Worst Middle Earth Movie

Rating: 4/10 (26 December 2014)

Jackson's a good filmmaker, able to handle big emotional stories with style and care like a renowned chef (Heavenly Creatures, LOTR trilogy). However, if LOTR was a luxurious entree, The Hobbit is a cheap, fast-food dessertit's tasty at times, but it won't sustain and definitely isn't needed. The trilogy completely loses what little bit of identity it had in this, its final installment. In what isn't really a stand-alone film as much as a filler section of a bad miniseries, Battle is a couple cool moments in an otherwise weak narrative. We find our crew reunited back in their mountain-home, suddenly realizing they must defend it against those who want the mountain themselves.but wait a minute. Where did all this new conflict come from? Weren't we just trying to get the mountain back from Smaug? Even Bilbo himself says, "Your quest is fulfilled, is that not enough?" Yes, it is. Too bad no one told Jackson. Now we're forced into a third chapter full of contrivances, coincidences, and a really bad romance. Maybe its biggest downfall is not utilizing its strength, Martin Freeman; given criminally little to do, he does his best to bring naturalism and personality to the proceedings, but gets lost in the hubbub. There ARE positives: Jackson's eye for cinematography, unique fights, and horror-like visuals help when front-and-center. If only they weren't covered in atrocious cgi. Desolation of Smaug had me hopeful that we were returning to the glory days of LOTR. Sadly, Battle lost that spark and instead feels just plain tedious.