The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (6/10): Will you follow Peter Jackson one last time into Middle Earth?

“Will you follow me, one last time?”

Not only is Thorin asking his dwarves to follow him one last time into battle, but Peter Jackson is also asking us to join him one last time in experiencing his vision of Middle Earth. We all know The Hobbit was one short book (about 300 pages), but Jackson decided to adapt it into three full length movies so there is going to be a lot of characters and elements included that aren’t in the book. J.R.R Tolkien fans might be upset and most audiences agree that Jackson made a mistake in stretching the material because this trilogy hasn’t had the same emotional impact as the Lord of the Rings trilogy had. However, Jackson is still asking us to accompany him one last time into Middle Earth in order to tie everything together. He and the producers may have experienced their share of dragon fever by getting greedy and wanting to bank on the success of their first trilogy (it is kind of ironic when you take into account that the underlying message of the novels is that greed destroys the soul), but they are asking us to join them for one last time, and they deserve it. If you are a fan of the franchise this will be an emotional moment for you, but if you don’t care much for this world then you will find the film annoying. It does tie in the first two films of The Hobbit trilogy very well with The Lord of the Rings so it serves as a sort of closure for these epic films. At 144 minutes, this is the shortest film of the franchise and you sort of get the feeling that Jackson doesn’t know how to sum things up in less than 3 hours because this film feels rushed and overstuffed with characters and subplots. It also happens to be action packed with a battle scene lasting for almost an hour. It may be a bit too much, but there is no denying that Peter Jackson cares deeply for the material here and is devoted to it. Despite not being nearly as engaging as The Lord of the Ring trilogy, The Hobbit has its emotional moments with strong action sequences and some solid performances. Jackson is asking us to follow him for the last time, but it is up to us to decide if his passion and dedication is worth the journey. I joined him and was mildly entertained although I found several flaws. Despite not being as entertaining as The Desolation of Smaug, this is still an improvement over The Unexpected Journey.  

The Battle of the Five Armies picks up right where The Desolation of Smaug left us, giving me the feeling that I had paused the film and waited a whole year before hitting the play button once again. It took me a while to recall everything that had been going on, but with the opening action sequence I had to rush those memories in order to understand everything that was going on. The Hobbit is actually one film divided into three parts which makes it difficult to analyze apart from each other. There is a sense of cohesion among these films and we finally get the concluding chapter after an agonizing and extended fist part which felt completely stretched out and an entertaining second chapter where we were introduced to new and familiar characters and an impressive dragon voiced by the great Benedict Cumberbatch. This third chapter picks up with that very dragon destroying the nearby village where Bard (Luke Evans) and his children are. The film begins with an impressive action sequence and then the next hour is dedicated to build up what will be the ultimate battle scene with five different armies preparing for battle. This is where the movie begins to feel convoluted and overstuffed with subplots that feel too rushed. But at times the film does succeed when it centers on the relationship between Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and Thorin (Richard Armitage). We know that Jackson knows how to deliver spectacular visuals and action sequences, but what was missing from The Lord of the Rings trilogy was that character development we finally got to see here with these two characters. Unfortunately there are other elements included that don’t work too well (like the love triangle between Kili, Legolas, and Tauriel that feels misplaced). The build up and the action scenes might be a bit too much for audiences, and ultimately the film fails to stand out from other epics. It is an average film that has its ups and downs, but still manages to bring closure. Unfortunately this trilogy never lives up to the grandeur of The Lord of the Rings.

My Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (7/10)

"If you awaken that beast, you'll destroy us all!"

Peter Jackson has awakened my interest for the resolution of this franchise after a somewhat disappointing first installment. Being a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was disappointed with An Unexpected Journey and found the film long, tedious, and boring. The last 40 minutes of that film were what kept me interested for what Jackson could do in this sequel. I honestly didn't remember much about An Unexpected Journey, but I was glad that The Desolation of Smaug began more promising than its predecessor, and as the story unfolded my memory began to freshen up a bit. One of the issues I had with the first film was that the comedy didn't work too well and I really couldn't differentiate most of the dwarves. The dilemma was solved here because there were several funny moments to lighten up the mood, and the dwarves were developed much better and had distinct personalities with more meat to their characters. The film really picked up when Legolas and Tauriel entered the picture. I think Tauriel was my favorite character in this film considering how much I like Evangeline Lilly (sorry but being a huge Lost fan she will always be Freckles to me) and how well she executed each action sequence. The film has a couple of great action sequences, but the one that stood out above the rest was the barrel scene. It is honestly one of the best and funnest action scenes of the year. I was pleased with this film and would've given this a higher grade if it weren't for the overlong running time that did feel a bit tedious once again. The cliffhanger at the end worked really well for me as it definitely left me hooked for the final film of the franchise.

Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and the 13 dwarves led by Thorin (Richard Armitage) continue their journey to Lonely Mountain to try to reclaim their kingdom. The film picks up right where the first one left us, as they were approaching the Mirkwood Forest while the orcs were right behind their backs.  Their journey to Lonely Mountain is not an easy one as they have to face all sorts of threats before arriving at their destination to try to reclaim the throne that was taken away from them by the gold digging dragon, Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). In the forest they first have to deal with giant spiders, but Bilbo who now possesses the ring is able to rescue them. Then they are captured by elves where they run into Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly). Bilbo comes to the rescue yet again, but this is just the beginning of a long journey as the enemy seems to be getting stronger each minute that passes and he begins to become more self aware about the effects of the ring.

To say that The Desolation of Smaug is visually stunning is an understatement considering we have already seen what Peter Jackson can do with Middle Earth. Being the huge fan of Tolkien that he is, the attention to detail and love for his book translates to the big screen perfectly. The build up to the final confrontation with Smaug is full of thrills and excitements and the dragon is carefully crafted here. The face off of words between Smaug and Bilbo is also very well done. There are several scenes that worked masterfully here, but unfortunately there was simply too many things going on at times and the film felt overlong, although I must admit that the waiting does pay off. I was glad the characters were developed much better this time around and I was drawn into their world. This is an improvement over An Unexpected Journey and hopefully Jackson will end the trilogy with a bang. This was an exciting and thrilling adventure that sets the table for what is coming next.

My Review: The World's End (7/10)

"And here we go! Just like the Five Musketeers!"

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright's final installment of the Cornetto trilogy is a very entertaining and funny film. Just like its predecessors The World's End works as a comedy although this time the focus is on the sci-fi genre. Shaun of the Dead was based on horror, Hot Fuzz on buddy action films, and now The World's End makes fun of the apocalyptic science fiction films we've all seen. However the films all work best as a comedy considering Wright carefully constructs them and builds momentum at the right moments. The fans who pay close attention to the script will catch several of those small elements he includes in the comedy. Pegg and Frost also deliver great characters and have a solid supporting cast. If you enjoyed the humor in their previous films then you will be very satisfied with this film because it follows the same premise and has several of the same actors involved once again. The script is witty and the direction with the fast edits, slick camera angles, and well timed action sequences works really well. It might be a slightly more mature film than its predecessors, but it still includes all the key elements that made the first two such likable films. My personal favorite of the three will still be Hot Fuzz, probably because it was the first film I watched since I had never seen Shaun of the Dead, but I still enjoyed all three films. The humor in The World's End isn't the cheap kind, the jokes are well constructed but I understand that its humor isn't for everyone. The characters are all very well developed and each one has his or her own personal traits defined. It has a nostalgic vibe to it as well considering the characters all seem to lament over their lost youth, and are trying to live out those memories for one last time. It's a very satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy.

The film centers on five friends from a small English town that decide to get together 20 years later and finish what they never could during their teenage days: complete an epic pub crawl known as the Golden Mile. It consists of drinking one pint of beer in all 12 Newton Haven pubs in the course of one day. Gary (Simon Pegg), who was the leader of the group, decides to round up the crew and accomplish this goal. He is very self centered and doesn't treat his friends really well, but somehow (probably from a sense of nostalgia and trying to relive the best year of their lives) they all still decide to tag along. The group consists of Pete (Eddie Marsan) who was bullied upon during his youth, Steven (Paddy Considine) who is currently dating a young fitness instructor, Oliver (Martin Freeman) nicknamed O-Man because of a birthmark he had on his forehead that resembled a 6, and Andy (Nick Frost) who used to be Gary's best friend before they had a fallout and became estranged. As they begin their quest for the Golden mile they run into Sam (Rosamund Pike), Oliver's sister, with whom Gary had a one night fling when they were young, but Steven is the one who has been in love with her all his life. They are surprised to discover that the people in the town have changed and are behaving strangely. What begins as an apparently innocent and fun night might end up being a nightmare as they begin uncovering a conspiracy that threatens all of humanity. 

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost sort of switch roles from the ones they played in Shaun of the Dead. This time Nick plays the much more mature character, while Simon is the childish one. Pegg is really unlikable at the beginning of the film, as he manipulates and completely ignores his friends, but his character soon grows on us as we identify with his sense of nostalgia of the past. I think that the scenes between these group of friends hanging out in the pub was probably the strongest part of the film considering that the sci-fi scenes were a little too over the top (although some action sequences were really entertaining). The way these characters interact with one another is what makes this film worth seeing. The satire and slapsticknalso mixes really well with this smart comedy. I still think that Scott Pilgrim is Edgar Wright's best film to date, but he always delivers fun and entertaining movies. 

My Review: The Pirates! Band of Misfits (8/10)

¨You´ll see I will be Pirate of the Year! And then you´ll be laughing on the other side of your faces.¨

I was pleasantly surprised with this movie as I was catching up with the nominated animation films. I hadn’t really heard of it before the nominations, but was glad it received the recognition it got because this really is a fun and silly movie that the entire family can enjoy. My favorite animated film of the year continues to be Wreck-it Ralph, but this is still much better than Pixar´s Brave. The Pirates is one of those rare animated movies that will appeal to a diverse audience thanks to the subtle and clever jokes and puns that the British have us all familiar with. The animation is very detailed and skillful here considering this isn’t a computer generated animated movie; it´s stop-motion and was produced by Aardman, the same production company that brought us such great animated films as Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run. Directors Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt also worked in Chicken Run; and in my opinion have perfected their craft here. You can´t make a movie about pirates without having some sort of exciting adventure, and this movie delivers a real fun and clever adventure that adults and kids will enjoy alike. It has the typical silly and dry British humor that we all love so much. The screenplay was adapted by Gideon Defoe from his own novels about the pirates. I had a really fun time with all the jokes and puns, and really loved these funny characters. They were as luxuriant as the Pirate Captain´s beard.

The Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh Grant) dreams of becoming Pirate of the Year but has failed to do so for the past twenty years as he isn’t considered one of the favorites to take home the prize. His crew loves him and remains faithful to him, but are as quirky as he is and are not taken seriously by other pirates. The favorites are always Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven), Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek), and Peg Leg Hastings (Lenny Henry) who have a great amount of booty and treasures. The Pirate Captain knows that in order to win the prize he will need to find a great treasure so he begins his quest with his crew by raiding several ships unsuccessfully. Right when he´s about to give up, the Pirate Captain encounters a ship where a young Charles Darwin (David Tennant) discovers that his beloved pet, Polly, is not actually a parrot, but a rare bird that was thought to have been extinct decades ago. He convinces the Pirate Captain to travel to London with the dodo where he promises him great riches for his discovery, but Charles has a hidden agenda of his own and everything is not what it seems. The Pirate Captain´s Second Assistant (Martin Freeman) warns him about the dangers of traveling to London, but he insists on finding these riches. In London, the Pirate Captain and his crew must avoid being discovered as pirates because Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) is known for hating pirates. Thus the adventure begins. Arrr.

This is the first time Hugh Grant voices an animated character, but he does it masterfully creating one of the most enthusiastic and beloved characters of the movie. David Tennant, Martin Freeman and Imelda Staunton all stand out in this film, but Salma Hayek, Jeremy Piven, and Lenny Henry really don´t have much screen time here. I really had a fun time with this stop-motion animated film and laughed several times at the clever gags and jokes. I hope more people get to watch this fun adventure because it is a movie that the entire family can enjoy and that is just a commodity that is rare to find these days. So if you have the opportunity to see this don’t hesitate and check it out.

    

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My Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (6/10)

¨My dear Frodo, you asked me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures. Well, I can honestly say I've told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it.¨

After the huge success that Peter Jackson had adapting The Lord of the Rings trilogy, he brings us the prequel (which he has decided to do in three films as well). Of course fans are coming into this film with huge expectations, and I’m sure that fans of Tolkien will really love Jackson´s direction here since he himself is a huge fan of the series. I really loved his work in The Lord of the Rings, but wasn’t really too excited about The Hobbit. First of all, as much as I enjoyed the original trilogy, I couldn’t manage to watch those films again since I find them hard to rewatch, especially for being so long. Second I really wasn’t thrilled when I heard that Jackson was making three films instead of only two. This meant that the film would stretch out a little too far by adding some unnecessary elements that perhaps only true fans of the series would enjoy. Those fears were fulfilled while I was enduring the 160 minute long movie. I really didn’t get into the film until the last 60 minutes or so when Gollum appeared. The film actually takes 40 minutes before the actual journey even begins. I felt Jackson was just trying to stretch out the film a little too much so he could have an excuse to make three films and make a bigger profit. Well I have to admit the final third of the movie did raise my grade for The Hobbit and made it a worthwhile watch. I wouldn’t recommend it if you haven’t seen The Lord of the Rings, but if you have and you enjoyed those fabulous movies you might want to check this out with a bit lowered expectations. I really don’t think this trilogy was necessary, but fans might not agree with me.

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is approached by Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) to go on a journey alongside 13 warrior dwarves who want to reclaim their mountain home. The Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor was once majestic and powerful, but a fire dragon named Smaug, attracted by the gold, attacked them and forced them out of the mountain. The dwarves were forced to live as nomads and their King was murdered by Azog the orc during war. The King´s grandson, Thorin (Richard Armitage), survived and led his people bravely to victory, but it came at a huge price. Now 60 years later he and 12 other dwarves have decided to go on a quest with the help of Gandalf- the magician- and Bilbo who Gandalf insists must travel with them. He sees good and kindness in the hobbit, who he knows will be a good ally in times of need. Once they begin their journey towards the mountain they face several different kinds of enemies. It is not until they reach the goblin tunnels that Bilbo runs into Gollum (Andy Serkis) and finds the ring (which we are all familiar with from The Lord of the Rings trilogy). The quest for the mountain lies ahead, but they must face many more obstacles first.

Peter Jackson once again delivers great visuals with some great looking fight scenes. It is nothing we haven’t seen before in his other works, but it still is magnificent to look at. He also adds a few cameos from some of the characters we have all come to love, but in all honesty I had a lot of problems with the pacing of this film. It just took forever to get started and I had a hard time watching this. Perhaps the second film will be better in that there won´t need to be an introduction and we are already set into the action because the final third of the movie was pretty good. The film however is still very far from accomplishing what Jackson did in the original trilogy. He just pays so much attention to detail that the narrative feels too stretched out. This adventure film has its moments that make the movie worthwhile, but other moments feel completely dull and tiresome. I felt like there were several obstacles I had to get over before I could really sit down and enjoy the movie. This isn’t a bad movie; I would say it is more of a disappointing one considering it had to live up to the high standards of its predecessor. Another thing I felt didn’t work as well as in the original trilogy was the comedy. I found most of the funny scenes pretty unfunny actually and a little too forced. The jokes didn’t really work with me. The visuals as spectacular as they might be are not corresponded well with the narrative and pacing of the film which left me weary and tedious. Having that said, this is still much better than most of the sequels that have been made and fans will be pleased with Jackson´s work.

                                                                                                                  

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