Martin Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins / Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures

The third and final installment of Peter Jackson’s expansive (some might say bloated) adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit begins right where the previous movie (The Desolation of Smaug) left off, with the flying, gargantuan dragon, Smaug, attacking Laketown, incinerating the quaint village with blasts of fire. Afterward, the wrangling begins for the rich, golden booty left behind within Smaug’s cavernous lair. The contenders: Dwarves, who claim the treasure as their birthright; Men, left homeless from the devastation, with their allies, the Elves; and the monstrous Orcs (considered an enemy by all). The latter take on a more prominent role here than in the book. Meanwhile, the nimble hobbit hero, Bilbo Baggins, continues to safeguard a secret: in his pocket, he carries the magic ring, which turns its wearer invisible. Why is the dragon attacking the peaceful, defenseless villagers of Laketown? The answer lies in Jackson’s last installment. The miserly creature suspects humans of trespassing upon his mountain, when the culprit was, in fact, the sneaky hobbit, Bilbo (played by Martin Freeman, in a constant state of bewilderment), under the service of the Dwarves. Those coming in cold to the multiplex will be left fumbling in the dark. The trilogy topper doesn’t stand alone, so having read the book or seen the previous movies is a must. Otherwise, it would be too easy to lose track of all of the late arrivals to the climactic battle scene, and some sequences would be downright confusing. In tone and look, the conclusion seamlessly blends in with Jackson’s first two entries: the wide-eyed, declamatory acting; the clunky dialogue (“If this is love, I don’t want it. Why does it hurt so much?”); the stentorian score by composer Howard Shore; and the whirl-and-twirl swordfights among the tireless combatants. The nonstop 3-D special effects are rendered redundant, with falling debris, incoming spears, or Smaug’s tail repeatedly descending upon movier goers—talk about overkill. Seeing Battle in either 3-D or 3-D IMAX won’t necessarily enhance the viewing experience, either, considering that the latter, overly bright format washes out and flattens the color palette. As in the previous two films, the new movie has a tone separate from Tolkien’s. Where the author's is wry and genial (“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him”), Jackson’s stretched-out adaptation gives off a militaristic bombast. Additionally, what was cuddly on the page is creepy and menacing onscreen, best exemplified by the Orcs, ashen giants wearing skulls as codpieces. Whereas Tolkien resolves a confrontation within a few pages or even a single sentence, Jackson draws out the killings and mayhem, though the script covers only the last 65 pages of the book. The titular confrontation lasts about an hour long. In contrast, Tolkien wraps up the final combat in one succinct chapter. After 30 months on his action-packed journey with the Dwarves, the wary Bilbo just wants to go back home and retire to his armchair with his books and tea at four o’clock. Likewise, the viewer might prefer cozying up with Tolkien’s original instead. Directed by Peter Jackson 144 min. Rated PG-13 (heads roll)