The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (12A.)
Directed by Peter Jackson.
Starring Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly and Lee Pace. 144 mins.
And so this is Christmas and what have you done? Another Hobbit film over, but no new ones yet to come. Like the last of the Prequels, Revenge of the Sith, Battle of the Five Armies isn't enough to redeem what preceded, but at least there's the satisfaction of knowing the whole thing did at least have some point, culminating in a one great big all in, all kicking off, sword wielding, lance chucking, head stabbing (children's book this was?) brawl, and a very fine brawl at that.
A decade ago The Lord Of The Rings trilogy pioneered the objectionable trend for not starting a sequel with a recap of what had happened previously. The Hobbit sticks with that convention and this adaptation of the last six chapters jumps straight in where The Desolation of Smaug left off, but this time it seems like a blessing. It's like their wiping the slate clean, letting bygones be bygones. You can put out your mind the tedium of the Dwarves tea party, the horrible experiment in 48 fps, the general aimlessness of the whole enterprise and just settle down for the big finale, a film that is almost entirely action.
This is a film that reminds you why so many sane people, who would normally have nothing to do with goblins, elves and sorcery, allowed themselves to get carried away with the original Lord of the Rings films. Jackson still really knows how to film a battle scene, sending his camera sweeping over the marching hordes, looking down at the military patterns from on high and then swooping down into the heart of the commotion. The previous two installments have both contained some clunky effects moments but almost everything is pristine here. (The few moments that aren't quite perfect always seem to involve Orlando Bloom.) The Five Armies ding dong is probably the best action sequence of the six Tolkien films and it is as good a spectacle as the big screen can offer this Christmas.
If you know, or care, what is happening this will be a hell of a film, but for the non devotee it will pass before you in a pleasant but semi-engaging kinetic blur. The Hobbit himself is largely peripheral, as is Gandalf, and after a while you may not really know who is fighting who or why or what is at stake, but it probably won't bother you.
Review of The Desolation of Smaug
Directed by Peter Jackson.
Starring Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly and Lee Pace. 144 mins.
And so this is Christmas and what have you done? Another Hobbit film over, but no new ones yet to come. Like the last of the Prequels, Revenge of the Sith, Battle of the Five Armies isn't enough to redeem what preceded, but at least there's the satisfaction of knowing the whole thing did at least have some point, culminating in a one great big all in, all kicking off, sword wielding, lance chucking, head stabbing (children's book this was?) brawl, and a very fine brawl at that.
A decade ago The Lord Of The Rings trilogy pioneered the objectionable trend for not starting a sequel with a recap of what had happened previously. The Hobbit sticks with that convention and this adaptation of the last six chapters jumps straight in where The Desolation of Smaug left off, but this time it seems like a blessing. It's like their wiping the slate clean, letting bygones be bygones. You can put out your mind the tedium of the Dwarves tea party, the horrible experiment in 48 fps, the general aimlessness of the whole enterprise and just settle down for the big finale, a film that is almost entirely action.
This is a film that reminds you why so many sane people, who would normally have nothing to do with goblins, elves and sorcery, allowed themselves to get carried away with the original Lord of the Rings films. Jackson still really knows how to film a battle scene, sending his camera sweeping over the marching hordes, looking down at the military patterns from on high and then swooping down into the heart of the commotion. The previous two installments have both contained some clunky effects moments but almost everything is pristine here. (The few moments that aren't quite perfect always seem to involve Orlando Bloom.) The Five Armies ding dong is probably the best action sequence of the six Tolkien films and it is as good a spectacle as the big screen can offer this Christmas.
If you know, or care, what is happening this will be a hell of a film, but for the non devotee it will pass before you in a pleasant but semi-engaging kinetic blur. The Hobbit himself is largely peripheral, as is Gandalf, and after a while you may not really know who is fighting who or why or what is at stake, but it probably won't bother you.
Review of The Desolation of Smaug