While one might be sad to see Peter Jackson finish his last Middle Earth film, one is probably glad to see him finish after this film. This film is not a Hobbit film, rather it appears to be Peter Jackson's take on a giant battle involving five armies. With the experience that Jackson has under his belt in making the Lord of the Rings films, he seems to be overreaching in the Hobbit trilogy. Yet, this film is still fun to watch for all of its craziness.
After the three Lord of the Rings films, I thought that Peter Jackson could do no wrong. Then I started to watch The Hobbit trilogy. All of my faith was suddenly vanishing as he started to make additions to the films that were not in the book. Having read the Fellowship of the Ring, I found that Tolkien's world was too complex for me to continue. However, I decided to go back and read The Hobbit which I thoroughly enjoyed. This was a much easier read for me and contained a bit less jargon that is in the LoTR books. So, clearly I was excited for these Hobbit films. However, I was left with sheer disappointment by the end.
While Jackson screwed up the book aspects of the film, he still managed to keep my attention toward the big screen in the final film. After all, who doesn't love a giant battle of CGI and not-so-practical effects? Furthermore, who doesn't love to see Cate Blanchett go full demon within the first hour of the film? Of course this is no cinematic masterpiece, but I found it much more entertaining than I probably should have!
The Bottom Line: If you are a die-hard Hobbit fan, I would not recommend even glaring at the cover of this film. If you aren't go for it with an open mind, ready for a two and a half hour look into what special effects have become.
Score: 8/10
After the three Lord of the Rings films, I thought that Peter Jackson could do no wrong. Then I started to watch The Hobbit trilogy. All of my faith was suddenly vanishing as he started to make additions to the films that were not in the book. Having read the Fellowship of the Ring, I found that Tolkien's world was too complex for me to continue. However, I decided to go back and read The Hobbit which I thoroughly enjoyed. This was a much easier read for me and contained a bit less jargon that is in the LoTR books. So, clearly I was excited for these Hobbit films. However, I was left with sheer disappointment by the end.
While Jackson screwed up the book aspects of the film, he still managed to keep my attention toward the big screen in the final film. After all, who doesn't love a giant battle of CGI and not-so-practical effects? Furthermore, who doesn't love to see Cate Blanchett go full demon within the first hour of the film? Of course this is no cinematic masterpiece, but I found it much more entertaining than I probably should have!
The Bottom Line: If you are a die-hard Hobbit fan, I would not recommend even glaring at the cover of this film. If you aren't go for it with an open mind, ready for a two and a half hour look into what special effects have become.
Score: 8/10