This all leads to the big showdown in Ravenhill, where Azog has been commanding his armies. Thorin, Kili, Fili and Dwalin race up the mountain to hunt down the pale orc. It is around this time that Legolas and Tauriel pop back into the main storyline and regrettably steal center stage. My greatest fears for the film came true. Less would have been much more with these characters. Instead our two hero elves race to Ravenhill, perhaps wanting to make sure Thorin and Co. don’t get too much screen time.
The filmmakers seem convinced that Legolas should be the star of this film. All good will I had immediately dried up the moment Legolas grabs onto the foot of a bat and fetches a ride up the mountain, in a sequence that seems straight out of King Kong. Rather than break down the entire sequence, I will say that the emotional impact of the events of Ravenhill is greatly diminished by the constant interference and intercutting with the action of Legolas and Tauriel.
Legolas dispatches Bolg in what must be the most over the top, gravity defying, absurdly overdone action sequence in any Middle Earth (or Peter Jackson) film yet. Apparently the laws of gravity hold no affect on the nimble feet of the Woodland prince. It’s the stuff of nightmares for anyone who has had issues with Legolas’ stunts in the previous films.
The finale of the battle leads to one cruel and unfortunate realization, that Beorn has been all but cut from the film. He arrives atop one of the eagles Radagast rides in on. His very brief 15-30 second cameo, involves him plunging to the ground, transforming into a bear mid-flight and dispatching a few orcs on the ground before disappearing from the film entirely much like Dain and Radagast. Equally disappointing is the focus on the elves post-battle.
We get one utterly absurd sequence in which Thranduil plays the role of Nick Fury and instructs Legolas to track down a young ranger in the north, known as “Strider.” It’s a bizarrely out of place scene that seems like a horrible misuse of valuable screen time.
Tauriel also gets a drawn out mourning sequence with Kili that seems like an overdone capper to what has been an underdeveloped and unconvincing love story. There are no funerals, no coronations, and hardly any goodbyes with our beloved dwarves.
It’s a bizarre end for the trilogy, and one that chooses to ignore the dwarves it was focused on. There is one short scene between Bilbo and the Company, but it is far too brief and is a lousy way to wrap up that storyline. The return journey is brief but pleasant, devoid of any stops.
My hope is that there is much to look forward to with the extended cut. I’m sure there is plenty more Beorn, Radagast and the Dwarves to look forward to, but it is unfortunate that one of the most pivotal sequences in the story, Ravenhill, is mishandled and overblown, feeling more like an extended sequence from a modern Die Hard film, than the emotional climax of a trilogy.
By the time Bilbo crawls to the side of Thorin, it is admittedly hard to feel too much pain, he’s whirled around and battled atop breaking ice sheets, perhaps it is time he says goodbye.
There is much to enjoy in this film, and much to cherish, the great misfortune is that it stumbles its way to the finish line. On a technical note, the CGI is in top form, displaying the best of Weta’s ability. Howard Shore also creates a rousing score that is unfortunately never given a chance to shine. Instead it’s often buried under sound effects. The battle, for the most part, is intense and the drama is well-executed.
It is just unfortunate that the third act fails to deliver on all the promise that preceded it.
Join us in Los Angeles in February at The One Last Party
We’re hosting a Party of Special Magnificence next February — a final toast to all SIX movies, both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy.
We’re inviting you to join us and make it happen through our Indiegogo campaign — so we can all celebrate Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth movies together!
