9.5, they were so close to the Lord of the Rings

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2014)

This is definitely the best of the three, and the closest to feeling like the Lord of the Rings. It is mostly a battle, but if you read the book, you'd know that was all that was left, and be paying for it willingly. All in all I'd say this is a great send off, and ties in beautifully with the lord of the rings.
Spoilers:
Positives: Thorin's story arc. The Dragon Sickness and his friendship with Bilbo were all handled really well. The White Council vs. Sauron. This is not an imagined thing by Peter Jackson, it was in the appendices, and needed if they were to tie in the lord of the rings and continue expanding the universe. And the fight scene was awesome. The Battle. Though it wasn't quite to the epic scale that helms deep or minas tirith was, it is still an awesome battle. Smaug. For what brief time we get to see him, he is amazing. Death. The deaths of Fili, Kili, and Thorin were all masterfully done. It got me choked up, and I don't cry easily. It was just enough emotion for a 90 minute battle.
Negatives CGI. The film was great, and I loved it. But the CGI pulled me out. Especially when compared to the lord of the rings where everything looks real. The landscapes, the orcs, and even a major dwarf character are all CGI. Now the CGI is really stellar, but it can't beat the real thing. Comedy relief. I liked the comedy, but I didn't. It just didn't fit. The film seemed like it was going for return of the kings bleak and dark tone, and most of the comedy took me out of that.
And that's about it. All in all I'd say they were so close to the lord of the rings, but the CGI and the comedy are what bogs it down.