FOTR & TTT, to me, are two of the best Fantasy action adventure movies ever made.
They are great even as stand-alone films. TROTK has some of the most epic
action ever committed to celluloid, even more grand than AVATAR final battle, as great
as that one is. But like AUJ & DOS, ROTK feels like an epilogue or a prologue, an extended
footnote for the main story. I prefer DOS for the better action, Cumberbatch voice acting, and
the whole escape-on-river sequence that is an example of sustained invention.
What I have problem with are the main characters.
Thorin quest seems to consume him and I feel that his character is slowly becoming unpleasant with his self-righteous vengefulness, and the end-justfies-the-means selfishness (almost leaving behind Bilbo in the dungeon with Smaug).
Bilbo is still a bumbling, stuttering innocent who tags along for no good reason other than wanting to get a share of the loot. With his experience in AUJ, I thought he would be a little more sure-footed & courageous. He still manages to save the Hobbits at least TWICE in this movie. So the fierce, resolute dwarf warriors are somewhat useless in their quest ...without Mr Bean?
Legolas swinging into action is very well done. He is shown with better bow-and-arrow skill than Russell Crowe was in the boring ROBIN HOOD. But Tauriel story is slowing the movie down, I feel, even though I do feel the Hobbits need some romantic angle for the lasses in the audience.
Although the movie cuts at the right moment to fuel anticipation of what Smaug would do to the lake town & for TABA, I don't like cliffhanger.
Still, Peter Jackson has successfully mounted an entertaining production with first rate visual fx, and well staged action sequences. There are beautiful shots in this movie reminding us Jackson still has the eyes for both hard-edged spectacle and poetic compositions. But with 2 HOBBITS films, I am yet to see the grand wonder of a bygone empire displayed in the first trilogies, the frightening viciousness of the villain, the splendor of the landscape, the gritty action sequences of TWO TOWERS & RETURN OF THE KING.