Jakob Ryce

When you watch over bloated films such as the extended edition of The Battle of the Five Armies, you begin to understand why fan edits exist. Jackson was always interested in making The Hobbit, but not as a trilogy, and when watching The Hobbit trilogy, especially this last instalment, it’s blindingly clear that it’s a studio cash grab. There are some great moments, such as Smaug’s fiery demise and the destruction of lake town, but unlike the previous two films, there is little character development here and what there is feels forced and tired. Bilbo is somewhere in the background, like a supporting character, and the movie is padded out with so much cheap looking CGI, you have to scratch your head and wonder, is this the same director who made LOTR? I don’t think so, or perhaps somewhere along the line his heart just wasn’t in it anymore.