Peter Jackson made zombie movies so studios could see he had the right stuff to handle J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe. So began his Hero’s Journey.
“The Lord of the Rings” and now “The Hobbit,” two massive film trilogies describing Hero’s Journeys (Frodo’s and Bilbo’s), have become his crowning body of work.
The completion portion of a Hero’s Journey is known as bringing the gold back to the village compound. Jackson, with “The Battle of Five Armies,” brings two massive trilogies to a resounding finale, perfectly links both, and leaves his audiences vastly cinematically enriched. His every set piece, costume, and character have done Tolkien proud.
Ahem—except for the character Radagast the Brown. Every time this buffoonish dingbat wizard showed up in “The Hobbit” with his Python-esque earflap hat, crossed eyes, and hopping-bunny sled, the reviewer silently cursed Jackson, wishing to throw rotten tomatoes. In the books, Radagast is more of a wilderness-survivalist ranger-type wizard, you see.
But never mind all that. Perhaps, like Indian women intentionally weaving one flaw into every tapestry (due to the notion that humans cannot produce perfection), Jackson put a clownish Radagast in there for the same reason.
By the way, speaking of bringing back gold, that giant sucking noise you'll soon be hearing is Warner Bros. hoovering up a billion dollars worldwide, just like the previous films hauled in. Why? Because this one’s the best in the series.
