Read User Reviews and Submit your own for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

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srander09Dec 18, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was as irritated as most people when I heard that Peter Jackson would split The Hobbit into three movies because it was obviously a decision based on nothing more than getting as much money as possible, but even I never imagined that he would stoop to making a movie like Battle of the Five Armies (a.k.a. Battle of the 25 Armies plus a couple of random giant mountain goats and a pig thrown in for good measure).

The CGI was as bad as something you would see in a B movie—even worse than the previous two Hobbit films. But even more noticeably, the script took a dive to rock bottom. Within the first half hour, such utterly laughable clichés as “You make me feel alive,” were spoken in a cheesy love scene that seemed like something straight out of Saturday Night Live, except that the audience was apparently supposed to take it seriously.

Shortly before the battle started, there were a few much-needed moments of comic relief, and I thought the film might possibly turn around. But all my illusions were soon shattered during the ten-minute scene where Thorin walks on top of the ice that Azog is floating under with his eyes open, following the orc and apparently waiting for him to break through it, when—suprise!—he does, and (spoiler for those who have not yet watched the ten-minute scene that made this obvious) kills Thorin. Alas. It might have been sad if I hadn’t been waiting around for ten minutes knowing that he would get killed.

Things were looking grim for the dwarves when who should appear? Our heroes the eagles, of course, who have managed to bail out the protagonists in every single movie of the trilogy.

Although I couldn’t stop laughing during the scene where three dwarves find completely random giant mountain goats with no riders in the middle of the battle and proceed to ride them up a mountain, the worst part of the movie was easily the ending. As if the movie isn’t long enough, the audience is not only forced to watch Bilbo go all the way BACK to the Shire, they have to re-watch footage from Fellowship of the Ring! I knew it was a bad sign that Peter Jackson actually made a movie shorter than three hours (although it felt like six)—apparently, he had so little material for this movie that he had to re-use material from his original trilogy.

When Tauriel discusses love with the abominably cliched line “Why does it hurt so much?” I think she described the feelings of most of the audience enduring the latest Hobbit movie.… Expand

25 of 39 users found this helpful2514

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10

AsyulusDec 17, 2014

The movie was good, i loved the visual effects, great work from Freeman and Armitage, exhilarating battle sequences and apleasing connection to LOTR.

19 of 36 users found this helpful1917

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2

RmommandiDec 17, 2014

The Grand finale to the Hobbit trilogy left me terribly disappointed. I feel as if it did a discredit to the amazing book behind it, and the tales of Middle Earth as a whole.

The CGI was awful and unfortunately plentiful. The battleThe Grand finale to the Hobbit trilogy left me terribly disappointed. I feel as if it did a discredit to the amazing book behind it, and the tales of Middle Earth as a whole.

The CGI was awful and unfortunately plentiful. The battle scenes were rife with a gawdy comic feeling, rendering all attempts at reiterating the epic scenes from the ring trilogy useless.
The pacing and dialogue were incredibly inconsistent, and many sections dragged on for way too long.

A very disappointing end to the movie adaptations of Tolkiens gift to all of us.… Expand

30 of 57 users found this helpful3027

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1

ZimbardoDec 17, 2014

A slow and tedious close to a series that lost its edge a decade ago.

Here's a few reasons why Christopher Tolkien is a saint for turning down millions to keep Jackson from defecating on his father's work: 1) The Necromancer story arcA slow and tedious close to a series that lost its edge a decade ago.

Here's a few reasons why Christopher Tolkien is a saint for turning down millions to keep Jackson from defecating on his father's work:

1) The Necromancer story arc ends up just being another crappy fight scene (why the hell is Saurumon's magical power Kung-Fu?) that feels more like a teaser for the LotR series. This would have been a perfect opportunity to expand on the back stories and roles presented in the Silmarillion. Doesn't happen, instead we get a lame light show.

2) What about the fight scenes we've all been waiting for? This would have also been an AWESOME opportunity to show off more of Beorn doing cool bear-man stuff but he's limited to a 2 second cameo. Instead we see more combat involving Bard's 12 year old son. Great call.

3) The epic battle and armies feel more like rival gangs. I swear to god when the dwarfs show up it feels like I'm watching The Warriors. This battle didn't feel anywhere near as epic as it should have. It's not like cost is a limiting factor when everything is CGI. I don't understand why they didn't render in larger armies.

4) The movie moves at a crawl. They really drag out Thorin's Dragon Sickness and the only reason seems to be they gotta fill up time. I love it when Thorin sobers up and then asks his crew if they're willing to go out and fight... which is what they've been pleading for this entire time. What was with that sinking into gold scene? The CG was so bad I thought we were going to get a Beast Wars cameo.

5) The movie opens with Smaug's attack on Lake Town which SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED IN THE LAST FILM. Smaug's attack and death feel so anti-climatic that I'm 100% sure the decision to keep Smaug alive into this movie was just so Cumberbatch could help in the film's advertisement. For Christ's sake he has 3 lines.

6) Martin Freeman looks bored. Maybe the rest of the movie poisoned my mood but Bilbo seems like he's reading off lines. Hell, he doesn't even feel like the film's hero, Alfrid the Master's lackey gets more screen time.

All of this has been done before and done better in the original trilogy. This could have been something great if Jackson and crew didn't phone it in as a cash grab.

But I should end on a positive note: Hugo Weaving is still a bad ass and the only reason why this film doesn't get a 0.… Expand

25 of 48 users found this helpful2523

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10

OrwDec 17, 2014

A great ending to one of the best trilogys in its genre. I loved every part. Great in every possible way. We will all miss this characters, Middle Eart and Peter Jackson audacity and creative vision. All six films are now part of the greatestA great ending to one of the best trilogys in its genre. I loved every part. Great in every possible way. We will all miss this characters, Middle Eart and Peter Jackson audacity and creative vision. All six films are now part of the greatest fantasy films ever made. I'm glad i had the chance to witness them all.… Expand

49 of 101 users found this helpful4952

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10

rman1256Feb 9, 2015

wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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8

DanBurritoSep 15, 2015

In all honesty, I only saw this because I was curious. But I wasn't expecting much. The trailers displayed a cgi-heavy, overlong movie that was basically one big climax. So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be an intriguing film thatIn all honesty, I only saw this because I was curious. But I wasn't expecting much. The trailers displayed a cgi-heavy, overlong movie that was basically one big climax. So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be an intriguing film that is undoubtedly the best of the three. Of course, it was still ridiculous in some parts but the script makes up for that. And I did not think I'd say that about this movie. Trust me, it's better than the trailers tell you, even if you didn't enjoy the first two, this one will surprise you.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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4

BaconConoisseurDec 24, 2014

The parts of the book that were actually included in the movie were done somewhat decently. However many of the added stories weren't very well written. Bard using his son as a component of his bow to kill Smaug was insulting to theThe parts of the book that were actually included in the movie were done somewhat decently. However many of the added stories weren't very well written. Bard using his son as a component of his bow to kill Smaug was insulting to the excellently done dragon. The conversation between Legolas and his father was very cringe worthy and nothing looked more awkward than Galadriel carrying Gandalfs unconscious body. The Hobbit is also not supposed to heavily tie into Lord of the Rings. They are two very different tones that clash uncomfortably.

I encourage the use of CGI in special effects but it needs to be done correctly. Including practical effects gives your CGI artists something with real light and texture to work off of. That could have helped because a lot of this movies CGI looked like it needed work or they ran out of money.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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5

Lumio_DracoFeb 8, 2015

"Too little butter spread over too much bread." That is my impression of the Hobbit series. It is a great story, however I found it to be very unnecessary to make it into three movies when I could have be much better in one four hour movie.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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8

MattBrady99Mar 10, 2015

Time to say goodbye to middle earth for the last time.

The story is about Dwarven party led by Thorin Oakenshield finally reclaims their kingdom of Erebor, the vast treasure draws out now only the wrath of Smaug but also the army of menTime to say goodbye to middle earth for the last time.

The story is about Dwarven party led by Thorin Oakenshield finally reclaims their kingdom of Erebor, the vast treasure draws out now only the wrath of Smaug but also the army of men and elves, who want the fortune for their own.

Let me give you a quick feed back of the other two films then to this one. A unexpected Journey I thought was pretty amazing... when I first sawed it, after a couple of watchers later it's not as amazing as the first time, but I still enjoyed it even with the problems showing. Desolation of smaug in my opinion was way better and way more fun and better film paste then Unexpected Journey, and Smaug as the villain was icing on the cake. Now we got Battle of the Five Armies and I can conform that the movie is actually pretty good and it's a solid finale to The Hobbit series.

Peter Jackson directs this movie in a way that middle earth feels like a real pace that we can go to anytime we want and I got to give him that. Jackson clearly adores middle earth as he really doesn't want it to end and I can see why, it probably makes him feel at home directing these movies and sometimes leaving you home behind sucks.

The visual effect's at times looked really good and once again this movie had that shiny mix with grey color with the character's Armour and the background of beautiful New Zealand. But I like the Lord of the Rings effect's a little better, why you may ask. because the effect's in that movie still holds up today but that's just me... maybe.

The all the cast members did a outstanding job, Ian Mckellen will always be Gandalf because his the best, Martian Freeman did a fantastic job playing Bilbo Baggins and to be honest I like Bilbo Baggins more then frodo in my opinion.

My biggest problems with the film is some of the visual effect's in the movie looks very noticeable and I had the same problem with the other two films. The love story between Kili (The Dwarf) and Tauriel (The Elf), I didn't find their romance plot to really needed for the film and when something bad happens to the two of them I just sitting thinking "Well stuff happens".

Overall The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies is a solid final to the Hobbit series with some problems there and then. Good action scenes, good performances and a brutal fight scenes.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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4

TyranianApr 11, 2019

This is not a good film, Jackson has massacred this classic novel and undone his good work with LOTR.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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8

potatoes351Nov 23, 2015

Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy has so far been entertaining yet a disappointment in comparison to it's Lord of the Rings bigger brothers. However after a promising final act in the Desolation of Smaug things were looking up for The Battle ofPeter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy has so far been entertaining yet a disappointment in comparison to it's Lord of the Rings bigger brothers. However after a promising final act in the Desolation of Smaug things were looking up for The Battle of the Five Armies...luckily that pulled through.
The Battle of the Five Armies takes place immediately after the events of the Desolation of Smaug, beginning as Smaug reaches Laketown. As Bilbo (Martin Freeman) the dwarves retake the city of Erebor in the Lonely Mountain, war is on the horizon as Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) becomes blind with wealth and power; the citizens of Laketown are left without a home; the woodland elves seek a treasure stolen from them and the Orc's led by Azog the defiler (Manu Bennett) want to claim Erebor to give them an upper hand in the coming age of the Orc.
The majority of the film is action sequences, beginning with Smaug's destruction of Laketown and culminating in the titular battle of the five armies. As such the pacing for the film is much faster than that of any of the previous Middle Earth films, allowing much less room for downtime and filler. The shorter runtime also lends in it's favour as the Hobbit films thusfar have been rather bloated with relatively pointless and at times boring sequences with little relevance to the actual plot.
My biggest problem with the two previous Hobbit films is the overuse of some shoddy CGI effects, BoFA does improve it's CG quality somewhat but ultimately pays the price again by literally swamping the film in CGI, particularly the opening sequence and the entire five armies battle. The CGI is so excessive in the film that it even produces frame rate stutter, something relatively unseen in the film industry but something extremely common in the video games industry. This could be due to the use of 48FPS over industry standard 28, but whatever the reason it does lower the quality of the film.
That being said this is the best Hobbit film in the trilogy, what it lacks in particular defining moments (such as AUJ's Gollum scene & Dos' Smaug scenes) it makes up for in scale, pacing and a very satisfying and brutal battle sequence that lasts most of the films second half; the biggest in Peter Jackson's Middle Earth films to date.
A fitting farewell to Middle Earth, Bilbo, Gandalf and the rest of the characters we have come to know and love over the past 13 years and despite it's faults an extremely enjoyable film.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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6

IamthejuanAug 22, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This, in my opinion, was the only decent one in The Hobbit line of movies, and I am a HUGE fan of Tolkien's Epic. But there are still some things going wrong here. First of all, I am really bothered by how you guys went through all the trouble of making the orcs look all badass, and then they act like they have never had fighting lessons in their life. Even little dwarfs and hobbits are running around killing them left and right. It really looks kind of like you're playing Dynasty Warriors or something.

The entire screenplay is written in an asinine manner. Gandalf keeps telling these morons that there is a huge army of Orcs on the way, but everyone stands around and argues with each other rather than preparing an organized defense. Thorin stands there and watches his cousin's people get slaughtered, and then without any sort of explanation snaps out of "the spell" (gold can cast spells in this movie, but Gandalf apparently cannot). But does Thorin immediately rally the troops to go fight? No, he instead makes a long melodramatic speech, and when they finally do run out it looks like maybe 15 Dwarves. What the hell are 15 more Dwarves going to do in this situation? (Let's go after the leader, we'll just easily ride right on through this army that has been destroying us for a half hour now.)

I couldn't stop laughing when the giant troll thing knocked himself out to punch a hole in the wall. But I also had to wonder why they even brought trebuchets at all just to use them for about 15 seconds.

Here you have Gandalf, now he is supposedly like the best wizard around (even before his Zen Buddhism experience), but he really doesn't do anything wizardly. I mean, these guys are surrounded by orcs and giant worms (what happened to the worms by the way; they were there for one scene then they were gone), you would expect to see him shooting fireballs and all kinds of other stuff like he did in LOTR trilogy. But no, he doesn't even bother to charge his staff with lightning or anything when he hits fully armored orcs in the face. Maybe he invested too many stat points into strength and not enough into Magicka? If he was going to play battle-mage then why was he not wearing heavy armor? Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins pretty much stand there most of the time and shout things like "fall back." I guess at some point the screenwriters remembered that Bilbo has a magic invisibility ring, because they decided to have him use it for no other purpose than delivering a message in the middle of battle that really didn't do any good anyways. He could have been running around all invisible-like killing orcs, but instead he was the mailman.

Elf chick decides to go rescue her boyfriend (not in the book), who inevitably dies saving her life. Now the funny thing here is that elf chick herself has killed countless orcs during the course of the movie, but she gets tossed around like a ragdoll by this one. But of course, Legolas (also not in the book) comes along and is able to elf kung-fu this orc who for some reason seems to be able to fight a hundred times better than any of the other obes. This after somehow jumping up a trail of falling rocks and without even appearing to have super speed. It was absolutely spectacular to witness, though I have to question the physics of this universe they are in.

Elf king tells Legolas to go find Strider (Aragorn) who, according to the timeline of the stories, was still a child growing up amongst elves. You are telling me that the elves don't know where is the human ranger in their own kingdom?

All in all, this was not a terrible movie, but it was a terrible Tolkien port. Most of the Tolkien fans are adults now. We like adult movies that also feature some form of cohesive logic with regards to how the world operates and what constitutes a wizard. This series was so obviously meant for children. 5/10, +1 for all the laughs.

Peter Jackson, retire.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

NecrophatDec 18, 2017

Amazing, amazing trilogy. Wow, what an add on to Lord of the rings, this entire new trilogy is just adding to the masterpiece that is Middle Earth, a must watch.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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8

Th3GreenHorne7Oct 28, 2015

This movie was great, but, it reached for the stars and missed by only an inch. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies was very great to watch due to it's visually striking CGI which is no surprise to me, which also adds up to theThis movie was great, but, it reached for the stars and missed by only an inch. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies was very great to watch due to it's visually striking CGI which is no surprise to me, which also adds up to the extraordinary performances of the entire cast. This movie really got me going on it's climatic battle at the end which had me at the edge of my seat, but then I was very disappointed with the length of the film, unlike the other middle-earth movie that were almost 3 hours long, but this was only a mere 2 hours and 24 minute film which made the film feel a little rushed. In the future, if there is a future for the franchise, I hope the next films are just as great as the whole saga.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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8

mohamad91hkAug 13, 2019

One of the best trilogy I have ever seen, in sum it's a masterpiece, composed of a blending action and humor - and even a bit of romance - to create a well-paced tale that ends up being almost as satisfying. "The Hobbit" is visually stunningOne of the best trilogy I have ever seen, in sum it's a masterpiece, composed of a blending action and humor - and even a bit of romance - to create a well-paced tale that ends up being almost as satisfying. "The Hobbit" is visually stunning in all its three-parts, beside the Oscar-worthy performance by Freeman as a Bilbo (Freeman was born to be a hobbit), also I couldn't ignore the great performance of all cast, the amazing music by Howard Shore that reprised from the previous trilogy and the genius director Peter Jackson who gave us this masterpiece trilogy.

The disadvantage of "The Hobbit" is the ending of part 1&2, where the film ends with ellipses rather than a period, we know the story will be continued, but with a little effort and some clever writing, Jackson could make each chapter feel like its own complete story. The result is probably the most dissatisfying element of the film.

"The hobbit" is surely worth to watch, just let your senses enjoy, even If "The Hobbit" doesn't equal the achievement of Jackson's earlier Middle-earth movies.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

CasualCoolsebMay 8, 2016

A very Good Movie from 2014/2015. I enjoyed each and every scene that was part of the movie. I mean, it has great sound, great effects and great acting. It is a very great movie that i recommend checking out.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

Luca1Jan 18, 2017

Very good film. According to my opinion, the film allows to explore well the different characters, sometimes with inventions from Peter Jackson (like for the saga's movies) but this additions are generally very good. Simply I love this story.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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6

JPKJun 24, 2019

Hollow Finale
Battle Of The Five Armies might have impressive visuals and impressive performances, But this movie focuses WAY TOO MUCH on CGI instead of the story and an overly bloated script.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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8

CoreGamer1408Dec 16, 2018

Read the Hobbit it is unlike the more sophisticated Lord of the Rings trilogy. Well the hobbit is one simplistically written children's book. They did a good job of fleshing out these films and characters from one children's book. Not as epicRead the Hobbit it is unlike the more sophisticated Lord of the Rings trilogy. Well the hobbit is one simplistically written children's book. They did a good job of fleshing out these films and characters from one children's book. Not as epic as LOTR movies, but a darn good try considering the limited and simplistic source material they had to work with.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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6

PikeaxMar 9, 2019

This is based on the trilogy as a whole.
The Hobbit is a wonderful book but it simply doesn't have enough content to be spread between three movies. Each movie doesn't really tell a cohesive story on its own and while I judged the Lord of theThis is based on the trilogy as a whole.
The Hobbit is a wonderful book but it simply doesn't have enough content to be spread between three movies. Each movie doesn't really tell a cohesive story on its own and while I judged the Lord of the Rings as a whole because it improves an already amazing experience, The Hobbit has to be judged as a whole because the movies make no sense in any other method of viewing. Even still they hit middling at best and never truly great.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

Endercraft124Dec 10, 2018

The Battle of the Five Armies is definitely the best of the Hobbit trilogy. Amazing special effects, great actors and epic battles. One of Peter Jackson's best movie

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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8

SaythatDec 15, 2018

The timekeeping of the movie is pumped, though quite skillfully. This is the reason I give it 8 instead of 10. Simultaneously I am quite surprized how childish and even humble "The Hobbit" was changed to nearly a saga. I really appreciatedThe timekeeping of the movie is pumped, though quite skillfully. This is the reason I give it 8 instead of 10. Simultaneously I am quite surprized how childish and even humble "The Hobbit" was changed to nearly a saga. I really appreciated the Torin's part of the story, and a wonderful play of all actors.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

RonantheAccuserMar 30, 2019

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie was everything it should have been, and the extended edition is even better. It mostly focuses on the reunion of the different species on Middle-earth to avoid destruction and save themselves from the threat of the Great Eye (aka Sauron, an all-powerful ball of flame with a dark pupil). He returns to the battlefield and battles sorcerers in one of the best scenes in fictional history. It would seem any scene is scary as long as the Great Eye is involved in it. The only real buzzkill is knowing Smaug is making a comeback only for him to appear for like a minute and be defeated, just like Ronan the Accuser in the boring, forgettable "Captain Marvel".… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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7

SoapNuggetJul 14, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The film definitely suffers from it's theatrical release so if you do watch this go for the extended release, other than that the film is not as good as it's predecessor but offers a nice conclusion to a trilogy on the downside it takes 5 pages from the book and try's to make it an epic story that seems to go on for to long featuring a lame subplot about Legolas finding the 5th army which takes away from the main plot of the film, though still has unnecessary CGI which distracts you from the great battle but the film manages to make it boring halfway through… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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1

nicholasbertJan 12, 2015

The worst episode in an already appalling trilogy, The Battle of the Five Armies finally erases any doubts on the cashgrab nature of The Hobbit franchise, filling two and a half hours with action scenes and mindless dialogue, and tonnes,The worst episode in an already appalling trilogy, The Battle of the Five Armies finally erases any doubts on the cashgrab nature of The Hobbit franchise, filling two and a half hours with action scenes and mindless dialogue, and tonnes, tonnes upon tonnes of CGI. I don't think there is one consecutive minute of this film which doesn't have CGI. What happened to The Lord of the Rings mentality, people say? It got corrupted, ironically in the same way Thorin gets corrupted in the movie; but unfortunately it doesn't redeem itself.

And let's talk more about the CGI. One would naively expect, since it's the primary feature of this movie, that it be at least done well. And it isn't: half of the scenes look completely fake - there is no desire anywhere to produce at least a technical masterpiece. The Return of the King was made with a third the budget and more than 10 years prior, but it's still technically better, from the costumes to the makeup to the scenery.

Now for the editing: especially at the beginning, there are several weird cuts to unrelated scenes, and it all results in a confusing storyline (not in the good sense, not in the Pulp Fiction sense), with the battle scenes lasting forever, to a point when, 90 minutes in, one finds theirselves asking "Are we done yet?" Moreover, they decided NOT to complete The Desolation of Smaug with its natural ending, that is the slaying of the dragon, but to drag it at the beginning of the third movie, I assume in an attempt to force people who liked the second to buy a ticket for the third to find out what happens to Smaug, with a cheap sit-com mentality.

The Battle of the Five Armies is a pain to watch, never wants to end, and if you were to take a nap during the middle of the film you wouldn't lose one single important element of plot. It's not epic, it's not funny, it's not beautiful, it's not anything positive really. The producers must feel ashamed, but don't say you weren't expecting this.… Expand

7 of 8 users found this helpful71

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5

VidyaBumDec 20, 2014

The unintended comedy with the ridiculous Legolas stunts(far worse than in any other LOTR movie) is the cherry on this action porn cake of a movie.

I appreciate that Jackson tried to spend time and effort on Thorin and some character studyThe unintended comedy with the ridiculous Legolas stunts(far worse than in any other LOTR movie) is the cherry on this action porn cake of a movie.

I appreciate that Jackson tried to spend time and effort on Thorin and some character study here and there, but ultimately it's action porn from start to finish with some really terrible decisions here and there, namely, death of Smaug 15 mins in the movie, what was the point of the huge cliffhanger of the last movie, love story between dwarf and elf which is to say the least unlikely and has the basis of the two having talked for a grand total of five minutes across prison bars in the last movie, Saruman, Galadriel and Elrond going into Dol Guldur like a ninja team to kick all of the Nazgul and Sauron's asses, going about it with martial arts move and a mix of big flash type of magic...it's silly really, all over the place.

I liked Bilbo, liked Gandalf still, liked quite a few characters, perhaps more than in LOTR which was even more of a cliche parade, but really that doesn't save this movie from being an action porn movie. If you want dumb action entertainment in an LOTR world sure, this does the trick, but by no means is it a great movie, or even a good movie, it's just an action flick in the LOTR world.

I'd give it 4 but I'll add 1 for all the laughs I had at every Legolas action scene.… Expand

7 of 8 users found this helpful71

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5

GuyWhoReviewsDec 26, 2014

Over-hyped, overrated and disappointing. The third and final installment in the Hobbit trilogy is disappointing for LOTR fans who have seen all the movies and read all the books. It's obvious proof that the Hobbit movies were dragged out wayOver-hyped, overrated and disappointing. The third and final installment in the Hobbit trilogy is disappointing for LOTR fans who have seen all the movies and read all the books. It's obvious proof that the Hobbit movies were dragged out way too much. I could understand two movies, but having a third movie was clearly to make more money and ended up ruining the experience. As much as I loved the book, this movie fails to maintain anything close in quality to the book. The acting is fine, but the movie itself is just a failure to the book. The fight scenes are far too long and are way too convenient. The important characters can literally fight off hundreds of orcs in hand to hand combat until the plot demands otherwise. The story is too slow and the fighting is too extensive. As much as I hate to say it, this hobbit movie is disappointing. Read the book or if you're a die hard fan watch it, but don't expect much.… Expand

5 of 6 users found this helpful51

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5

Maximus895Dec 21, 2014

Watching the final chapter of The Hobbit trilogy doesn't feel like an experience you engage with out of anticipation, excitement, or wonder. It's one you do out of obligation. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, despite their own warts andWatching the final chapter of The Hobbit trilogy doesn't feel like an experience you engage with out of anticipation, excitement, or wonder. It's one you do out of obligation. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, despite their own warts and occasionally misguided narrative decisions, are perhaps some of the most influential and emotionally engaging fantasy epics to ever be put on-screen. The hurdles jumped through to put J.R.R. Tolkein's trilogy on screen is one of the most amazing feats of creativity and ingenuity in cinematic history. But Peter Jackson, whether in frustration or in delusion, has somehow managed to completely lose course of what made those films resonate.

What we're left with is an effort to take a generally light-hearted adventure tale, and to make it an enormous, emotional spectacle filled with characters who we are told to care about because... well, we are told to care about them. For all its thousands of on-screen characters engaging in thunderous action, and the dramatic soundtrack trying to emphasize each moment as a tragic and important, very little of it comes to mean anything. The film's final action scene more or less encompasses half the movie, but unlike any of the Lord of the Rings movies, the narrative of these battles never feels clear.

The film is not without its talent. The talented cast aren't given much, but Richard Armitage's Thorin and Martin Freeman's Bilbo both manage to have atleast a handful of moments that resonate with one another and form a somewhat human core to this final act, even if it never felt as powerful as that of Frodo and Sam. The rest of the cast reads their lines well and with intent, but as with the trilogy as a whole, it all ultimately feels fake and contrived. The romance between the elf Tauriel and the dwarf Kili, and element that never existed in the books, never feels real or something we as an audience are meant to attach too. Like the actors on countless green-screen sets talking to elevated tennis balls, we are told to believe that we are staring at something real and to respond accordingly, but we just know it's a lie. Instead it just reads hollow.

As with all of Jackson's Middle-Earth films, the artistry behind the world creates some striking vistas and beautiful ornate armor and creatures. However, it still continues to be a shame that we lose so much of the tangibility in the director's increased reliance on CG instead of the beautiful (and sometimes terrifying) work created by the practical effects artists in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Moment to moment, it becomes harder to believe what any of what you're seeing is real. Billy Connolly's own character was entirely replaced by a CG representation, which tragically illustrates the lengths to which he'll allow the work of his actors and artists be replaced by hollow animated puppets.

In the beautifully put-together and extensive behind-the-scenes documentaries in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, there is an exceptionally poignant moment when Peter Jackson is directing the final shot with Frodo, played by Elijah Wood. Jackson, trying to fight off his tears, struggling to say "cut" and finally end the filming, and instead continues to ask Wood to try the scene again. Once he finally accepts the reality that his time with his cast is over, he embraces Wood and thanks him as the two shed tears together, ending their incredible once-in-a-lifetime journey with one another. It is a heart-breaking moment for both the crew, as well as we as the audience. I can't help but wonder what Jackson's attitude was when filming the final shot of these films. Was it the same challenge to let go? Was it exhaustion? Whatever it was, I'm sure he could add some CG tears later to make us believe it's supposed to be a sad moment.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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5

meok91Jan 1, 2015

This film is sadly all style and little substance. While I am not a huge fan, I saw and enjoyed the first two hobbit movies, they were entertaining and well executed. This film is where the cracks began to show, there is simply not enoughThis film is sadly all style and little substance. While I am not a huge fan, I saw and enjoyed the first two hobbit movies, they were entertaining and well executed. This film is where the cracks began to show, there is simply not enough source material in one book to make these three movies, at the very most two movies would have been enough. While we do get the ending to the story it is after nearly three hours of what feels like stalling, the first fifteen minutes of the movie are the best imho. This really felt like a money making exercise to me.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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1

FeralsteveJan 7, 2015

Not fan of these kids books nor the overly long and dull Lord of the Rings movies, so I'm totally not the target audience for this. That said, I enjoy quite a bit of sci fi/ fantasy films. This is not one of them. It suffers from all theNot fan of these kids books nor the overly long and dull Lord of the Rings movies, so I'm totally not the target audience for this. That said, I enjoy quite a bit of sci fi/ fantasy films. This is not one of them. It suffers from all the typical modern Hollywood bloat and excessive cgi. There is quite literally NO STORY to this film. No arch at all. Amazingly dull.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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2

jakubukajJan 19, 2015

A poor excuse for a finale to the Hobbit trilogy. Although I feel that the other two films were also rather weak, Jackson's failings as a storyteller really come into their own in The Battle of the Five Armies. The film is little more than aA poor excuse for a finale to the Hobbit trilogy. Although I feel that the other two films were also rather weak, Jackson's failings as a storyteller really come into their own in The Battle of the Five Armies. The film is little more than a showy collection of battle scenes and special effects that drown a poor screenplay, and in themselves are as tiring as they are bloated and pointless. Emotionally uninvolving, uninspiring and entirely forgettable: give me Jackson's old splatstick any day of the week!… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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6

CedarsAveDec 23, 2014

It wasn't bad. The battles (battle?) were (was?) pretty impressive, and the characters weren't devoid of emotion. In short, the film wasn't soulless, but that isn't saying much. The film's main problem comes from its conception, the fact thatIt wasn't bad. The battles (battle?) were (was?) pretty impressive, and the characters weren't devoid of emotion. In short, the film wasn't soulless, but that isn't saying much. The film's main problem comes from its conception, the fact that it's based on the third act of a single novel. That makes this film, in effect, just one big third act stretched into two and a half hours. So it starts with finale-style action (Smaug dying) and continues with it right through to the end. Because of its source material, it can't really have a beginning, middle and end; that's what the first two parts of the trilogy are. The Lord of the Rings was based on three books with their own three acts, each part of a greater story arc; Peter Jackson has his greater story arc with the Hobbit, but that's just the plot to the book. Each individual film doesn't really have its own individual story, and that really tells in the Battle of Five Armies. It feels like the end of a film and not a film in itself. That said, it doesn't do too badly at concluding Middle-earth. It's no classic, but it's still worth seeing, if just to get a sense of closure with Tolkien's universe.… Expand

12 of 16 users found this helpful124

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6

Jes1310Jan 21, 2015

Loved the second LOTR movie (the one with all the fighting in it). So I expected to like the battle of the five armies as well. But it has none of the easy flowingness that the LOTR has. Boss battles are to long and just plain stupid.

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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6

LordOfTheFilmsDec 20, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I`ve really tried to stay positive to The Hobbit trilogy, but it`s easy to understand why people respond with negativity. Personally, I enjoyed the film all the way until the battle begins. And for a while, I enjoyed the battle as well. It all follows the book to an acceptable point (except from the trolls, what are they doing there?).

Suddenly, Jackson decides to make THAT turn away from the original story, and we don`t follow the battle of the five armies any longer, we follow Legolas, Tauriel, Fili, Kili, Dwalin and Thorin vs Azog, Bolg and another army. All that in an ice covered "battle arena," just to make the whole thing more epic. And suddenly, the battle is over, and now Jackson wants to focus on Bilbo, and just Bilbo, without concluding the other story lines 100%. And then the film`s over.

The book is a fine prequel to LOTR, why don`t make the movies that way? I liked this movie for the most, but mentioned plot twists makes it impossible for me to give it 10/10.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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6

runnerDec 25, 2014

This is basically a good film, it is very impressive and done very well. And I guess I could say it's fun to watch.

This third part, though, shows how unnecessary it was to split this one single book into three (!) parts, each taking aboutThis is basically a good film, it is very impressive and done very well. And I guess I could say it's fun to watch.

This third part, though, shows how unnecessary it was to split this one single book into three (!) parts, each taking about 2 hours and 40 minutes.

The Battle of the Five Armies hasn't got much story in it, as it is mostly told on the first two parts of the trilogy, and here we come to the grand finale, where, well, most of the characters mainly fight. And fight. And fight. And fight. And fight.

There were some moving moments, and some light moments, which is good, but still - most of the time I've seen only violence on the screen. There was simply not much else to show, because, as I said, there's not much of the story left to tell..
But how would we make a trilogy with each title lasting alone almost 3 hours?
Of course, let's stretch those battles on and on!

Well, that didn't work that well in my opinion folks.

And yes, technically this is still a good movie. Still, I'm really glad this is over, as making three parts for The Hobbit felt like it's going to be mainly a slight torture to my wallet and not a fully enjoyable experience.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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5

thehab86Dec 20, 2014

I preferred the other 2 by a wide margin, the start is the end of the second and after that imagine a 2 hours battle without any story developement. I should have rented it I guess.

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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8

YellowKirbySep 25, 2015

Easily the best of the trilogy... while jam-packed with action (which is quite ridiculous at times), Battle of the Five Armies also has one of the best stories in the series, an Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen shine as Bilbo and Gandalf.Easily the best of the trilogy... while jam-packed with action (which is quite ridiculous at times), Battle of the Five Armies also has one of the best stories in the series, an Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen shine as Bilbo and Gandalf. Benedict Cumberbatch does an epic Smaug, and although the orcs are too easy to kill, this is still a fun and enjoyable movie.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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1

slumboodiDec 24, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The final entry to "The Hobbit" will leave you flabbergasted. The utterly incredulous "Trilogy" has finally hit rock bottom. Lines of actual dialogue are so few and far between that one can forget that the garbage in front of you is in fact a film, not a computer game. The characters are woefully underdeveloped as a result, and it is impossible to sympathise or care about almost anyone. The initial bit with Smaug was ok until he went all monologue **** on us and started the cliché "bad guy talks to much before he gets undone by a seemingly impossible feat" scenario.

As I've hinted, my biggest problem with this film is the absurd special effects. There is so much going on, and the shots so short - you barely have time to understand what the **** is happening. The aerial shots overlooking the battlefield are done so from such a distance, it is near impossible to tell what any army is doing beyond the first 3 minutes of fighting. Everything down to the loading of arrows, dwarf shield walls, Orc charges, or anything else in the battle worth mentioning is done with a computer.
I'd have really enjoyed actual people forming up a Dwarven shield wall, or loosing a volley of arrows, but it was not to be...

The "journey" that Thorin Oakenshield coming back from near insanity took approximately 3 days of my life in energy to care. The sequence when he comes back from the brink of insanity (walking around on the gold floor yada yada yada) is about 180 seconds of close shots of his glowing face, followed by a huge spanning shot of the room he is in. I chose this moment to use the toilet, and believe it or not, he was still ****ing around there when I came back.

I can't remember if this character was in the book, its been so long, but lets take a moment to talk about "Alfrid" played by Ryan Gage". Scratch that, I went and looked it up. He is an unnamed, barely mentioned character in the books. So why in ****s sake are we subjected to one of the biggest **** in film history? There is just no reason for him to be such an utter **** His plot within the film is totally inconsequential, ending with him running off dressed as a woman with boobs of gold. No I'm not kidding. His purpose, as far as I can gather, is to fill 15+ minutes of dialogue mainly showing just how much of a **** he is.

My final rant, because I just can't bring myself to remember and write about more of this diabolical film, is of course about a particular character. I saved the best till last..... in a sense.

Orlando Bloom. I think you are great. You are a funny guy and obviously switched on. Great in Pirates of The Caribbean, smashing in LOTR trilogy, and I especially enjoyed your performance in Extras (Ricky Gervais). With that in mind then...

What the **** was Peter Jackson thinking? Ok, I get that you have to option to include Legolas, seeing as he would have been around, but like... What the **** was he doing?
During this one film Legolas managed to:

- Fly on a bat thing up into some ruins.
- Drop 30m onto a troll then "Ratatouille" style 'drive' the troll (substituting hair for knives in the trolls shoulders)
- Defy the laws of physics on several occasions
- Slow motion run up a flight of stairs...........that are falling. Anyone with a braincell can work out why that is ****ing ridiculous, and that's saying something seeing as we are in a world riddled with magic.

So my main point here is, there is such a fantastic array of things that you could have done within the realms of the world you are bringing to cinema. Indeed, Peter Jackson has the ability to access one of the most interesting, descriptive and magical worlds ever written about. Why did you have to include such utter **** alongside it?

Other gripes include, but are not limited to:

- The endless fight scene between Thorin and Azog. I naively thought it was a really cool way to end the fight, by Thorin simply stepping off the precarious ice shard they were both balanced on. Only to have my enthusiasm crushed when his stupid ****ing face showed up under the ice... and cliché "bad guys eyes open again when you think he's dead"

- The **** with Legolas being told to go find "strider". At the time of that conversation, Aragon was 10 years old, and where did Aragon grow up? ****ing Rivendell. Thanks for the nostalgic **** Peter.

- Finally, towards the end of the film... which may seem to take months, Gandalf makes a quip to Bilbo about his knowledge of the ring? So why would he wait 60ish years to rush off to Minas Tirith to read old scrolls documenting the ring? The answer is... he doesn't. He doesn't know about the ring until he sees Bilbo vanish completely on his 111th Birthday.

Today I paid £8 to let Peter Jackson **** in my eyes and ears. I shan't make that mistake again.… Expand

5 of 7 users found this helpful52

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7

HighChroniclerDec 17, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Review

Okay, it’s HighChronicler’s Review Time.
The Battle of Five Armies is the epic conclusion to Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Film Trilogy. I am a HUGE Lord of the Rings (LOTR) fanboy, HUGE. Like I will engage people in hours long conversations about it and they don’t even want to hear it. I am also a purist, I think that the Book should be reformatted and adopted to be the Screenplay, and from there reformat it to be the Script (Easy, right? Would save Millions of Dollars this way – you already have the script/screenplay/book.) I am willing to accept Peter Jackson’s adaptation of LOTR as the best book-film translation that we will ever see. EVER. As in Tenn’ Ambar-Metta. That’s right, unto the Ending of the Earth.
This Latest Hobbit does little to disappoint. It delivers in film format the thrilling final third of Tolkien’s book. (With a few changes, not all are bad.)
The cinematography is strange, but since I saw in 3D with enhanced Framerate, I’m going to attribute the choppy shots and scenes to the weird format. Also with the 3D the environment doesn’t exactly hold up. It looks fake, I don’t know if looks fake with the Standard viewing, but I would expect that it would be better. All-in-All The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a really, really good movie, with two MAJOR, GLARING, UNACCEPTABLE FLAWS.
Rating: 7.5/10, 3.75 Stars, 75% whatever scale you use.
IN CASE YOU HAVE NOT READ, HEARD, LISTENED TO, OR SEEN THE HOBBIT IN THE 77 YEARS IT HAS BEEN OUT: SPOLIER ALERT, STOP READING IF YOU DO NOT DESIRE TO HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS FILM’S CLIMAX.
Geez, I can’t believe I have to do that.
Okay, I went into the movie with three major things on my mind: The Death of Smaug; Fili, Kili, and Thorin’s Death; and Thorin, Fili, and Kili’s funeral.
First Ten Minutes, Smaug went down with near enough identically to the book, it was different, but wasn’t a bad different. It was fine, checkmark on my list.
Thorin, Fili, and Kili’s Death Scene. Oh boy, this one. I was highly disappointed when they did not pull the text directly into the film here. Thorin’s fight with Azog seemed to go on forever and Fili and Kili did NOT fall defending him. I was upset when I realized that the Dramatic Death of the King’s Nephews was not even close to the way it was. Thorin’s mortally wounded body was found by Beorn surrounded by many corpses of Orc and Goblins. Fili and Kili had fallen defending him. It was tragic, it was Dramatic, and it was perfect. But not in the Movie. NOT ONE BIT!
Here is text taken from The Hobbit for The Royal Death:
“Then Beorn stooped and lifted Thorin, who had fallen pierced with spears, and bore him out of the fray. Swiftly he returned and his wrath was redoubled, so that nothing could withstand him, and no weapon seemed to bite upon him. He scattered the bodyguard, and pulled down Bolg himself and crushed him. Then dismay fell on the Goblins and they fled in all directions. But weariness left their enemies with the coming of new hope, and they pursued them closely, and prevented most of them from escaping where they could. They drove many of them into the Running River, and such as fled south or west they hunted into the marshes about the Forest River; and there the greater part of the last fugitives perished, while those that came hardly to the Wood-elves' realm were there slain, or drawn in to die in the trackless dark of Mirkwood. Songs have said that three parts of the goblin warriors of the North perished on that day, and the mountains had peace for many a year… … Of the twelve companions of Thorin, ten remained. Fili and Kili had fallen defending him with shield and body, for he was their mother's elder brother. The others remained with Dain; for Dain dealt his treasure well.”

NOT COOL. Did I even mention that Beorn shows up for all about 10 seconds.

Then the Funeral. Oh my, it could have been such a scene, IF IT WAS EVEN IN THE MOVIE!

These two things alone are why my rating is dropped from a 9 or 10. The Two most important things to me were botched. Granted the Death scene was not as bad I was thinking while watching it, but It still wasn’t what it should have been.

Mayhaps the Extended Edition will have Thorin’s Funeral, and Beorn have more screen time. If so the ratings will spike to 8.75/10, 4.5 Stars and 85%.… Expand

10 of 15 users found this helpful105

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8

nms1215Dec 18, 2014

This movie is probably the best of each. While the complaints are still there--over the top CGI, laughable stunts, and too much freedom with the source content. They are all still there, but to a lesser degree--the CGI has definitelyThis movie is probably the best of each. While the complaints are still there--over the top CGI, laughable stunts, and too much freedom with the source content. They are all still there, but to a lesser degree--the CGI has definitely improved, the stunts are still laughable but much much shorter, and they spent less time trying to make this about The White Council (they have just one real scene together).

My complaints are simple: the love triangle was awful and never worked, despite Tauriel being a decent character; there are times where the movie (intentionally) makes you laugh only to instantly cut to the slaughter civilians (it was very awkward); they also were very heavy-handed with the corruption of greed (we got it, a million times over); not enough Dwarf character development (something they have continually failed at).

It was still a good, fun movie. It did a good job of emphasizing events that did lead to the LOTR series--especially with showing how the ring is slowly and subtly corrupting Bilbo--without taking away from the there and now. However, this is a battle movie. There is action, combat, explosions and destruction. Peter Jackson, IMO unfortunately, focused on these instead of the great characters he had to work with. To this day, none of the fans of the films (that have not read the books) know the names of the dwarves besides Thorin and Kili (and by extension, Fili).… Expand

6 of 9 users found this helpful63

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4

dc127Dec 22, 2014

I remember reading the Hobbit when I was a kid. I love the wonder and sense of adventure the book contained. This sense carried over to the Animated Hobbit film that I still love to this day. Watching these three movies has been more of aI remember reading the Hobbit when I was a kid. I love the wonder and sense of adventure the book contained. This sense carried over to the Animated Hobbit film that I still love to this day. Watching these three movies has been more of a chore than anything else. I entered the first movie with such hope. Instead of joy I just keep hitting scenes thinking "oh wow how can he screw up this time." This feeling extended to the final film. I don't need Thorin facing off in a duel on an icy river. I don't need an interracial love triangle with elves and dwarves. Smaug was great, but that was about it. It is sad that what could have been turned into these three drawn out stories with bad CG, horrible plot added in, and slop shod directing. I will be reading the Hobbit again over Christmas to wash the bad taste out of my mouth.… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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3

manofthemoonJan 8, 2015

With dialogue so continually bad, it's as though Jackson simply gave up at some point or decided to build a LOTR cliche theme park in which now you simply laugh at the eagles arriving, rather than cheer them on. Bilbo is a supportingWith dialogue so continually bad, it's as though Jackson simply gave up at some point or decided to build a LOTR cliche theme park in which now you simply laugh at the eagles arriving, rather than cheer them on. Bilbo is a supporting character again and you're left simply not caring because this final part of what should have been two movies at most is sadly just boring. A glorified extended battle in which Legolas tries to relive his best LOTR moves but, in a "Game of Thrones" world, it all seems so very dated. At times it borders on "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" or "Phantom Menace" complete with its own Jar Jar Binks. You can see why there's a petition to keep Jackson away from "The Silmarillion". This is lazy and bloated and believes it hype. A sad end to it all. There and back again and again and again and...etc.… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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1

HanzidrownDec 21, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The only epic moment in the movie was the Star Wars:Force Awakens trailer in 3d.

So boring scenes and a very poor CGI was in the movie.
One hobbit can knock out 3 orcs with 3 little rocks.Somebody can explain me how?… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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3

jourawskyDec 22, 2014

The hobbit, the unsuspected flop. Yes, i was very exited for this movie, but after I have seen, I've changed my feel with this type of movie. Ignorance and without atmosphere. Sometimes I've thought that movie is more marvel or twilight thanThe hobbit, the unsuspected flop. Yes, i was very exited for this movie, but after I have seen, I've changed my feel with this type of movie. Ignorance and without atmosphere. Sometimes I've thought that movie is more marvel or twilight than The lord of the rings. I'm disappointed.… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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3

LaraRDec 21, 2014

To me, it was just a series of battles, one after the other. The love scenes were painful to watch since it felt forced. The plot was predictable, futile and monotonous.This "grand" finale does not do any justice to LOTR and practicallyTo me, it was just a series of battles, one after the other. The love scenes were painful to watch since it felt forced. The plot was predictable, futile and monotonous.This "grand" finale does not do any justice to LOTR and practically recycled the same elements from it.… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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4

mustafa18182Jan 3, 2015

The Hobbit was not even close to the standards of Lord of the Rings. How could it be? The Lord of the Rings rightfully deserved a trilogy ( one movie for each book). The Hobbit was a tiny book and they turned that into 3 movies! The HobbitThe Hobbit was not even close to the standards of Lord of the Rings. How could it be? The Lord of the Rings rightfully deserved a trilogy ( one movie for each book). The Hobbit was a tiny book and they turned that into 3 movies! The Hobbit dragged and there were way too many made up scenes. The battle took up too much time in the movie and they missed out many key factors of the book.

All in all there was too much action and straying away from the main point of the book.… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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3

JacobDec 30, 2014

When I started watching these movies I was filled with joy and glee and excitement and now I could care less. If these movies were not a big phenomenon, I would’ve never gone. This movie was a whole lot of nothing. Lots of pointless action,When I started watching these movies I was filled with joy and glee and excitement and now I could care less. If these movies were not a big phenomenon, I would’ve never gone. This movie was a whole lot of nothing. Lots of pointless action, lack of characters, and was just empty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that has made me feel so empty. Seriously this was just that one time I went ot the movies. This whole movie was just a let’s get this over with. I knew it was going to suck and suck. If you are reading this don’t see this movie it is waste of your time. Only see this if you have friends who are going to be talking that. If not stay away. If you aren’t a fan of these movies this one won’t change your mind. But thankfully its over and we can all move on. Congratulations Peter Jackson you are officially the next George Lucas. You created a beloved trilogy and then made a terrible prequel trilogy that we are all excited for and then were disappointed by replacing practical effects with CGI and great stories and characters with mediocre and terrible stories. I can’t wait for the abridged version.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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4

intruder313Jan 3, 2015

The last film is the first bad LOTR/Hobbit film: just filled with so much stupidity that had me facepalming rather than enraptured.

I think the extra hour they are bound to "add" to the film for the DVD release is a must to save thisThe last film is the first bad LOTR/Hobbit film: just filled with so much stupidity that had me facepalming rather than enraptured.

I think the extra hour they are bound to "add" to the film for the DVD release is a must to save this monstrous mess and indeed there's at least 2 moments missing from the film that were shown in trailers.

PJ just did not seem to be arsed this time around, he's clearly had enough and chucked this one out without proper editing.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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5

Loler13grJan 28, 2015

I really wanted to like this movie but in the end I walked out of the movie theater disappointed. The first 30-40 minutes feel unnecessary and it's only a delay to the battle which is the main event of the movie and consumed about two thirdsI really wanted to like this movie but in the end I walked out of the movie theater disappointed. The first 30-40 minutes feel unnecessary and it's only a delay to the battle which is the main event of the movie and consumed about two thirds of the time. The Gandalf vs The Necromancer storyline , which is really interesting since it was not presented in the book , also feels it was shoved into the movie only to make it a little bit longer. There are scenes that gave me shivers like the final scene or the scene where Aragorn is mentioned ( his name is never mentioned ) but other than that the battle was nothing but a bunch of mediocre CGI dwarvs and goblins fighting each other with some trolls , bats and worms making short appearances. The love story ( which is not a part of the book ) is doing it's best to keep us guessing about it's end but even that fails to deliver. Finally Legolas and Thranduil are over-powered and kind of ruin the epic battle feeling since Legolas and three dwarvs take on an army of thousand goblins and Thranduil single-handedly kills hundreds of goblins too. Despite all that the things that made LOTR and the other two Hobbit movies great are there with great performances , breath-taking landscapes , an epic battle against Smaug and a great soundtrack. Also the ending was perfect with a subliminal message marking the end of the Middle-Earth movies Era ( Silmarilion takes place in the North )… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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1

Doodle02Dec 28, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is one of the most disappointing movies I've ever seen. Smaug is dead almost as soon as the movie's started, and the rest is just Hollywood blockbuster style hero porn.

If you've read the book(s), enjoyed the original trilogy, or respect Tolkien's vision of Middle Earth, at all, don't watch this movie: It's a pathetic waste of time.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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4

traffmeisterJan 19, 2015

Where did the goats come from? This film is filled with stupid cuts, extended and thrown in sequences that go nowhere near the source material and I feel Tolkein would have been rather displeased with this OTT overly long mess of a movie. TheWhere did the goats come from? This film is filled with stupid cuts, extended and thrown in sequences that go nowhere near the source material and I feel Tolkein would have been rather displeased with this OTT overly long mess of a movie. The book did NOT need to be split into 3 parts, but as usual, the prospect of money prevailed...… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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5

DartboardJan 20, 2015

Reasonably entertaining, but it feels obligatory and suffers from a lack of heart and passion. Not nearly as emotionally enthralling as any of the Lord of the Rings films, and you can only have so many fight sequences before they start toReasonably entertaining, but it feels obligatory and suffers from a lack of heart and passion. Not nearly as emotionally enthralling as any of the Lord of the Rings films, and you can only have so many fight sequences before they start to blur together. The story is thin and does not sustain a 144-minute film, so you might find it a bit dull by the time the third act rolls around. There are a few subplots interwoven throughout, but they leave next to no impact, and that's a problem with the film as a whole, I feel - it's a finale without impact. That in itself is disappointing. That said, the film is technically sound, the performances are solid (despite the occasional cringe-worthy piece of dialogue), and it's always nice to take a visit to Middle-earth. Unfortunately, none of these qualities save it from the weak writing, which is made even more unfortunate by the potential the trilogy had after The Desolation of Smaug.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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1

El_TudorDec 24, 2014

It's gonna be a short review. Not only because English isn't my native language, but because the Hobbit trilogy wasted enough of our time already.
This 3d episode is the worst of the trilogy, and one of the worst movie of this decade. WeIt's gonna be a short review. Not only because English isn't my native language, but because the Hobbit trilogy wasted enough of our time already.
This 3d episode is the worst of the trilogy, and one of the worst movie of this decade. We have bad battle scenes, way too much 3D and CGI effects, ridiculous characters, ridiculous comedy/romantic storylines. Thorin is a failure. We don't understand what is at stake with the arkenstone at all, Jackson only try to copy/paste the Ring effect, regardless the true story of the King under the Mountain.

This movie is empty, ad should have been the theaters.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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4

mariojmartinDec 26, 2014

When I read Tolkien books, It is so rich in details, customs, mythology, and deep characters that feels that you are inside. The movie presents superficial characters, cartooned overused action, childhood dialogues, unrealistic battles andWhen I read Tolkien books, It is so rich in details, customs, mythology, and deep characters that feels that you are inside. The movie presents superficial characters, cartooned overused action, childhood dialogues, unrealistic battles and unnecessary evil too evil to be credible, makes the movie BOORING! A 10 to the scenography, the rest is rubbish. This is another example of a movie that expends too much in CGI and nothing to good writers.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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3

giddyupJan 1, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Very disappointed with this effort. Felt like Peter Jackson sold out. He was all about the integrity of the story when he started and now, in trying to reap 3 films from 1 book, he has marred his reputation. The film is 1 big fight scene from start to finish with totally implausible physical feats liberally splashed throughout. There is also an amateurish attempt to introduce a side story with Leggolas which is underdeveloped and poorly explained, possibly the product of poor editing. If money is what now drives Jackson, then he would have made more with his next lot of films if he'd preserved his reputation with this one.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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2

KamamuraMar 19, 2015

Mostly rubbish, a disgrace to the fine Tolkien's story. Too much mindless action, too much Disney style jumping around, altogether silly and unnecessary love story that is not in the original, almost everything Jackson and his team added toMostly rubbish, a disgrace to the fine Tolkien's story. Too much mindless action, too much Disney style jumping around, altogether silly and unnecessary love story that is not in the original, almost everything Jackson and his team added to the story is of mediocre quality.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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0

TomHugDec 21, 2014

A preposterous blur of incoherent fight scenes, obscenely improbable and unnecessary plot "enhancements" and re-characterisations of already strong and appropriately-constituted characters.

The only time I wasn't bored during this movieA preposterous blur of incoherent fight scenes, obscenely improbable and unnecessary plot "enhancements" and re-characterisations of already strong and appropriately-constituted characters.

The only time I wasn't bored during this movie was when I was outraged at the stupid "embellishments" being foisted upon us.

I don't personally believe that the director needs to adhere word for word to the books. In fact, Mr. Jackson did such a fine job with the LOTR Trilogy, he's proved he can make excellent artistic edits for cinema. The Hobbit Trilogy has been infected by Hollywood. What a waste.… Expand

9 of 14 users found this helpful95

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9

StaticSpineDec 17, 2014

An epic ending to the trilogy, it's not story-heavy, but it turns out a tense action-packed conclusion to the events of preivous parts. Totally worth going to cinema ti watch it.

9 of 14 users found this helpful95

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9

THEkerimbankaDec 17, 2014

Maybe not quite the best of the three (close competition with Desolation), but it is definitely a fun and enjoyable experience. Sit back and allow Jackson to play with his action figures and I guarantee you will be amused.

7 of 11 users found this helpful74

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3

austerusDec 20, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie is total injustice done to the Middle Earth universe and I took off points for being so far off an appropriate ending to the Jackson's Middle Earth saga.

Let's skip the fact that it's pointlessly bloated, focusing on stuff that's not part of the story (pointless elf/dwarf romance instead of the closure of returning Thorin's body and Arkenstone to Erebor) and have a look at what this movie is: a pure comedy. Compared to the Battle of The 5 Armies, the first Hobbit movie was a masterpiece (I definitely liked the first one as a proper Middle Earth piece, this one feels like a mess stitched in an attempt to be presentable)

There are some really funny moments that simply weren't meant to be like:

- Smaug's death reminded me of Mulan's Mushu the fire lizard: freeze, twitch, dramatically cough and fall flat, just like he got squashed in mid-air. Kind of like my cat when he runs out of energy after playing.

- Thorin is cheaply demonised (he simply goes crazy for no apparent reason, while in the book he's more ambiguous - unfair to people of Laketown because they seem to associate with elves who have no justification for their demands)

- Thranduil, majestic as *bleep*, doesn't seem phased by being in a fight (his hair remains perfect, tiara unmoved) - really, now?

- Legolas jumps on falling rocks like he's the Prince of Persia. That was hilarious!

- Were-worms pop out, roar and never to be seen again. Just like they realized they need to return to Dune!

- We get a really looooong shot of dying Kili. He dies, it's dramatic, but after a few seconds of drama he runs out of faces to make. I was expecting The Mask to pop-out of somewhere and demand an Oscar for this performance.

- Gandalf sighs and poofs with every opportunity, rolling his eyes and pausing for cheap effect. Not at all necessary.

- Tauriel drops orcs in a stride with two slashes at most, but gets bested out of the blue after poking the last one 5 times? Get real!

- Alfrid has no point in existing, at all. His comic relief made me think of Seth Rogen or Sascha Baron Cohen ... in a fantasy battle! Why torture the audience like that?

- The orcs are cut off cardboard, Defiler included. In the original TRilogy they had some personality, here they're nothing but props.

- THorin's group was all armored, helmets on and whatnot inside the mountain but when finally decided to fight they left all the battle gear behind. Huh?

- What happened to the Arkenstone? Bard just kept it? That's what the movie suggests (yeah, I read the book, I know what happens *there*)

- What happened with the gold, promises, etc? They spend 3/4 of the movie fighting over it and then just forget it?

Otherwise, the FX are nice, most of the battle is entertaining but the move lacks substance through and through. The first Hobbit was far superior and I really wish Jackson hadn't tortured me with this underachieving mutant, that's not how I want to remember his Middle Earth. The drama is artificial, cheap and the attempts at humor (where intentional) are even worse.… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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2

AxeTJan 9, 2015

Excruciating! Yes big competently crafted fantasy production, but goes on way too long as expected from the adolescent director. A fitting end to a horribly over drawn bloated series that's as boring as it gets. Never have I wanted the endExcruciating! Yes big competently crafted fantasy production, but goes on way too long as expected from the adolescent director. A fitting end to a horribly over drawn bloated series that's as boring as it gets. Never have I wanted the end credits to roll more in a movie theatre.
Note to the auteur: WAKE UP teenager! MORE is NOT more! You ruined your King Kong remake this way. You turned a pulpy, fun adventure yarn (albeit a cinematic classic in the original and the 1976 for that matter, especially compared to your re-telling) into a long in the tooth epic of boring action that guess what Peter? RUINED the pathos at the end of the story due to the audience being so wiped out from all your bs dinosaur chases and bug battles. We didn't give a damn about the girl and Kong at the hour 3 mark! We just wanted to escape from your 12-year-old clutches. You rank in the pantheon of most over-rated directors working today who don't understand editing. You're in bad company with the ranks of such failed editorial directors as PT Anderson, Judd Apatow, and Wes Anderson. All self indulgent little boys in love with their own s---, none students of say Hitchcock and in service of the Audience.… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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8

petrocsDec 17, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Peter Jackson faced some staunch criticism from fans when he announced he was splitting his announced Hobbit adaptation into a trilogy. Many cited the sheer size of the book as a cause for concern but the underlying belief was that the move looked more like a cash grab for the studio who were facing their final trip to Middle Earth. The Battle Of The Five Armies posed the biggest challenge for Jackson simply because of the subject of the film was presented to readers as a footnote that takes places place after the story (The story was published in the back of The Return of the King), but Jackson has put all the speculation to rest and released his best film in the Hobbit trilogy.
Picking up right where The Desolation of Smaug left off, we find the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) arriving at Laketown to exact his wrath on the people of this small fishing village after losing Erebor the the dwarves. Bard (Luke Evans), witnessing the destruction of his home, decides to take matters into his own hands and take on the mighty beast with a lowly bow and arrow, a move which would lead him to come face to face with the villainous monster. Accepting that his effort as a failure, one last chance is awarded the bowman after his son arrives with an ancient ironclad arrow just strong enough to pierce the tough hide of the beast.
Thorin (Richard Armitage) has begun to feel an abundant amount of lust for gold, which is referred to as dragon sickness. The once proud, would be king has begun hell bent on finding the Arkhenstone and demands the dwarves to search until they find it. Thorin begins to lose the loyalty of his kin as they fear his sickness has clouded his judgement. Bilbo (Martin Freeman) finds the stone but fears it effects on his friend and decides to hide it. Meanwhile, the men and woman of Laketown are facing a harsh winter and no place to live. Bard and his villagers journey up the Lonely Mountain to Erebor to ask for Thorin to honor his promise and provide the people of Laketown their fair share of the gold to help rebuild their homes. Thranduil (Lee Pace) and his Elven army arrive at the same time to claim what is rightfully theirs from the mountain as well, a alliance is formed between the Elves and man to storm the gates of Erebor and take their share.
Bilbo decides to find a peaceful resolution to this conflict and offers the Arkhenstone to the invaders to bargain for their share in exchange for Thorin's prize, a bargain he quickly refuses and the arrival of reinforcements from the Iron Mountains arrive to help Thorin fortify his compound and his treasure. War is inevitable and the armies prepare for battle, but the arrival of Gandolf the Grey (Ian McKellen) brings word that their is a more pressing danger coming for the combatants. Azog (Manu Bennett) and his Orc army have arrived and are determined to wipe the three armies off the face of Middle Earth. As Bilbo tries to convince Thorin and the dwarves to join the fight and drive back the insurgents, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) arrive to warn Gandolf of even more danger lurking to the North. The need for a unified front and a leader who can turn the tide of the battle is demanded. Thorin must face his demons head on and become, once again, the true king under the mountain. But will it be enough to defeat the coming evil?
Peter Jackson has taken an after thought and turned it into one of most exciting films of the year. The very CGI heavy battle sequences are astounding and the choreography of the hand to hand combat scenes is breathtaking, the film has taken effects to a new level and its awe inspiring to witness. The director keeps the film from slowing down by keeping the story moving along, unlike the previous two films which tended to lag at times. The tie-in scenes to the Lord of the Rings trilogy are nicely done and Jackson completes his Hobbit journey with near perfection.
Richard Armitage continues to portray Thorin to absolute perfection. The actor has etched his legacy into Tolkien lore. Martin Freeman continues to impress with his portrayal of Bilbo Baggins. Freeman's character arc has taken him on the most interesting of all the characters journeys. Ian McKellen is the complete embodiment of Gandolf. The mannerisms, the voice, the delivery of every line is done elegantly. The remaining cast including Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Lee Pace and Evangeline Lilly to name only a few, were astonishing. The physical work alone deserves an enthusiastic applause but each brings an amazing range to their characters and delivers fantastic performances that would make Tolkien proud.
Overall, The Hobbit will not be looked upon as fondly as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but the movies are extremely enjoyable and worthy of a viewing. The Battle Of The Five Armies is a truly astounding achievement on its own and a perfect ending to Bilbo's story.… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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5

var_starkDec 18, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Good Job on screwing a big saga PJ. The movie starts in a rush, in less than 20 minutes he just ends all the secondary storylines, and then starts preparing for the battle. This is when the movies gets its finest, comprehensible situations, tension, dignified characters, psychological dilemas, bargaging... actually feels like the old movies, you know something serious happens here. Then the battle begins, everything goes well (the company suffers the madness of thorin, Bardo tries to defend his people, the elves and the dwarves doing good fight) and then... everything becomes marvel.
A movie called the battle of the 5 armies switches into the most epic and useless 1vs1 in the middle earth.What happens with the core of the battle?, the heroes trying to defend what is important, fighting for the good and the land. Real struggles, down in the field of battle... all gone. The movie becomes a ridiculous SFX choreography between legolas, tauriel, thorin, Azog and Bolgo... just like marvel you've got serious business happening down there but wtf," we have to make a badass battle betwen the villain and the hero, who **** cares about the rest? " Well i do, and that was what made battles in LOTR great, the heros were showy, they were better than the rest but they FOUGHT with them, Would you imagine in the return of the king that Aragorn just goes to find sauron far away from the battle, have a badass fight with sauron wich you know it's totally gonna lose and forget about everyone dying in the field??? THAT's HORRIBLE.

HORRYBLE DECITIONS IMO.

Some may say, OH YEAH, THE VISUALS ARE GRAT, SO AWESOME SPECIAL EFFECTS, dude i am a VFX technitian, i **** love VFX and i tell you, if this movie were suppose to feed with VFX it would be MORBID FAT, horrible fat. It just has VFX in excess, not even necesary, nor for the plot, not for the sake of the movie. Yeah, there are some spectacular effects SO WHAT, they arn't even necessary. What happens with the totally unnecesary bell, Legolas just defying gravity, those horrible Orcs (seriously, what happend to the orcs? why do they look like a videogame?) once again, so many bad decitions.

This movie could have been very good if it just went to the point, focus on creating an actually good battle, working on the relationships and stopped inventing ridiculous stunts and scenes.

FY peter jackson… Expand

5 of 8 users found this helpful53

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9

hackmoleDec 17, 2014

Great cap to the adventure.
Yes, some of the CGI could have been a little better, but the story is there and the necromancer story arc is quite awesome.
Yes, some of the scenes seem a little overdrawn, but I found it was to give time toGreat cap to the adventure.
Yes, some of the CGI could have been a little better, but the story is there and the necromancer story arc is quite awesome.
Yes, some of the scenes seem a little overdrawn, but I found it was to give time to give characters time to interact more and really love them.
For the fan, you will love this movie and you will find some great moments.… Expand

14 of 23 users found this helpful149

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10

talhalafciDec 19, 2014

An epic goodbye to Middle Earth, Peter Jackson gave us (or me) almost everything we expected in the Battle of Five Armies, though we're all agree that The Hobbit trilogy could have been better, but I never expected something like the originalAn epic goodbye to Middle Earth, Peter Jackson gave us (or me) almost everything we expected in the Battle of Five Armies, though we're all agree that The Hobbit trilogy could have been better, but I never expected something like the original trilogy, there is and there will be no films (made by Jackson or not) like The Lord of the Rings trilogy.The Battle of Five Armies is better than first two films, better visual effects, better acting and of course great fight choreographies.I never expected Richard Armitage to be that good, his portrait of Thorin is truly worth to watch.I think that the best scene of the whole trilogy was the one that Saruman, Lord Elrond and Galadriel at Dol Guldur, the fight scene against the Nine was a delight to watch, and of course Cate Blanchett fascinated all of us with her only scene in the film, she steals it.As our thirteen years journey of the Middle Earth ends, all I can say is that it has been a great journey and I'm very happy witness all.… Expand

6 of 10 users found this helpful64

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5

tekkiDec 21, 2014

How i felt : Disappointed

Cons: > Movie can be summed up in 3 parts: tie up plot pieces, build up to the last battle, the last battle > bad CGI > bad editing > multiple instances of mistakes > a lot of staring > too long Pros:How i felt : Disappointed

Cons:
> Movie can be summed up in 3 parts: tie up plot pieces, build up to the last battle, the last battle
> bad CGI
> bad editing
> multiple instances of mistakes
> a lot of staring
> too long

Pros:

> its the hobbit
> large fantasy battles
> some fun moments… Expand

6 of 10 users found this helpful64

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8

ToFewViewsDec 18, 2014

This is visually beautiful movie, with action coming out the ears. It's the complete opposite of the first hobbit movie with the first being called "Slow" this one is anything but that. The story feels like it slightly takes a backseat inThis is visually beautiful movie, with action coming out the ears. It's the complete opposite of the first hobbit movie with the first being called "Slow" this one is anything but that. The story feels like it slightly takes a backseat in this film, with the huge amount of focus on action you feel the story progress but no where near as much as the others. But any fan of middle earth will love this movie, I feel it's a great conclusion to the series that leaves you excited to even go back and watch LOTR.
And of course this is a movie you must see in the theaters Peter Jackson's use of 48FPS is visually amazing and changes the whole experience.… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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7

vikesh2206Dec 23, 2014

While events in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies feel stretched out, this final chapter of the Middle Earth saga closes with a grim tone and suitably epic battle sequences.

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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7

therowbertDec 18, 2014

great action packed ending with somewhat weaker story.
pro:
-the action -beautiful scenery -awsome details and effects con: -story on the weaker side when compaired to the previous movies - Bilbo is a little useless throughout thegreat action packed ending with somewhat weaker story.
pro:
-the action
-beautiful scenery
-awsome details and effects
con:
-story on the weaker side when compaired to the previous movies
- Bilbo is a little useless throughout the movie (i know it's just a hobbit but still)

I totally enjoyed this movie,it's a worthy part of the series and it realy kept my eyes on the screen.
The story for me was a little underwhelming though but far from terrible.
If you're a fan of the hobbit you won't be dissapointed at all.… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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10

mikhailduongDec 26, 2014

Another masterpiece of Peter Jackson ! Awesome epic CGI. Although this episode has too much fight but it did its part of The Hobbit trilogies. A great novel & a great film that everyone should read & watch in their life.

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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8

jaizon727Dec 23, 2015

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a 2014 fantasy action film, it is the third film in the Hobbit trilogy, the prequel trilogy to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Having reclaimed Erebor and vast treasure from the dragon Smaug, ThorinThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a 2014 fantasy action film, it is the third film in the Hobbit trilogy, the prequel trilogy to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Having reclaimed Erebor and vast treasure from the dragon Smaug, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) sacrifices friendship and honor in seeking the Arkenstone, despite Smaug's fiery wrath and desperate attempts by the Hobbit Bilbo (Martin Freeman) to make him see reason. Meanwhile, Sauron sends legions of Orcs in a sneak attack upon the Lonely Mountain. As the fate of Middle Earth hangs in the balance, the races of Men, Elves and Dwarves must decide whether to unite and prevail -- or all die. (Google). It is directed by Peter Jackson and stars Ian Mckellan as Gandalf the Grey, he is great and super committed to portraying his role, Martin Freeman is excellent as the title charcter, Bilbo Baggins, who brings light and charm to the current dark situation going on in middle-earth, Richard Armitage is great as Throian Oakelsheild, he is the Annakin Skywalker (kind-of) of the film. Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom and Cate Blanchett also star in the film as lead charcters, and i think the casting choices were ALL so good.

The visual effects are magnificent, some of the best i've seen in all of 2014, the CGI looks great and the film has a great color tone. The film is action packed, it has the most action in all of the Hobbit trilogy, and i enjoyed how the film set itself up to lead into The Fellowship of the Ring... Kind of how Revenge of the Sith led into A New Hope. The film is also fun, the battle sequences are amazing and well choreographed, and the film has very outstanding cinematography work.

The pacing was not an issue like it was in the first two films, but the film did begin to get boring during the battle scenes that went on and on, by the 1hr. 45m. mark in the film, it began to drag and get super dull, the film began to build on itself to a certain point when it finally started to wind down, it could not do it. Peter Jackson's direction is amazing in the film, he makes it work, just like he does with all his films, he is such a visionary director.

I liked the characters and they were all developed well, the film introduced some things that got Lord of the Rings fan exited, things that tie into the Lord of the Ring trilogy. The film also has some emotion to it, when Kili the Dwarf dies, I felt the emotion that Turiel felt, and I liked that about the film, it makes you feel good.

The film has great writing, and amazing dialogue, some of the best dialogue of all time in a film, the Howard Shore score was excellent as always, it started to feel like the Lord of the Rings and it felt amazing, Howard Shore is my second favorite film score composer, behind John Williams.

In conclusion, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies may fall dull at points, and may also get to a high plot point and then fall on what it was trying to bring, but it's still an epic, fun adventure with very good acting, fascinating visual effects and great writing.… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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0

A_GamerDec 20, 2014

How people can like The Hobbit trilogy is beyond me. Peter Jackson completely disgraced Tolkien's work with this trilogy. The CGI is horrible and cheesy, the new plot "additions" (Michael Bay scenes, elf and dwarf love, lol?) are completelyHow people can like The Hobbit trilogy is beyond me. Peter Jackson completely disgraced Tolkien's work with this trilogy. The CGI is horrible and cheesy, the new plot "additions" (Michael Bay scenes, elf and dwarf love, lol?) are completely retarded and disgraceful. Any true Tolkien fan would feel it after watching these movies. They dumbed down the plot and added "cool action scenes" to appeal to people who don't even know Tolkien's work. I'm happy that Christopher Tolkien won't let Peter Jackson make another movie out of his father's work, respect. If you don't agree with me, read the interview with Christopher Tolkien. He described why these movies suck and he is right.… Expand

10 of 17 users found this helpful107

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8

GustavoTalainiDec 17, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) encerra sua inesperada aventura com os 13 anões e o mago Gandalf (Ian Mckellen) em uma épica, matadora e hollywoodiana batalha dos cinco exércitos; a escolha de fazer este o filme mais curto da terra média foi a mais sensata possível, o final da trilogia torna-se imparável, tenso e certamente fará aos fãs um grande e bem vindo adeus.

O Hobbit: A Batalha Dos Cinco Exércitos começa exatamente de onde a desolação de Smaug terminou com o dragão em fúria trazendo o caos a cidade do lago, a cena é rápida e fantástica, Smaug mostra sua vingança e é completamente arrebatador.

O elenco novamente mostra fortes atuações, mas desta vez com destaque a Richard Armitage no papel de Thorin que se mostra corrompido pela doença do Dragão e torna-se insano, o clima de batalha começa logo após a queda de Smaug, com Brad (Luke Evans) se tornando o líder dos desabrigados da destruída cidade do lago em busca do seu prometido ouro para reconstrução da cidade, Thranduil (Lee Pace) o rei élfico em busca das suas pedras brancas e os orcs liderados por Azog que querem tomar Erebor a cidade dos anões, mas antes de tudo isso acontecer temos o mago Gandalf preso em Dol Guldor não que isso seja ruim, pelo contrario a cena é formidável e também não podemos esquecer-nos da Elfa Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) e o Legolas (Orlando Bloom) uma das adições de Peter Jackson que na maioria das vezes são eficientes, mas em certos casos desnecessários.

Temos 45 minutos de pura batalha, não ela nunca fica chata pelo contrário, Peter Jackson certamente sabe fazer batalhas ela simplesmente só vai ganhando intensidade e emoção, inúmeros clímax aparecem um tentando vencer o outro por mais que seja exagerado funciona e é espetacular.

Tecnicamente o filme é incrível e praticamente impecável, a edição, os sons, as mixagens, a trilha sonora, a produção e os efeitos especiais são fortes candidatos para o Oscars e torna este épico filme com grandes cenas de luta, momentos e personagens um eficiente final para a Terra média.… Expand

7 of 12 users found this helpful75

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5

SergeantSozDec 17, 2014

I was a fan of Lord of the Rings since the Fellowship. Needless to say these Hobbit movies take a huge dump on the first three movies just like the new Star Wars movies did.
PROS
I honestly can't think of much. If you liked World ofI was a fan of Lord of the Rings since the Fellowship. Needless to say these Hobbit movies take a huge dump on the first three movies just like the new Star Wars movies did.
PROS
I honestly can't think of much. If you liked World of Warcraft, this will be a movie you might like.
CONS
I can say this was the worst of the three Hobbit movies. How can the guy who gave us Lord of the Rings, which featured battle scenes so epic, they sent chills down my spine, sink to this level. The entire movie was underwhelming. They brought in too many characters that didn't need to be there and established subplots with characters I still don't know the names of. I couldn't feel any empathy for anyone, even when they died. They were just there. Everything is drawn out way too long. The beginning of the movie honestly would have made a better ending to Desolation of Smaug. I was against the Hobbit being made into 3 movies before and I stand by that. The biggest killer is that the movie relies way too heavily on CGI. It looks fake and destroys everything. The Lord of the Rings only used CGI when it was needed. Massive hordes of orcs I understand, but when you do close ups of these characters and they're animated, it just doesn't feel the same as makeup and costume. Another thing to point out, Jackson needs to cool it on the panoramic shots. The camera never sits still, its always soaring through the air. It gets annoying. The movie was just "meh". I didn't totally hate it. I've seen worse, but the whole Hobbit trilogy has been a letdown. They brought in characters like Legolas and make references to Aragorn and Gimli to satisfy our nostalgia for Lord of the Rings, but ultimately it just gets in the way. I LOVE Smaug. The one highlight in this whole trilogy is whenever Smaug is on camera. For everything else, it wasn't done the right way.… Expand

8 of 14 users found this helpful86

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10

BlaccyDec 17, 2014

Peter Jackson saved the best to last, the thrilling Defining Chapter made everyone applaud the movie when the credits were rolling. Despite the ending for the middle earth saga Jackson had taken The Hobbit to a whole new level with amazingPeter Jackson saved the best to last, the thrilling Defining Chapter made everyone applaud the movie when the credits were rolling. Despite the ending for the middle earth saga Jackson had taken The Hobbit to a whole new level with amazing cinematic effects. This is defiantly one movie worth seeing!… Expand

8 of 16 users found this helpful88

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10

SHORTFINGERDec 17, 2014

well i have not seen the other 2 in the theaters my brother gave me the dvds. so i went to see this one. it is suppose to be 21/2 hours long before i new it it was over usually i`m always looking at my watch to see how much time is left thiswell i have not seen the other 2 in the theaters my brother gave me the dvds. so i went to see this one. it is suppose to be 21/2 hours long before i new it it was over usually i`m always looking at my watch to see how much time is left this is one of those movies that keep my attention to the end. i thought it was just great cannot wait for the blue ray to come out. yea a few scenes i was wondering about but that did not ruin the movie for me had a nice time at this movie… Expand

7 of 14 users found this helpful77

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8

TheFilmFanaticDec 17, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First and foremost I would like to point out that I'm incredibly biased towards Jackson's Tolkien films given my love of Lord of the Rings and despite the shortcomings of the first two Hobbit films, I still believed that Peter Jackson could strike gold yet again. When this film was changed from There and Back Again to The Battle of the Five Armies, I became hesitant about the finale of the trilogy, but thankfully I was wrong.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (BotFA) is a visually-stunning, action-packed and tear-jerking finale to the action adventure trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. Peter Jackson brings us a Lord of the Rings-esque final film, unlike the previous two Hobbit films, with style, grace and aesthetics potentially better than those of the original release of Return of the King. Although the premise diverted from the book's content by adding other characters and changing the focus of the narrative, the overall story in the end was better suited for a big screen adaptation that acted as not only the finale of the Hobbit trilogy, but the end of the Jackson era of Tolkien films.

Unfortunately I was still disappointed with the CGI-laden fight scenes, particularly the use of CGI orcs, goblins and other humanoid creatures rather than full-scale, large cast fight scenes like Lord of the Rings. However, outside of that criticism there is not much else negative to say about this film. Even with the CGI-induced Middle Earth, we are given one of the more realistic representations of a dragon in any film. Smaug is unbelievable, and that creation alone is Oscar worthy. The cast is phenomenal, I mean talk about star-studded. I found that some characters were a bit one-dimensional as an attempt to help keep Bilbo and company as the focus of the film, but Thranduil stole every scene he was in. I would love to see Peter Jackson do a standalone film surrounding the painful backstory of the king of Mirkwood.

In the end The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is more than the finale of the Hobbit trilogy, but the end of Peter Jackson's era of Tolkien films bringing a sense of nostalgia to fans of any age sad to see their favourite characters and the visually stunning Middle Earth for the last time.… Expand

6 of 12 users found this helpful66

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10

RufatDec 18, 2014

Peter Jackson made a perfect ending for his middle earth odyssey. And Martin Freeman was awesome. Best of Hobbit series. More action and more fun. And more disappointing because of it is the last.

6 of 12 users found this helpful66

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2

jaydelzDec 19, 2014

I don't know how others are rating this so high. The long over-dramatic pauses and slow talking was painful. The action was insanely unrealistic that it was not enjoyable at all, like the first 2 movies. The off-book plot was confusing atI don't know how others are rating this so high. The long over-dramatic pauses and slow talking was painful. The action was insanely unrealistic that it was not enjoyable at all, like the first 2 movies. The off-book plot was confusing at times and I still don't know what happened to some armies at the end. I almost fell asleep at some parts. I would give each of the LOTR movies a 10 but each of the Hobbit movies less than 4.

7.5 hours in total of my life I wish I could get back. Even when these Hobbit movies are eventually free on cable I would not watch them. I'm a huge LOTR fan, but Peter Jackson made this Hobbit trilogy utterly ridiculous.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

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7

MaxsonDec 20, 2014

Definitely a solid ending for the Hobbit series. Despite the massive usage of cgi effects, the movie still looks great in my opinion. The action and fight scenes were all action packed and well-executed. The story was......pretty linear withDefinitely a solid ending for the Hobbit series. Despite the massive usage of cgi effects, the movie still looks great in my opinion. The action and fight scenes were all action packed and well-executed. The story was......pretty linear with some fillers, but overall it was still exciting to watch. Is it better than Return of the King's ending? Hell no!!!! The Hobbit Trilogy is average if you would compare it to the amazing and epic scale of Lord of the Ring. Still, the hobbit trilogy was fun and exciting, but just not on the epic level of LOTR.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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9

AS97Dec 29, 2014

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is the 3rd and final instalment in the 'Hobbit' series and it is easily the best for me. The movie does a fantastic job in concluding the 'Hobbit' series, and then leading on to the 'Lord of The Ring'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is the 3rd and final instalment in the 'Hobbit' series and it is easily the best for me. The movie does a fantastic job in concluding the 'Hobbit' series, and then leading on to the 'Lord of The Ring' series. Almost all aspects of this film were excellent, the music score, the writing and the action sequences throughout the movie. All actors and actresses do a superb job in their roles. But my only real problem with the movie is that the bit with the dragon 'Smaug' felt a bit anti-climatic. Overall it's a movie that I highly recommend you all to watch and it's a great ending to one of the best trilogys in its genre.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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10

banjohorseDec 23, 2014

I've been reading these reviews and I don't think they do it justice. I wasn't sure to give this film a 10, a 0 or a 5 because: this movie is so bad, it may be the best bad film I've ever seen. Scene after scene I was gripping my jeans,I've been reading these reviews and I don't think they do it justice. I wasn't sure to give this film a 10, a 0 or a 5 because: this movie is so bad, it may be the best bad film I've ever seen. Scene after scene I was gripping my jeans, stifling laughter in a struggle not to upset my fellow movie goers. There are so many horribly ridiculous scenes that you are not treating this movie right if you take it seriously. Anyway who claims it's good legitimately hasn't seen a good movie. Anyway who claims it is bad should've noticed the red flags in the first two films. Step aside The Room, you've been beat.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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10

DavidWardenDec 24, 2014

I'm a Hobbit 10/10 .

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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7

PontificatorJan 31, 2015

A good film with superb acting and great effects. Out of all the Hobbit films, this should have been the one to blow the doors off the hinges. Instead I came away with a sense of unfulfilled opportunity and thoughts how it could have beenA good film with superb acting and great effects. Out of all the Hobbit films, this should have been the one to blow the doors off the hinges. Instead I came away with a sense of unfulfilled opportunity and thoughts how it could have been better. That alone has this film cleaving only seven (7) busted blocks as the rest escape in battle… Expand