The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

I’ve struggled quite a bit with the not necessary competition between The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies brought about by fans. That’s great that you like one of them more than the other. For me, I just think it’s awesome that we have six epic middle Earth movies. The final chapter, taking place in the middle chronologically, is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The title describes the plot pretty well. Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and the company of Dwarves reclaim the Lonely Mountain after the dragon, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), leaves to destroy nearby Lake Town. But once word of the dragon leaving gets around, a bunch of different people want the mountain that happens to be a strong strategic location. It’s also filled with gold, so people want that too.

Aesthetically, director Peter Jackson and his crew have the look of these movies down to a science. The sweeping New Zealand landscapes with varying terrains are the best backdrops in film. As for the effects, they look great on the big screen. But throughout this trilogy there have been a number of moments where the advanced technology brings about visuals that seem over-the-top. I’m looking at you giant unnecessary were-worms.

The story develops relatively slowly in the film since they stretched the plot to cover three movies. This allows for more back story and Easter eggs for fans of Tolkien. After the very calculated and serious tone of The Lord of the Rings, I think that these new films were the right place for those details. But a casual moviegoer without much interest in the mythology probably didn’t need all the side stories. The acting was pretty steady throughout. Martin Freeman’s turn as Bilbo is the most successful of all Hobbits throughout the series. He does really well layering the positive and negative aspects of the title character. Ian McKellan is also given his chance to end the series on a high note. A battle between the White Council and Sauron had the nerds in the theater foaming at the mouth (myself included.) But he also gets some great dialogue to go next to his fighting in the massive battle.

Ultimately, the main criticism with the film is that it is made up of a fight with the dragon, which is followed by one big battle. Looking at the trilogy as one story makes this fact easier to understand. But if you don’t enjoy watching the battle strategies of dwarves and elves, this may not be the best film for you. As for me, I look forward to the extended cut with more nerdy goodness.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

The Theory of Everything

You can’t go too far into film discussion about 2014 without hearing a lot about actor Eddie Redmayne. The slight British actor plays the lead in the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything. Like in those discussions, I’ll tell you that he gives an incredible performance. But there is more than just the actor. Look no further than Felicity Jones who plays Jane Hawking. We’ll break down these performances more in a moment. The film follows Hawking and his wife as they develop a relationship while Stephen’s health deteriorates and his scientific résumé gains prominence.

The first act shines as we see quite a bit of character development in the form of a budding romance. We know from real life this honeymoon phase won’t last the whole movie, but this pain free aspect is exciting nonetheless. It builds up the viewer before the fall. Biopics are an odd animal since the person being portrayed tends to look like an unrealistic saint or a total jerk. Theory gives you a bit of both. Many of Stephen’s negative traits are presented as a result of losing control of his body as his brain gains more acclaim. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the negative elements of the story are tamped down so as to not ruin the admiration for the real life people that the script emphasizes.

Redmayne’s physical transformation is worth recognition in and of itself. To present such a performance when you are limited to almost no movement is quite a feat. But he is also able to keep some of the charm the actor has maintained throughout his career. Alongside Redmayne, Jones takes on a very different, but no less impressive task as the wife forced to devote her life to a severely handicapped husband. It’s heartbreaking to watch because it is so incredibly real. The movie is accessible while still being very complex, which is a perfect way to describe the relationship between the Hawkings.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.