Film Review - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Battle Royale

Film: The Hobbit:The Battle of the Five Armies

Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Duration: 2 hrs 24 mins

Rating: *  *  * 

The Hobbit trilogy of films finally comes to an end with The Battle of the Five Armies. Directed by Peter Jackson, this prequel to the Lord of The Rings is just one book, and not too thick one at that, but Jackson managed to stretch it into 3 parts and that too of considerable duration in length. At 2 hours 24 minutes, this wrap-up film is the shortest compared to the other two.

The obvious problem of stretching a book so much is that the intensity goes missing and plus there is a lot of flab. The previous installment The Desolation of Smaug ended on a high and promised a high octane finale. It starts off with the dragon cutting loose and unleashing its fury on Laketown till an ace archer Bard  (Luke Evans) manages to put it to rest. Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the dwarfs can only look from a distance while all the breathtaking action unfolds.

Once the opening act is over, the screenplay looses steam. Thorin (Richard Armitage) is all starry eyed and obsessed with the discovery of gold and even turns a blind eye to the word which he had given to Bard. Meanwhile Gandalf (Ian McKellen) manages to escape from Dul Guldur and makes an appearance when the fight to the finish begins. Bilbo Baggins pretty much becomes a spectator to everything that is happening around.

The battle of the armies is the most eye catching piece here and it lasts for over an hour. Jackson surely knows how to pull off a spectacle and the visuals are impressive. The finale is indeed the saving grace as there are portions which will appeal strictly to Tolkien fans.  There is also bit of romance thrown in for good measure between the Amazonian elf Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) and lovestruck dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner). 

Compared to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit trilogy is a slight letdown primarily because it has not been sustainable from a storytelling point of view. Jackson has lived upto the challenge of using superior special effects as a creative tool.

But all said and seen, am glad he is done with The Hobbit. Now he can go back to making films again. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 14th Dec 2014

www.twitter.com/sachinchatte

The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug

                                         

Good Hobbits Die Hard

Film: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Duration: 2 hrs 42 mins

Rating: * * * 1 / 2

The second installment of The Hobbit trilogy directed by Peter Jackson lives upto its expectations. Much like the previous film, this one is also shot in 3D with a High Frame Rate (HFR) and the distinct quality shows.

Now, whether it was right for Jackson to split this not-so-thick children’s classic book by J.R.R. Tolkien into three films remains a subject of debate. It could have well been condensed into a couple of parts at the most but box office considerations had the better of it.

But there is no doubt that not many directors would have been able to pull off a film of this scale. The special effects, the fights scenes and the dragon Smaug will have you in awe. It takes off where An Unexpected Journey (2012) ended and the quest of the dwarfs led by the king (Thorin) continues to get repossess the kingdom of Erebor. The hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is by their side along with the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) who parts ways with at the earlier stage.

The dwarfs and Baggins have to overcome stiff resistance from the Orcs and then some gigantic spiders. Smaug (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) makes a rather late entry, almost couple of hours into the film, but when he does, he has all your attention.

The visuals in the film standout and a particular action scene while the dwarfs are rafting in barrels, gives you your moneys worth.The length is slightly daunting and there are several portions which might appeal to only to fans of the novel. If you are not aware of the ‘fine print’ of the story you might end up feeling a bit desolate at times.

The manner in which it has built up, the last installment which will release in a years time, should be a befitting finale. 

Published in the Navhind Times on 15th Dec 2013

www.twitter.com/sachinchatte