Yet utter silence awaits me in Berengrave. The reserve has been flooded since last February. The damage caused can be felt in the air. Woods are usually living places, full of movement. In Berengrave, there is stillness.

The 144-minute-long Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies manages to be a slightly more tolerable viewing experience than the mind-numbingly lengthy previous installments. The last hurrah of this over-stretched mess of a trilogy is another CGI-filled blockbuster that can’t help but squeeze loyal fans out of their last dimes. While somewhat entertaining at times, the film is doomed from the start.