And once again, we’re back in Middle-earth.
Peter Jackson’s sixth and final film about the mystical realm of orcs, elves, and hobbits is as action-packed as ever. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies brings viewers to the climactic conclusion of the adventure of Biblo, Thorin, and the merry dwarves. But that’s not all it does. It signifies the end of an era in fantasy film, and is constructed as such.
It would be incredibly easy to write off this sixth and final film as merely a money grab. Surely, the whole Hobbit trilogy could have been written off as such. The book was quite short, and there is a lot of fluff that is added which seemingly only serves the purpose of extending the story, therefore increasing the need for additional films to be made. But, as an admittedly biased diehard fan of anything Middle-earth, I choose to not see them as such.
To elaborate on these probably unpopular opinions, I will have to delve into spoilerville here, so you’ve been warned.
Okay. The end of the second film The Desolation of Smaug finishes with a incredibly angry Smaug heading towards Laketown to rain down terror and destruction. Thorin and the dwarves had just dunked him in gold — the very source of his rising anger — and were left alone with the treasures of the Lonely Mountain at his departure. Viewers get a really badass view of Smaug as he seethes with rage and flies through the sky, showing us in full view the complete extension of his wings and greatness of his form and yadda yadda, all the other cool things about Smaug and dragons in general.
But this ending doesn’t really work for me. After all, the movie itself is called The Desolation of Smaug, so, you kind of expect Smaug to get. . . desolated. Instead, we simply see Smaug get angry. Maybe it should have been called The Anger of Smaug? Either way, audiences aren’t really getting what they should expect in this film, and I for one was a little disappointed that Smaug still lived.
Until I thought about it for a little while. With Smaug still alive, the dragon would undoubtedly be in the final film. That, I can deal with.
And then we do get Smaug in the final film. And then again, I am kind of disappointed. Smaug is killed within the first twenty minutes of the movie! I waited a year to see Smaug again on the big screen, only to have him killed off before the opening credits roll!
If you were able to disregard the meaty spoilers in the middle, I am now officially leaving spoilerville.
And then, again, after the film, I thought about it for a little while. Which brought me to my belief that The Battle of the Five Armies truly was an homage to not just Tolkien fans, but to fantasy nerds of all types.
This movie has everything for fantasy aficionados, even if you disregard all of the Tolkien lore. Orcs in countless number, elves riding stags, magical rings, halflings doing silly things, a badass dragon and even a dwarf riding a pig. The story is a bit light, and can sometimes have you scratching your head at the ridiculousness or flimsiness of it, but that’s okay. Any true fan of the genre knows that sometimes concessions are made, and belief must be suspended. Which is great, because belief suspension lies at the core of the fantasy genre.
Of course, some of the same reasons that fantasy- or Tolkien- lovers would appreciate The Battle of the Five Armies is the same reason that non-diehards might not. The movie is quite long (like all the movies based in Middle-earth), and is made even longer by the lack of a strong plot or compelling dialogue. There is also a multitude of fantastical characters that are hard to identify with, which might turn some viewers off.
So simply, take this as it is. This movie won’t be for everyone. If you love Tolkien and the universe, then like me, you’ll love this movie as well. If you love fantasy, you’ll probably like this movie, or at least be able to appreciate it for being a high-quality film in a market that doesn’t produce a lot of high-quality fantasy films. If you like The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, you might or you might not necessarily like this installation. Even if you liked the previous two Hobbit movies, you again might or might not necessarily like this one. This isn’t the best Middle-earth media, or even the best Hobbit film, but it definitely caters to a certain group.
To reiterate my earlier claim then, The Battle of the Five Armies signifies the end of an era in fantasy film. Never again (definitely probably) will Peter Jackson or any other director delve into the world of Middle-earth. The notoriety of the franchise has been exhausted, and new material must be used. Sure, there is a multitude of great source material to pull from, but nothing that has the weightiness that is the work of Tolkien. And sure there are creative minds out there that will see new fantasy worlds realized on film, but these unproven tales aren’t given the attention/publicity/money/favoritism/etc. that established franchises do. And now that the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit craze has begun to wane and fizzle, there will begin to be less of a demand for films like these. It definitely makes me sad, but also makes me glad that I was able to celebrate this great piece of nerdiness while it was climaxed.
So, you’ve been warned. Or alternatively, reading this has excited you. Either way, as a high-production blockbuster by a talented director and film crew, it’s hard to not suggest this movie to anyone. The fantasy orgasm that is The Battle of the Five Armies might just have the power to sway a few non-believers.
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