13 Problems That Almost Ruin The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies
10. Its All Very Uneven
Because of the decision to chop the second film in half to make a trilogy at the point where Smaug heads to Laketown, theres a rather abrupt start to things, as the audience is dropped into the middle of a sentence. From there its a rather break-neck sequence, with impressive effects and an engaging stand-off between the dragon and Bard, before the equally important fight between the Necromancer and the white council. But then the film comes to a natural end point (probably where the second film should have ended frankly) and has to build again from zero for the climactic battle of the five armies. Its a jarring change of pace and it doesnt help that the lead up to the battle feels very much like Jackson has pillaged appendices and footnotes to stretch it out. Generally speaking it seems like some of the most important parts are rushed (like the ending and the opening third) so that Jackson could heap emphasis on things that mattered less, like his fondness for pregnant, furtive glances and solemn, important romances.
