It’s typically emotional when a series comes to an end. This includes the action filled third and final installment of The Hobbit, Battle of the Five Armies.

The Lord of the Rings prequel closer focuses on who will claim the gold filled mountain of Erebor, the original homeland of the dwarves. Their leader, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) is blinded by greed regardless of the trouble it will cause for the dwarves, his opponents, and the hobbit himself, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman).

The film was entertaining, but the script seemed to struggle. The battle scenes occasionally dragged on, making it almost difficult to realize the importance of certain moments. There isn’t very much dialogue in the film, which, depending on how a viewers looks at it, could make each line more significant, but to others it may just seem like lazy writing. The script wasn’t as weak as the one for the first film, An Unexpected Journey, but this one wasted some potential.

Despite how little many of them speak, the acting in this film is the best of the series. This finale really takes advantage of any opportunity to tug on heart strings. Martin Freeman, as always, blends deadpan humor and raw emotion with ease. Richard Armitage really surprises as Thorin, making the bold, right choices for his development. Other wonderful performances are contributed by Evangeline Lilly as the elf, Tauriel, and as expected, Sir Ian McKellen as icon Gandalf The Grey. In general, the cast really gave this final installment their all.

The special effects were as great as expected, exactly the same as the previous films. Unlike with the wonderful The Desolation of Smaug, there was not a new setting, and the film picked up right where they left off, making it easy to forget to take in the backdrops and some of the technologically advanced bits.

Overall, the film was good, but not great. It wasted some of its potential on action instead of focusing on developing the script. Although it was worth watching, it did not live up to The Desolation of Smaug.