00:00“Come, give us your answer. Will you have peace or war? »
00:08"I will have war."
00:12The Hobbit wasn't always a walk in the park for the film crew.
00:15Lots of demands, lots of stress, but an experienced man at the helm,
00:20which will transform this chaotic production into a family collaboration,
00:23with a team that believes in him, even when he himself no longer believes in it.
00:26“I think Peter had a very clear vision of what he wanted. It didn't... I thought it came to him slowly. »
00:33“I didn’t have a clue. I really didn't have a clue. »
00:35“Of someone who knew what they were doing, knew that there was a plan. »
00:39“But the truth is I... I mean, I'm a better actor when I'm a director than when I'm doing my cameos, is the truth of it. »
00:45The Battle of the Five Armies arose from a planning problem.
00:48Because during the filming of the second and what should have been the last film,
00:51The director had absolutely no time to prepare for the final battle.
00:54“Peter never got a chance to prepare these movies. »
00:57"I can't say that."
00:58"But he didn't."
01:00“I spent so much of The Hobbit feeling like I was not on top of it. »
01:04“When you're going onto a set and you're winging it, you've got nothing to go on. »
01:07“No storyboards, no previews. »
01:09“And so what that's delay, any delay gives you is it gives a director time to just clear his head and actually have some quiet time to sit and just wait for those bits of inspiration to come about the battle that you got coming up and start to really put something together. »
01:26This famous image of Jackson doubting himself has often been taken out of context to justify the fact that he had absolutely no control over the project.
01:44But it's quite the opposite.
01:45He is the one who will make this project a success.
01:47When we watch the appendices of The Hobbit, we realize that not only is he committed to this project, that he is not doing it reluctantly, but that despite the constant fatigue, he is enjoying it, having fun like a child.
01:57And this can be seen in the direction of this latest film, where the director uses the full potential of the technology at his disposal to return to his first loves: uninhibited action and gore.
02:07Well, especially in the extended version, which is the only version of this film worth seeing.
02:16The Battle of the Five Armies picks up where the previous film left off, with a prologue worthy of the best James Bond films, that is to say an introductory action sequence that sets the mood straight away.
02:26It could have concluded the previous film, but Jackson prefers to maintain this tradition of beginning the films of the saga with a crucial and breathtaking scene.
02:34Especially since the sequence is a real success, and perfectly bridges the gap between Smog's death and what it will lead to.
02:39From there, the entire structure of the film will revolve around the big battle to come, and we may not like the bias, but we are forced to note that the effectiveness is there in terms of action, but also in terms of character development.
02:50Thorin is on the front line, who must fight against himself and not let this cursed treasure cloud his mind.
02:55Jackson thus manages to offer an absolutely enjoyable war film, with an ultra-sustained rhythm, very dynamic staging,
03:01sprinkled with mind-blowing moments like this car chase that summons up the Peter Jackson of the 90s,
03:07where he used to have fun at the time, making blood spurt everywhere.
03:09But despite this excessive action, the film can suffer from some not-so-well-done moments.
03:14The romance that reads Toriel again, which ends with arguably the worst dialogue of the entire saga.
03:20They will want to bury him.
03:24They've given up on me, huh?
03:25Not forgetting Alfred, who can make you smile sometimes.
03:28Yes, I have a good sense of humor too.
03:29But he takes up such a huge place in the story that it quickly becomes very heavy.
03:33And that's a shame.
03:33When we know that there are magnificent scenes, like the one where Bilbo explains to Bard the importance of believing in victory and of hoping,
03:39but which were not kept in the editing while Alfred monopolizes the screen, it's a little incomprehensible.
03:44Especially since this is where the strength of this saga lies, in these scenes at human height,
03:48where the characters will be sublimated in all their humanity.
03:50In The Lord of the Rings, they are unforgettable, like the one where Gandalf reassures Pippin by evoking life after death.
03:56And in The Battle of the Five Armies, they are not forgotten.
03:59The exchange between Thorin and Bilbo, where the Hobbit confirms to the dwarf the affection he has for him through a symbol.
04:04An essential sequence to give substance to the character's death a little later.
04:09A final face-off that is reminiscent of Beowulf, Tolkien's great inspiration.
04:12And which offers a gripping duel of tension, counterbalanced by the antics of Legolas, which may seem inappropriate given the seriousness of the sequence.
04:20If we take a step back from the film, we can see its epic scope.
04:27From Smog's attack to Thorin's madness to the intervention of the eagles, everything is iconized and magnified to the maximum.
04:33But what most evokes the beauty of this opus for me is this moment between Gandalf and Bilbo.
04:38The calm after the storm.
04:39Two friends who don't say a word to each other, because there is nothing to say, but who comfort each other with their mutual presence.
04:45A moment suspended in this ambient chaos, and which proves once and for all that this trilogy has heart.
04:50A scene even more meaningful when you consider that it was the last one filmed by Ian McKellen as Gandalf.
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