Acceptable if unfulfilling finale to trilogy

Following the cliffhanger ending of the terrific Desolation of Smaug, the collision with Smaug the Dragon comes to an abrupt, deflating conclusion near the beginning.

There on the film centres on a clash over Thorin Oakenshield’s reclaimed Dwarf Kingdom and Bilbo Baggins’ attempts to resolve the situation.

For so much going on there’s a lack of excitement and Battle of the Five Armies drags even with a much shorter running time.

Jackson shot all three films in a higher frame rate - 48 frames per second as opposed to the standard 24. When viewed in 3D, the film looks like a made for TV production with effects from a PlayStation game.

Reflecting on the series I still feel The Hobbit shouldn’t have been a trilogy.

It was Jackson’s attempt at recreating The Lord of The Rings trilogy, rather than a straight Hobbit adaptation. To accommodate this, the story was padded with filler to stretch across eight hours - about four of which are unnecessary.

Battle of the Five Armies is an acceptable, if unfulfilling finale.