The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition Review

Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Trilogy has been one of the most perplexing cinema going experiences i have ever had. I adored the whimsy of the first film (and continue too), the second film was a delightfully energetic bridging film but the final act left so much  unresolved and unclear that it forced me to readjust my opinion of the first two films. My main problems with The Battle of the Five Armies were tenfold, the dwarf/elf romance had no substantial conclusion, Thorin went in and out of madness too quickly, the majority of the dwarves (most importantly Fili) were underused, Beorn was reduced to a cameo, Thranduil’s purpose wasn’t fully revealed, Radagast was cast aside, the Dol Guldur sub plot fizzled out, Dain and Bard weren’t given resolutions, the return journey home was stifled and the Alfrid story line was excruciating out of place. Given all these complaints I assumed that the extended edition could only disappoint me but to my surprise I came away from the film feeling like the extra twenty minutes helped the film feel more complete. There are brief additions to the Dol Guldur, Smaug and Ravenhill sequences that are of little note, however there are entirely new scenes that exemplify why why Jackson and his writing team are perfect for adapting Tolkien. A new exchange between Bilbo and Bofur hearkens back to their conversation towards the end of An Unexpected Journey and is wonderfully played by Martin Freeman and James Nesbitt. A recut scene of Billy Connelly’s sweary dwarf King Dain and his army clashing with the elves is heartbreaking a makes pre-exisitng scenes have a greater emotional impact. An epic chariot chase to Ravenhill allows the dwarves to show off their fighting skills in a fun sequence similar to the barrels scene, but is more grounded in reality. A tonally out of the place sequence of Bifur loosing the axe in his head and Bombur finally getting a line of dialogue is welcome but should have been placed earlier within the battle as the tone of the film has already shifted once Thorin reaches Ravenhill. Alfrid also gets his comeuppance but this brief sequences doesn’t justify the characters presence in these films even if it allows Gandalf to have a light hearted scene with his staff not working. The most important scene is of Thorin’s funeral, an emotional, grand send off, devoid of dialogue it allows the audience to say goodbye and reveals the coronation of Dain Ironfoot. While this final film might not be emotional send off to Middle Earth it could have been, the extended cut successfully fleshes certain elements of the story out even if it still leaves much to be desired.