Entertaining, yet ultimately disappointing, denouement to the trilogy

Rating: 6/10 (22 January 2016)

I am a Tolkien fan boy and a nerd when it comes to Middle Earth lore, so The Hobbit trilogy as a whole has presented problems for me with its non-canon characters and story lines but I attempted to take this film on its merits.
It is impossible to discuss this film without first addressing the way the film looks. There are, as we have come to expect from Jackson's interpretation of Middle Earth, beautifully rendered scenic views and incredible battle scenes but these are spoiled by far, far too much CGI which lacks the requisite heft and physicality to make you truly suspend your disbelief. Some of the scenes end up looking more like a video game than a motion picture, which can only take away from the kind of immersive experience one wants from a fantasy adventure. Billy Connolly's character of Dain was entirely CGI, why not get an actor in? Even the costumes and make-up felt 'pantomimey', and it's always a bad sign when you find yourself noticing wigs and beards rather than paying attention to the story.
I was impressed, however, with some of the performances, particularly and obviously Martin Freeman, who should have been given far more screen time owing to his charm and general likability. Luke Evans also gave a strong showing as the stoic Bard the Bowman.
I also enjoyed the inclusion of some of the 'history' (don't worry, I know it's not real) of Middle Earth. The assault by the White Council (Elrond, Galadriel, Saruman and Gandalf in the movie version) on Sauron' fortress at Dol Guldur was fantastic to see and the foreshadowing of Saruman's betrayal was well done.
Although it would seem foolish to criticise a film entitled, "The Battle of the Five Armies" for containing too much fighting, this was also one of my main sticking points with the film. The battle scenes and individual fight scenes go on and on and on, and in the end the law of diminishing returns takes hold (as it did in the Battle of Helm's Deep at times in LOTR: The Two Towers). I became desensitized to seeing droves of elves/orcs/dwarfs crashing into one another after a while and craved some meaningful dialogue or simply a change of pace.
tl;dr = Visually stunning with distracting CGI, overly-long battle sequences and some decent performances. 6/10.