I wasn't super excited by this movie. And this isn't a criticism, it's something all of us should keep in mind after watching it. The sixth movie in any series has a huge weight to bare, an unfair weight really. I'm sure most of the people reading this review were excited after coming out of FOTR - they knew that they had seen the beginning of something special and that there was more to come. But after 13 years and five prequels, this movie has very much lost that sense of excitement that accompanied FOTR.
This is a formidable barrier to surmount but the Battle of the Five Armies manages it. The plot moves along at a rapid pace. For a fantasy movie, the character development is pretty good. The acting from Thorin, the elf king, Fili and Tauriel is especially good (especially considering the rather weak dialogue they had to work with). The special effects are excellent, and in HFR they look even better. The is the first time I've seen a movie in HFR and it definitely sold me on the technology, mainly because the action scenes are so much smoother. You don't miss any of the action with HFR. The two orc leaders are evil and scary as hell. They fight like demons and seem unstoppable, but never cheat. The way they moved and fought was the antithesis of the elves, which is exactly how it should be.
My main criticism is the overwrought music during the battle scenes. It drained much of the impact of the battle scenes because it was so overbearing. On the few occasions that it quietened, my tension increased exponentially.
Also, it was a bit ridiculous how easily the towns people and Bilbo were able to kill the massive hulking orcs. Yes I'm talking about the scene where Bilbo takes out orcs by throwing rocks at their heads. This really diminished the strength of the enemy.
Strangely, my favourite part of the movie was the epilogue. It was the perfect length and set the scene for the LOTR trilogy perfectly. It also left me feeling satisfied with the Hobbit series. Yes, Battle for the Five Armies wasn't quite as epic as LOTR, but it wasn't intended to be. The Hobbit up to ROTK is a long building crescendo. The Hobbit trilogy makes the LOTR trilogy even better.