The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: December 17, 2014
6.9
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 1367 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
884
Mixed:
319
Negative:
164
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6
Fixer84Mar 16, 2023
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Movies with strengths and weaknesses. The biggest flaw is the management of Smaug. All in all presented in the second chapter, in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies practically only the first 10 initial minutes are kept on the screen, resulting completely detached from the economy of the film. Actually inserting it in the Battle of the Five Armies would have been complicated, but its narrative arc does not do justice to how it was presented to us. The value instead is the battle, of course. 100% LOTR.… Expand
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7
JP32Nov 16, 2022
The Battle of the Five Armies—a completely superfluous, but joyously entertaining feature-length action sequence— is pretty much all you’re going to get in this third Hobbit film.
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10
Manuel89qqNov 6, 2022
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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4
liamexeOct 7, 2022
Yes indeed, ladies and gentlemen, hobbits and orcs, the conclusion to our life in Middle Earth and the supposedly grand farewell to 3 years of meandering Hobbit entries is a massive misfire and solid evidence that something from the get-goYes indeed, ladies and gentlemen, hobbits and orcs, the conclusion to our life in Middle Earth and the supposedly grand farewell to 3 years of meandering Hobbit entries is a massive misfire and solid evidence that something from the get-go was a tad NQR about Peter Jackson's follow up to the spectacular and accomplising The Hobbit. There is frequent unwarranted comic relief, horrible and cringe-inducing romantic subplots, strange… Expand
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10
Manuel189qqSep 28, 2022
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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0
ThunderMonkeyJun 16, 2022
I can only think of one expression for this, cheap.
You can tell that the film was produced quickly and did not cost much money.
No comparison, not even close to Lord of the Rings.
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10
Easy_mode123Jun 9, 2022
is this movie great or is this movie great im sorry to say it but the hobbit is better than the lord of the rings.
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8
ErgonimicApr 1, 2022
A really fun and immersive film that starts fast and continues at a fast and good pace. There is no boredom in the film. The only bad thing is that the film is poorly rhythmically
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8
iCampoRamilNov 16, 2021
Me encanta, en todas sus partes, humor, epicidad, y mucho enanismo, claro que sí.
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6
clem666Jun 20, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' begins with the direct continuation of the major cliff-hanger of the previous film. The defeat of Smaug is surprisingly quick and effortless since Bard seems to have better eyes than elves themselves.

The scenes of Dol Guldur are quite interesting despite the numerous flaws we can find about them. I found that the battle with the nine cursed men was really classy, epic and helped us getting a bit off the main plot about the Lonely Mountain and its conquest. This obviously contributed to making the film take much longer and more messy than it could have been decently. You will surely notice that these scenes are closer than fan service for the the LOTR universe and lore rather than trying to add clever content to the Hobbit saga.

Because unfortunately this present saga is all about unidimensional dwarves trying to succeed in an unidimiensional and almost childish quest. They couldn't even nuance it all with this lamentable love sub-plot. Since the second film, I simply cannot see Thorin as a charismatic, heroic character because of his poor acting, terrible dialogue lines, and eternal predictability. In overall acting is bad (and especially for the dwarves excepted maybe from Balin (Ken Stott)) and humour is overly forced.

This movie features some great situations (like Legolas missing arrows for the very first time) but also some terrible ones (like those famous eagles that arrive at the end of the battle to reverse the balance). In conclusion everything is not to be thrown away but yet it could have been way deeper and more interesting. Because here we have a visually terrific feature lacking of meaningul content. We were quite close to an epic finale.… Expand
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10
SamWinchesterMay 11, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is the best movie ever, both for the graphics and I don't know anything better.… Expand
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9
DunyGMar 28, 2021
The book it's based on was one of the only classic books I have read, and I did really like it. Seeing these movies on the screen was different on so many levels.

I really liked the tension and emotional themes in the movie. This movie wasThe book it's based on was one of the only classic books I have read, and I did really like it. Seeing these movies on the screen was different on so many levels.

I really liked the tension and emotional themes in the movie. This movie was really fun for me to watch and I am glad it was for so many of you.… Expand
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7
r96skFeb 21, 2021
Exactly what it says on the tin - to a fault.

Don't get me wrong, I like it. However, towards the end 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' definitely begins to drag quite heavily - the impact of what eventually happens did not, to beExactly what it says on the tin - to a fault.

Don't get me wrong, I like it. However, towards the end 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' definitely begins to drag quite heavily - the impact of what eventually happens did not, to be honest, hit as strongly as it could've/should've. The pure action is good, but there's not much to remember about everything else.

None of the characters, with the exception of Richard Armitage (Thorin) and Luke Evans (Bard) I guess, stand out amidst the wall-to-wall battle. Martin Freeman (Bilb), Ian McKellen (Gandalf) & Co. are are of little importance really, which is a shame.

'The Hobbit' series, unfortunately, gets inferior as it goes by. Loved the first film, enjoyed the second but this third installment - while passable - leaves me with a feeling of wanting something else from it. Happy to have watched them though, I'd still recommend them for sure.… Expand
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4
Mikibruno02Nov 8, 2020
Oh no! I knew it, I'm sorry. Why Peter Jackson ?? Let's start from the beginning. If the first film had a still discreet photography, this film has an obscene and highly opaque photography. Bad CGI! Soundtrack too honeyed and far from HowardOh no! I knew it, I'm sorry. Why Peter Jackson ?? Let's start from the beginning. If the first film had a still discreet photography, this film has an obscene and highly opaque photography. Bad CGI! Soundtrack too honeyed and far from Howard Shore's style, what are you up to master! Little to save, if not a sufficiently interesting plot ... but Legolas, you still ruin the movie! This time my assessment is seriously inadequate. 4.… Expand
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0
NikopooOct 15, 2020
Nobody cares about the dwarves. I understand the premise of choosing a gruff species as the main characters is inherently going to be difficult, but there is so little balance with how they are portrayed, extremely little saving grace. TheNobody cares about the dwarves. I understand the premise of choosing a gruff species as the main characters is inherently going to be difficult, but there is so little balance with how they are portrayed, extremely little saving grace. The only character that was done well at all and to my surprise done extraordinarily well was Bilbo Baggins. The main story however, childish, patronizing, and with very little integrity and genuiness. This is in stark contrast to its' predecessors who took an opposite approach. At the end of the day you can tell the motive from Lord of the rings was to create a story in which people can deeply relate and the Hobbit was clearly to make money alone. For this I am deeply insulted, remove from the fact that Martin Freeman put in some incredible work into these films.… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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6
Cementer200Sep 27, 2020
The Hobbit The Battle of the five armies is a average movie. I feel like The Hobbit could just been one movie but they expand to 3 movies to make more money.
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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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9
DiptanshuJul 4, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great end to the series!it was epic and emotional ride with awesome situations and war sequences,the music was phenomenal and the visuals,CGI and acting it was incredible,the story and screenplay was good,the starting dragon attack right after the end of last movie it was amazing,the dragon destruction in city and the slaying scene from Sailor man it was awesome as hell,the further plot for Sauron and Gandalf was amazingly showcased the Galadriel's rescue of Gandalf against sauron and his 9 men's and there fight it was great.the saruman's expressions's were amazing as glimpse to drawn by evil in sequel trilogy it was amazing.on other side after reclaiming the home the dwarf king's change in attitude and his greed for gold and quest for heart of mountain stone it was dark and amazing the slow transition of him into his grand-father and all after that realization of what's right after Bilbo's amazing and sweet simple trick it was brilliant,the city's aftermath with need to help and then the Elves joining for war for Diamonds and helping men and forming allies it was heated up situation.the other side the Azog's army and prep for sudden attack and everyone ready to war in between the Gandalf's entry and Bilbo's amazing trick of stealing the precious stone and turning the event a little it was clever and great,the whole situation with Dwarf's cousin coming from other side against elves and men's and upon that the azog's army it was literally mind-blowing and shocking situation then the start to war with awesome fights and everyone joining against Orc's then the little little surprises in between the charging back of dwarf's king again to battle after realization then the whole single fights at tower ended with everyone in ground won by help of eagles,other side the Killi's fight and death and Emotional love good-bye to she-elf it was heartbreakingly sad.The death-battle for dwarf's king and azog was literally nail-bitingly epic and emotionally dark and great,the bilbo's last talk with dwarf king was emotional as hell,it was heart-breaking and satisfying end as per character arc to dwarfs.the Legolas further journey and that reference to Aragon meeting was awesome as hell,the ending for Sailor men and everyone was satisfying,the closing scenes with Bilbo back in sweet Shire and the Narration ended with connected to the originals it was literally beautiful end!the whole movie was full of awesome war and fights with incredible and emotional end to the series its a great movie!… Expand
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10
alijarchiieFeb 2, 2020
Love u peter love you so much thanks god for you live in the same time with u
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5
Jaredc324Dec 11, 2019
The worst of the 3, and shows why the Hobbit would've been better as two films. Battle of the Five Armies, while it brings the magic, the wonder and the melancholy we love from Peter Jackson's middle Earth films, it just feels like anThe worst of the 3, and shows why the Hobbit would've been better as two films. Battle of the Five Armies, while it brings the magic, the wonder and the melancholy we love from Peter Jackson's middle Earth films, it just feels like an over-run afterthought. Battle sequences carried out for no reason, and a story that didn't really have sense in being over 2 and a half hours long. It still delivers, and it's love tale between Tauriel and Kili that kept me awake. But all in all, over-extends a story made to be a 3 hour epic. And man it should've been.… Expand
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10
BeatrixKiddoSep 8, 2019
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It was epic!
I mean, seriously? why so much negativity here? because it was no Lotr? come on! I still don't understand why non-sense Pulp Fiction has 8.9 in imdb and this masterpiece has only 7.4. People are crazy! Also, cgi was not a problem in Avengers, but it was here? poor arguments... Nevermind, let's focus on the story. I liked the book more, but it doesn't matter, the movies were satisfying and decent too. First two movies were watchable and I found them at least "good", they were very entertaining. The 3rd movie was a masterful piece of work by Peter Jackson. First of all, l liked the fact that it had more action than the previous films. It was visually stunning, I loved the cinematography, it reminded me of The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King. I liked the acting (especially Richard Armitage's, l think it was the best acting of that year and the best performance in all six Middle Earth movies.. also, his best performance so far), Martin Freeman was also very good in his role as Bilbo.. Additionally, l liked the fights especially Thorin vs Azog battle, I loved the emotional moments, the ethical/moral messages and I think Thorin's and Kili's death were some of the saddest "deaths" in film history. I also liked the music theme ("The Last Goodbye"). I don't know why but this movie still makes me feel some kind of nostalgia and jubelation at the same time. I think it was a great conclusion to the epic tale. I strongly believe this movie was really unappreciated and it deserved better ratings. 10/10 for me, it's one of my favorite movies ever!… Expand
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
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
DominArsenDec 8, 2018
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Le Hobbit : la Bataille des Cinq Armées est pour moi un bon film.
Fun et qui as surement dû demander beaucoup de travail.
Mais Découpage lamentable et dragon expédié en 10 minutes.
Les musiques rappellent celle du Hobbit 1 et 2, mais surtout de seigneur des anneaux la trilogie originale qui reste mieux que celle si.
La 3D n'est pas inutile dans celui-ci, mais comme d'habitude la pub Harribo fait bobo.
Les effets: on a l'impression que c'est un jeu vidéo et c'est super fun, les combats sont dynamique voire un peut trop et c'est la qu'est son principal défaut. Nous ne somme pas tous en HFR il y a des flous de partout quand ça va trop vite et on ne détermine plus que des Halos (p'ti clin d'oeil pour les fans) de lumières et c'est dommage ;) Une partit totalement n'importe quoi c'est quand vous pourrez voir les images subliminales et que vous passerez un lavage de cerveau. Je ne sais pas ce qui a pris a Peter Jackson, mais la il a mis le paquet.
Les personnages alors moi je ne sais pas vous, mais les deux orques j'ai du mal à faire la différence. Certain personnage sont rajouté [spoiler] que pour faire une histoire d'amour qui par définition dans un film Epic ce fini toujours à la fin de la même manière .... [/spoiler] on ne s'attache à peux voire uniquement aux personnages qu'on connaît dans la trilogie originale sauf le hobbit.
Mais le plus grand d'entre eu et LEGOLAS (alias Orlando Bloom j'adore) [spoiler] qui casse la baraque se prend des coups, brise des bâtiments et [/spoiler] ne saigne même pas, un peut comme HULK, mais dans cette série il ne rigole jamais alors il était peux être un sociopathe avant de faire les défis avec Gimbli je ne sais pas.
Il y a plus de clins d'oeil à la série originale et ça fait plaisir ;
Si vous êtes fan foncer sinon ça dépendra des autres films proposés...
Pour finir un bon gros défouloir avec plein d'effet.… Expand
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5
SchnitzelPoofNov 4, 2018
I am not sure what had transpired in Peter Jackson's head between making the excellent LOTR films, and the Hobbit trilogy, but with each new film, we're getting a bigger visual spectacle, which is more devoid of any real depth behind theI am not sure what had transpired in Peter Jackson's head between making the excellent LOTR films, and the Hobbit trilogy, but with each new film, we're getting a bigger visual spectacle, which is more devoid of any real depth behind the flashy visuals.
The last one, The Battle of the Five Armies, is about war. Now, I know a thing or two about war, and this was NOT war. It is perhaps what a 4 year old might think war looks like: devoid of all reasonable positioning, tactics, use of terrain, and even consistency in troop performance, but filled with "cool" moments. From Elves jumping over a phalanx of Dwarves straight into a charging enemy, ruining the whole point of the bracing formation AND making sure they will themselves be skewered on their allies spears; to a group of lightly armed peasants somehow holding a city against an army of heavily armored, battle hardened orcs; and finally heroes that slaughter hundreds of enemies with the same ease a grown man can crush ants with his boot - thus nullifying any sense of threat, or dread. More can be said about the fact that seeing someone dancing on screen with a couple of swords and perfect choreography is not a replacement for watching a protagonist overcome real adversity.
In short, if you liked seeing Legolas and Gimli fighting in the first films, get ready to have then multiplied by 12 or something, and buffed by 100.
What was the purpose of it all? It's the movie equivalent of blowing up a yearly city budget on a fireworks display. Was it all meant to be an empty, ludicrous spectacle? Was it meant to impress simpletons? Was it easier to pay the CGI department than hire a consultant who has actual knowledge in warfare, and a writer who knows storytelling?

I am sorry that this is the state of the film. I am sorry that this was, for the most part, the state of the entire trilogy. I am sorry that it did not move, inspire, or captivate me - because we'll never get another Hobbit film. This is it.… Expand
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7
ErikTheCriticSep 25, 2018
You will be fully entertained by the first-rate visuals and rousing battle scenes, but you might be wanting more substance and more emotion between characters.
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3
LuhterMay 3, 2018
- boring
- the elves feel like superheroes - mediocre score
- the plot is stretched just to fill the running time
- feels rushed
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3
FilipeNetoApr 29, 2018
This film ends "The Hobbit" trilogy, which is a prequel to "Lord of the Rings". Its not a trilogy that has reached to the third film in the best shape, since all the magic that LOTR had to spare is totally absent from the first two films. InThis film ends "The Hobbit" trilogy, which is a prequel to "Lord of the Rings". Its not a trilogy that has reached to the third film in the best shape, since all the magic that LOTR had to spare is totally absent from the first two films. In this film, Thorin Oakenshield's company conquers the lonely mountain and the dragon is defeated, but the fate of the dwarven treasure is uncertain as it is disputed by many interested parties.

I cannot comment on how Peter Jackson and his team adapt the original material of J.R.R. Tolkien because I never read it. As far as the actors' work is concerned, I think the film has sinned by scattering too much attention in a wide range of eminently secondary characters, stealing the scene from the main actors in the trilogy such as Richard Armitage (Thorin) or Martin Freeman (Bilbo). The latter was particularly affected: Bilbo was almost relegated to the supporting cast. Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), who are largely secondary characters, have more time on the screen than the little hobbit who tells us everything. This was very bad for the film and the trilogy, and unfair to the good work developed by Freeman. Despite this, most actors have risen to the challenge with solid, credible and consistent interpretations. The rhythm of the film seems strange: the first half-hour is an endless CGI action show, followed by an hour of slow battle preparations, where the audience almost falls asleep. Then, suddenly, we are again thrown into the middle of the action and the incessant CGI, which bombards us with sound and images to the point that everything seems pointless and meaningless. The incompetent and unfortunate cinematography we criticized in the early films continues to victimize key action sequences, just as brutal CGI abuse, who makes them increasingly unrealistic and boring. The soundtrack, by Howard Shore, is at the level of expectations, as in the whole trilogy.

With "The Battle of the Five Armies" comes to an end one of the biggest disappointments I've had, as far as cinema is concerned. I confess that I expected much more from this trilogy. There was enough quality material for an trilogy equal (if not better) as "Lord of the Rings". The actors did their best, and I have no doubt they would have done better if they could. The script failed because it was too deconcentrated (mostly in this movie). The director, Peter Jackson, has failed and will surely join George Lucas in the list of absurdly addicted to redundant and meaningless special effects. It's a good thing that there will not be a fourth movie.Certain things have a time to end, and LOTR has has exceeded this time thanks to this unfortunate trilogy. So, let "Lord of The Rings" rest in peace.… Expand
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10
SirKrustyMar 8, 2018
Best movie in the Trilogy in my opinion. I am sorta a Action Addict, so if you are looking for a movie with a great story, this movie is not for you. Dain Ironfoot is one of the biggest Bad A**es in movie history and I now have an Iron HillsBest movie in the Trilogy in my opinion. I am sorta a Action Addict, so if you are looking for a movie with a great story, this movie is not for you. Dain Ironfoot is one of the biggest Bad A**es in movie history and I now have an Iron Hills banner in my room. Underneath it is an Ironfoot Helmet. I recommend this to anyone looking for a great action fantasy movie!… Expand
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8
merijnjFeb 21, 2018
(76/100)
The worst one in the Hobbit trilogy but a good movie nonetheless. Action was a bit mind numbing sometimes and the green screen was painfully obvious sometimes.
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9
spacebear1Jan 4, 2018
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a wonderful concluding chapter in this amazing film trilogy. Whereas the first film took a little while to start up, this film is almost non stop action. I really loved, of course, theThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a wonderful concluding chapter in this amazing film trilogy. Whereas the first film took a little while to start up, this film is almost non stop action. I really loved, of course, the cinematography, the characters, and the amazing action scenes. In the end, I absolutely love this film and it's really great.… Expand
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4
wiiy71Dec 30, 2017
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7
Mihael_Prislin0Dec 30, 2017
The movie was great! I watched it in theatres with my sister and it was awesome. But there were maybe too many visuals and at some point I thought I was watching a cartoon. Although critics didn't like the movie, for me it is a fine definingThe movie was great! I watched it in theatres with my sister and it was awesome. But there were maybe too many visuals and at some point I thought I was watching a cartoon. Although critics didn't like the movie, for me it is a fine defining chapter of the Middle-Earth saga. I don't want to see another Peter Jackson's establishment because it might be too much!… Expand
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3
DomgwyDec 20, 2017
Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy comes to a bombastic conclusion in a film thats all crash with very little wallop.

We all know at this point that the Hobbit trilogy is a bit of an overblown mess, that really should have been a straightforwardPeter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy comes to a bombastic conclusion in a film thats all crash with very little wallop.

We all know at this point that the Hobbit trilogy is a bit of an overblown mess, that really should have been a straightforward two parter at the very most. Living in the long shadow of The Lord of the Rings series this prequel trilogy (even typing that makes me feel dirty) has struggled to find its own identity.

However outside of the heavy weight of five films and fourteen years of cinematic backstory The Battle of the Five Armies (or TBOTFA as I’ll refer to it) remains an enjoyable, if OTT entry into the saga.

The two crowning jewels of the series have been Martin Freeman’s Bilbo and Ian McKellen’s Gandalf. Freeman is fantastic as eponymous Hobbit bringing warmth, humour and at times great pathos to a part that has often become lost in his own story.

As for the Gandalf the Grey, McKellen is effortless in his career defining role.

The rest of the cast also step up for their final bows. I have never been impressed with Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the dwarf party tasked with reclaiming his ancestral home from Smaug (the Dragon voiced, briefly, by Benedict Cumberbatch). However in this concluding part of the story the actor is given some interesting, if sometimes overdone, material to work with as the King under the mountain descends into a paranoid madness while he protects his newly claimed horde.

Luke Evans’ rather thankless role in part two is also given much more screen time. Unfortunately many of the Hobbit characters can’t help but come across as pale imitations of their Lord of the Rings counterparts. Evan’s Bard is the honourable, reluctant leader, a lot like Aragon, while Ryan Gage plays a far less creepy and more comical version of Grima Wormtogue. Thorin’s journey from honourable to corrupt and back again also offers a mirror image to Boromir’s arc in The Fellowship of the Ring.

The ‘battle’ of the title is unfortunately the weakest part of the film. With far too much CGI and not enough character the Siege of Erebor doesn’t hold a candle to the battle for Helm’s Deep. This isn’t surprising when you consider the different techniques used to make the films. The Lord of the Rings trilogy often relied on practical effects, make up and real locations to achieve its spectacle. People got dirty making those films, people got hurt. The Hobbit looks as though it was filmed on a soundstage or a green screen studio with the cast never too far from their armchairs and books. All the perilous action was left to the computers.

While there are some awe inspiring and at times emotive scenes in the film, there are an equal number of laughable moments of sheer ridiculous, overblown action in the style of the Star Wars prequels (shudder). At times it feels like you're watching someone else play World of Warcraft. The final confrontations, although far better than the large scale battles, are spoiled slightly by a few really silly moments. There’s one involving ice that actually got a big laugh from the audience and less said about Legolas’s work on the falling staircase the better. The CG throughout the film is a mixed bag, when it works we get Smaug’s attack on Laketown, when it doesn’t we get Billy Connolly’s character who I swear just stepped right out of Who Framed Rodger Rabbit.

Unfortunately the effects side of the film pulls focus from the characters and story, resulting in meaningful moments and deaths often falling flat. The sequence involving Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett is an insane fever dream that leaves plenty of questions unanswered and doesn’t really add much to the overall story.

The effects can’t be blamed for all the films’ failures, however. Sometimes the script can produce just as many cringe worthy moments. The ‘love’ story between Aidan Turner’s Kili and Evangeline Lilly’s Tauriel is ridiculous and condescending to the Nth degree. The film makers are essentially saying ‘lets throw something in for the wives and girlfriends’ and think that a poorly executed and unwritten romance is the answer. Then there’s the comedy relief of Ryan Cage’s character which strays into pure Jar-Jar Binks territory.

After the chaos of the Battle the film and (hopefully) The Middle Earth Saga draws to close in a suitably small way as McKellen and Freeman share a couple of reflective, underplayed moments that then link directly to their scenes in The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Battle of the Five Armies cannot live up to its Lord of the Rings predecessors. With too much over the top action and serious character development problems outside of the main protagonists, I can see general audiences struggling to engage with this final entry. Ultimately many will just be glad that it’s all over, which is a shame given the heights the series has reached in the past.… Expand
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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.
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6
mugen_is_hereNov 27, 2017
It was an okay watch.

Gandolf could whack people with a stick, as in all the other parts (yes I know he does a _few_ other tricks but showing him so underpowered is one aspect of the whole series that I honestly hate). He's supposed to be aIt was an okay watch.

Gandolf could whack people with a stick, as in all the other parts (yes I know he does a _few_ other tricks but showing him so underpowered is one aspect of the whole series that I honestly hate). He's supposed to be a much stronger character than what they show him to be in the movie.

The main plotline was _okay_. The battle was chaotic and unmemorable. The hobbit + the dwarf king really shine in the movie. I felt like they've brought up the rating majorly by their excellent acting.


Overall it was a forgettable experience. I watched the movie completely and then forgot about it. After 2 months I noticed it lying on my hard disk and thought that I haven't seen it. So I watched it once again. About an hour into the movie I started realizing that I _have_ seen it. I had to skip forward slowly till the end to confirm that I have indeed watched it. The whole point that I'm trying to make here is that there was nothing memorable about this movie apart from the beginning 20 minutes and the hobbit in a couple of scenes.… Expand
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3
SpiRoMar 7, 2015
One of the worst book adaptations i ever saw. They changed story so much for no reason at all. Ending was simply left out, you don't see what happened with Erabor, Gold, Dwarfs, Dale, Humans or Elves..

Were-worms ? Jesus Christ, come on.One of the worst book adaptations i ever saw. They changed story so much for no reason at all. Ending was simply left out, you don't see what happened with Erabor, Gold, Dwarfs, Dale, Humans or Elves..

Were-worms ? Jesus Christ, come on.

Just a horrible movie..… Expand
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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
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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.
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7
Jack97Dec 17, 2016
It has a tonne of noticeable CGI, bad humor and some cheesy moments here and there. But apart from that, the final installment of The Hobbit trilogy gives you the epic battle you've been waiting for in mostly spectacular fashion.
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3
ViljanenSep 21, 2016
It's basically 2+ hours of action that is supposed to be the battle of five armies. There is none of the epic feeling of the battles is the LotR movies, none of the buildup or character development. Instead Jackson decided to make this aIt's basically 2+ hours of action that is supposed to be the battle of five armies. There is none of the epic feeling of the battles is the LotR movies, none of the buildup or character development. Instead Jackson decided to make this a comedy action movie with a fast-paced "funny" action scenes after one another. I got bored at one hour mark and after realizing that it would still go on for more than an hour more, completely lost my interest to the movie.… Expand
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6
SeeRossRunJul 19, 2016
Don't get my mediocre rating wrong, its still a great movie. What i find humorous about this trilogy is that it addresses detractors from the first trilogy that cried he cut too much out. So this trilog; he left as much as he could in andDon't get my mediocre rating wrong, its still a great movie. What i find humorous about this trilogy is that it addresses detractors from the first trilogy that cried he cut too much out. So this trilog; he left as much as he could in and added the simirilian. Now it's too long and over bloated. I generally agree it is too long and could have been completed in 2 movies. Hollywood shouldn't push so hard for trilogies and franchises in sacrifice of a well written story. There was also a distinct stylistic change in makeup, set design and costume that didn't work for me. I understand the choice, but think they should have stuck with the same pallet from LoTR.… Expand
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6
nahtan1244Jul 2, 2016
As you may know from looking at my old reviews I have really enjoyed the hobbit movies. While the first was not perfect in terms of pacing it also had some unnecessary scenes like the rock fight for example it was an enjoyable from start toAs you may know from looking at my old reviews I have really enjoyed the hobbit movies. While the first was not perfect in terms of pacing it also had some unnecessary scenes like the rock fight for example it was an enjoyable from start to finish and while the second improved on pacing and was darker than the last the laketown politics put the movies pace to an annoying halt and kinda kept it from being perfect. It was not completely unnecessary to a certain extent but could have been shorter. The hobbit battle of the five armies is not a perfect but fairly satisfying conclusion to the hobbit trilogy. Lets start with the positives. The big action sequence was fun to watch. Martin freeman as always shines as Bilbo and we finally get to say good bye to Alfred. He was annoying. Gandalf shines like he always does and the dwarfs are fun to watch. The scene where smaug is destroying laketown was well done and is one of the best parts of this film. However the scene where legleos is defying gravity all I could was why peter Jackson must you do this why. Also were supposed to feel for touriel once her "love" dies but we don't because that stupid love story was completely underdeveloped. The movies run time also prevented this movie from being even more satisfying and epic than it came out to be. If it was about on par with the rest I think it would have been better. That's why you need to watch the extended addition it feels like a much more complete end to the hobbit films. This movie feels like Jackson just wanted to end the hobbit films. It is nowhere near as bad as the critics are making it out to be and feels pretty satisfying but nowhere near as good as the first two and will never feel as satisfying or as epic as the return of the king.… Expand
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4
DarthAlienMay 31, 2016
Let's make this straight. The Hobbit (which is a 300 page book) was divided into 3 bloated, overelaborated films. When you compare this to the LOTR trilogy, (which was made of 3 400 page books), you will definitely find this fact absurd.
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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.
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1
night4Apr 28, 2016
This was just horrible to watch for so many reasons. The worst is the way the movie basically takes a big steamy crap on the book, especially after how much effort went into making the first one decently accurate (minus Radagast, ugh).
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9
AlexappletonApr 27, 2016
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Why People Don’t Understand The Hobbit Trilogy

The Hobbit film trilogy is one of the most misjudged film series released in this era. This is due to the common misconceptions about the movies true intentions and the message it is actually trying to send. And as we all know there are some characters that aren’t in the books, we know the CGI gets a little choppy here and there, but the common media has been so stuck on those little things that everyone has forgotten about how The Hobbit gave us some good laughs, made us cry, and had us sucked in because we really cared about each one of those weird little dwarves. This trilogy was meant to be an adventurous tale about a group of “friends” that just want to reclaim their home from the clutches of evil. Nothing more. So let’s take a moment and look at why exactly these common ‘issues’ with The Hobbit were actually intentional and why they should not be frowned upon as they are so often.
Even the book The Hobbit was not meant to be the most intense and serious adventure story that you’ll ever read. But people still hate on Jackson because he’s not taking this quest about 13 dwarves going to take their gold from a dragon “seriously”. This is fairy tale stuff, and this is supposed to be fun. It would take you about 10 seconds to find an online review about how “everyone” hates that Bilbo was portrayed in the series as a joker of sorts rather than more seriously, not to mention the fact that Radagast is hilariously awkward and loony (as Jackson meant him to be). These characters are like this INTENTIONALLY. There is supposed to be witty banter, there is supposed to be some awkward moments and it is just simply not meant to be The Lord of the Rings.

One of the largest reasons for criticism of The Hobbit is because Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies are the only other comparable pieces of work. The Hobbit is inherently a children’s story and LotR is not, it’s just that simple. Yes they are in the same universe, yes they share characters, yes both really do involve many of the same elements, but other than aesthetics, they are nothing near the same thing. For those who have watched LotR, you’d know that it’s really a serious story and after watching The Hobbit, it’s clear to tell which of the two trilogies is supposed to be more dark. This is important to know because of the misconceptions people have about the movie and its intentions and knowing this actually proves them wrong. Watching it from the perspective of just enjoying something that is fun is a lot different than going into a movie expecting death and destruction. After looking at these films through this scope it is clear to see why it really isn’t near as bad as you may have originally thought.

One thing that really gets endless complaint comments is the CGI. When it comes to the CGI of the movie there are slight issues occasionally, the river scene with the barrels isn’t the greatest, the armies of elves and dwarves look way too synchronized and computerized, Dain looks like he came straight out of a video game, but other than that it is dead on. However, there is one key word that summarizes some of the greatest effects of the whole film. Smaug. He is realistically terrifying, monstrous in size, and every scale looks as if it was placed by a CGI god. Past Smaug is the landscape, which is of course going to be amazing in Middle Earth just as it was in Lord of the Rings. You instantly feel as if you just slipped on your leather vest and boots and stepped yourself right into a whole new world that is even more beautiful than a hike through the mountains in the middle of fall. Now you may be thinking, “Well haven’t I heard someone complain about how the world looks?”, and you probably have. This bashing is because of the fact that the landscape isn’t near as ‘real’ as the world in LotR was (since LotR didn’t use very much CGI in terms of the land), but nobody can deny that it still looks beautiful and largely contributes to the immersion of the films.

There are obviously some issues with the common conceptions of this film series and this is due to people thinking they were reading the movie correctly, as they were not. Now granted The Lord of the Rings was ridiculously epic, but it was made for entirely different reasons so the comparison of the two is essentially a huge waste of everyone’s time. All in all The Hobbit is meant to be fun and it’s meant to be kind of silly and it isn’t meant to be super serious like the previous Middle Earth installations. If you haven’t seen this movie you’ve been wasting time, if you doubted its potential you were misled, and if you saw it and hated it you very obviously did not pay very close attention. Go watch this, re-watch it, or whatever you need to do with what I’ve said in mind and your opinion will undoubtedly shift.… Expand
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7
aadityamudharApr 18, 2016
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
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7
gameguardian21Mar 20, 2016
While the story lacks interest and plot. The action is amazing without having a single flaw. From the arrows flying, to swords clashing, this was called battle of the five armies for a reason.
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7
EpicLadySpongeJan 26, 2016
Oh wow... this movie felt like a letdown for users. If opinions didn't exist, well.... I don't know what happens and you don't want to know either unless you get the opinion logic. The worse part about that is... there's 0's here! Let'sOh wow... this movie felt like a letdown for users. If opinions didn't exist, well.... I don't know what happens and you don't want to know either unless you get the opinion logic. The worse part about that is... there's 0's here! Let's transfer all of that on my 0's and it'll be better that way. The weakest in the trilogy and it was just the end for the Hobbit trilogy.… Expand
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3
FrenchmanDec 27, 2015
What a boring one, bad CGI, predictable events, useless things just put there out of nowhere to fill the tape. An awful way to finish the saga, did they even care?
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2
nablaDec 25, 2015
This whole trilogy is just a cash-in. And what a bad one... It's really sad watching Peter Jackson screwing it up a third time. Pale and boring main actor, no character buildup whatsoever, silly jokes all over the place and on top of thatThis whole trilogy is just a cash-in. And what a bad one... It's really sad watching Peter Jackson screwing it up a third time. Pale and boring main actor, no character buildup whatsoever, silly jokes all over the place and on top of that even more CGI. It's just way too much and it destroys the immersion completely IMHO.… Expand
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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
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csw12Nov 26, 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. One of the worst movies in years.… Expand
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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
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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
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5
MauerOct 25, 2015
While the movie is entertaining and features great CGI, it lacks spirit and depth known from The Lord of the Rings. The entire Hobbit trilogy could have been a single movie, but instead, it was divided into three separate ones - and neitherWhile the movie is entertaining and features great CGI, it lacks spirit and depth known from The Lord of the Rings. The entire Hobbit trilogy could have been a single movie, but instead, it was divided into three separate ones - and neither of them is able to replicate what made LotR a cult phenomenon.… Expand
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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
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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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5
FreezeBlade1220Sep 6, 2015
All I can say is: during the non action parts, I almost wanted to leave the theater or fall asleep. I seen some boring movies in theaters before, but nothing like this.
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7
grandpajoe6191Aug 27, 2015
Though the movie seems to be a bit rushed and brusque in manner, "The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies" does not fail to deliver the epic finale to its newest Peter Jackson trilogy.
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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8
DanilSirotkinJul 31, 2015
В 2014 вышел тизер Хоббита: Битвы Пяти Воинств (The Hobbit : The Battle of the Five Armies), который мне особо не понравился. 6 ноября же вышел трейлер, который мне очень понравился. Он был хорошо сделанным и тревожным. Весной 2015 яВ 2014 вышел тизер Хоббита: Битвы Пяти Воинств (The Hobbit : The Battle of the Five Armies), который мне особо не понравился. 6 ноября же вышел трейлер, который мне очень понравился. Он был хорошо сделанным и тревожным. Весной 2015 я посмотрел сам фильм, находясь в состоянии жуткой депрессии. Скажу сразу, "Битва" понравилась мне больше "Пустоши", но значительно меньше, чем "Путешествие". Кстати, этот фильм окончательно поменял концепцию прошлых фильмов. Например: 1) в заставке "Hobbit" играет не тема Шира, как обычно, а тема Смауга. 2) в фильме нет пролога, он начинается сразу с того, на чём закончился прошлый фильм. 3) фильм самый короткий из всей саги. 4) в фильме мало музыки. СЮЖЕТ: Смауг сжигает город, Бард его эффектно убивает, дракон эффектно подыхает. Люди сооружают лагерь на берегу. Торин окончательно сходит с ума. Гномы сооружают стену из камней. Гэндальф сбегает с Дол Гулдура после того, как Совет Мудрых изгоняет некроманта. К горе подходит армия лесных эльфов во главе с Трандуилом на своём лосе. Трандуил объявляет о желании забрать сокровища, которые ему принадлежат. Торин посылает его. Подъезжает Бард, который пытается уговорить Торина. Торин посылает его. Бард предлагает Торину выбор - "Мир или война". Понятно, что выбрал Торин. Трандуил не намерен терпеть это, и собирается "выкурить" гномов с горы. Тут подходит армия гномов с железных гор во главе с братом Торина, - Даином Железностопом, который оказывается очень колоритным персонажем, и который колоритно осаждает Трандуила. Трандуил не вытерпивает. Ещё бы немного, и началась бы битва между эльфами, гномами и людьми. Но ситуацию "спасает" Азог, так вовремя подоспевший с огромной армией нечисти. Начинается великая Битва Пяти Воинств, в которой Торин не участвует, а отсиживается в горе и чахнет над золотом. Но в какой то момент у него начинаются глюки (красиво снятые). Он очищается от драконьей болезни и выходит в последний бой, вместе с другими гномами. Далее следует очень эффектная битва между Торином и Азогом, в которой обои побеждают, прокалывая друг друга. Фили и Кили тоже умирают. Торин прощается с Бильбо красивой речью. Бильбо плачет над телом Торина. Позже Бильбо возвращается домой, и обнаруживает, что его здесь считают чуть ли не за мёртвого, а дом вместе со всеми вещами распродают на аукционе. Бильбо всё возвращает себе. Зайдя в дом, он смотрит на кольцо. Нас отсылают к началу Братства Кольца. В дверь стучится Гэндальф. КОНЕЦ. Да, вы правильно заметили, этот фильм ближе к книге, чем предыдущий. Духа Толкина уже побольше. Однако, это фильм нельзя считать идеальным, к сожалению, в отличии от первых четырёх фильмов. Минусы: 1) фильм сильно порезан, монтаж очень плохой, из-за этого не сразу понимаешь быстрые события, что происходят на экране. (Режиссёрская версия просто обязана это исправить!). 2) Мало музыки, и, что удивительно для Шора, она не всегда хорошая. К тому же он стал заниматься самоповторением. К сожалению, он в этот раз подвёл даже больше, чем в прошлый (что ещё более странно для музыканта такого уровня, как он, обладающего отличным музыкальным слухом). 3) слишком много компьютерной графики, к тому же недоделанной, что смахивает на хорошую компьютерную игру, но никак не на фильм. (вся армия эльфов нарисована на компьютере, да ещё и с одинаковыми лицами!). 4) маленький хронометраж для фильма про Средиземье, что не в духе Джексона. 5) Пресловутая любовная линия, совершенно здесь неуместная, и с которой трудно смириться. Плюсы: 1) отличная игра актёров, на голову выше, чем в "Пустоши". Особенно понравились: Ричард Армитэдж, который отлично сыграл безумие Торина, Билли Конноли (колоритный Даин ). Бильбо тоже хорош, и уже не так теряется среди других персонажей, как во втором фильме. 2) чувство тревоги на протяжении всего фильма, ощущение накаляющегося конфликта. 3) отдельное спасибо за битву Торина с Азогом. Итак, Джексон ещё дердит марку, фильм, как и "Пустошь", получился хорошим, а в режиссёрской версии, я думаю, будет отличным, не на 8/10, а на 9/10, но не шедевральным, как первые 4. Очень надеюсь на режиссёрскую версию. Вот тогда, прощальный фильм удастся. А пока не прощаемся. Да, в принципе, сага о Средиземье подошла к концу, ибо прав на Сильмариллион у Джексона нет. Но я уверен, Сильм всё таки не за горами. 90/100 - реж. версия, 85/100 - театр. версия. В общем - 8.5/10, 4.5/5, 3.5/4.… Expand
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5
TrilobiteGJul 20, 2015
How disappointing, for a trilogy with such potential it just has to end like this. I'll start with the positives, of course the battles are very nice to look at and the cinematography is next generation. I also really enjoyed AlfridHow disappointing, for a trilogy with such potential it just has to end like this. I'll start with the positives, of course the battles are very nice to look at and the cinematography is next generation. I also really enjoyed Alfrid Lickspittle in this movie as well, his sub story was funny and interesting to watch him as a character progressively fail because of his morals. And now the negatives. The Ending to this movie was the longest ending I have ever witnessed in a movie and it just did not stop. OK WE GET IT! KILL THE GUY ALREADY FOR GOD'S SAKE! Another negative would have to be that the dialogue from the first hobbit movie was doubled. Another time filling **** strategy to have some deep meaning which could be cut down incredibly, the whole Oakenshield spat with Bilbo was exactly like the return of the king ending, except return of the king made that scene 15 minutes shorter thank Christ. And my final negative, Smaug was not in this movie for as long as I wish he was. This movie's poster had him stampeding towards a bridge but what we got was that and then his death. Awful. Should've been much longer and that should've replaced the ****ty oakenshield drama with his morals and the mountain and that. I suppose this is not the worst thing to be produced. Could've been much much worse I digress.… Expand
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4
Trev29Jul 17, 2015
How could such talented people in front of and behind the camera be responsible for such an underwhelming film? It boggles me that this is the same director of Lord of the Rings. There is no story, expect for a bunch of video game actionHow could such talented people in front of and behind the camera be responsible for such an underwhelming film? It boggles me that this is the same director of Lord of the Rings. There is no story, expect for a bunch of video game action scenes that are bad.… Expand
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1
Patrick94Jun 28, 2015
7 out of 10? Are you people stupid? What a mess. It's like Peter Jackson just threw his hands up in the air after running out of ideas and said "f*Ck it! let's throw in an hour-long war scene for the ending!". ****ty CGI, ****ty "plot" (hey7 out of 10? Are you people stupid? What a mess. It's like Peter Jackson just threw his hands up in the air after running out of ideas and said "f*Ck it! let's throw in an hour-long war scene for the ending!". ****ty CGI, ****ty "plot" (hey guys, here's that dude from the previous movie, hey there's that guy, hey, now they're talking to each other, this is exciting guys! Okay, now that everyone's in the same place at the same time.... war scene! THE END.) That's it, that's all you get. I almost feel like this is an attempt to get people to buy the LOTR blu-ray collection because people want to erase this **** from their memories.… Expand
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7
chepod8Jun 11, 2015
Probablemente sea la de las trilogías menos memorables de los últimos años, tan innecesario como el presenciar cinco bandos que pelean por razones distintas.
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5
PeterAlexanderJun 11, 2015
Peter Jackson fails to conclude the Hobbit trilogy in the magnificent fashion many had both wished and expected. The Battle of the Five Armies had an abundance of potential, but ultimately failed to provide the epic conclusion the trilogyPeter Jackson fails to conclude the Hobbit trilogy in the magnificent fashion many had both wished and expected. The Battle of the Five Armies had an abundance of potential, but ultimately failed to provide the epic conclusion the trilogy needed. Whilst never reaching the heights of the Lord of the Rings, the previous installments of the Hobbit trilogy had me going into the Battle of Five Armies with optimism. Unfortunately my expectations were too high, as Peter Jackson disgraced his name by destroying any means of a successful concluding chapter. Due to the final films vast over reliance on CGI, terribly off-putting humour, poor character development and dialogue, and an unrealistic and disengaging final battle, my view of the Hobbit trilogy as a whole was sadly dampened.… Expand
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8
jacob4Jun 8, 2015
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A some what disappointing conclusion to The Hobbit trilogy filled with inaccuracies such as: characters dying the wrong way compared to how they died in the book, more than five armies battling each other, Tauriel and Legolas are still not part of the story, you only got to see Beorn fight as a bear for like five seconds and not kill Bolg like he did in the book, the Earth Eater worms that weren't even in the book, and the Eagle showing up to the rescue even though they didn't show up to the battle in the book. But still the movie had awesome battle scenes, spectacular effects, interesting characters, and heart tugging moments. Even though this movie wasn't like The Return of the King, it still would be nice to finish The Hobbit trilogy and see how it all ends. You know, this might just be the last Middle Earth movie you'll ever see. Unless they reboot the franchise, or make Shadow of Mordor or The Silmarillion into movies/… Expand
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6
Iky009Jun 3, 2015
If Peter Jackson impressed the whole world with a battle and an epic final at KING'S RETURN, it seems that he can not repeat what the consecrated 10 years ago. Slow and tedious start to a grandly beautiful movie as a whole, I think the onlyIf Peter Jackson impressed the whole world with a battle and an epic final at KING'S RETURN, it seems that he can not repeat what the consecrated 10 years ago. Slow and tedious start to a grandly beautiful movie as a whole, I think the only thing we missed awake for a long time is the scene of battles that are amazing since the rest is not best quote.
The epic finale could be yes really '' EPIC '' but for me it was not, the end result is a film that can normalzinho to sleep and have fun for a few minutes and yet strangely enough to be interesting.… Expand
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6
SpiderPlayerMay 25, 2015
Good movie, has a history not very good, the special effects are impressive, the film is long but not as engaging, the action scenes are good, but are very exaggerated, had parts of the film in which I no longer take it anymore so action scenes.
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7
TokyochuchuMay 19, 2015
The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies is a decent but entirely predictable send off for the Middle Earth series. The battle scenes are done well and there is enough here to satisfy... But we've seen pretty much everything this movie has toThe Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies is a decent but entirely predictable send off for the Middle Earth series. The battle scenes are done well and there is enough here to satisfy... But we've seen pretty much everything this movie has to offer before. It also doesn't quite match up to the quality of it's direct predecessor, either. Still nice, though.… Expand
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8
TheApplegnomeMay 9, 2015
Updated Review:
The defining chapter of The Hobbit is here, and it’s just spectacular as it is emotional. But after a few times watching it, it did get lame.
I entered the cinema with both low and high expectations because this last filmUpdated Review:
The defining chapter of The Hobbit is here, and it’s just spectacular as it is emotional. But after a few times watching it, it did get lame.

I entered the cinema with both low and high expectations because this last film of Middle-Earth must be good if it’s going to connect with The Lord of the Rings. I really liked The Desolation of Smaug, but the thing that frightened me most was that this last movie of the franchise might have a bad connection with TLotR, but I have never been so wrong. It really feels like a prequel to The Fellowship of the Ring. But at the same time it could have had a more emotional ending and a better conclusion of the trilogy. The movie starts where The Desolation of Smaug ended, with high amount of action and you really feel like you’re in the movie, especially with High Frame Rate. It’s so smooth. I really like the opening scene, and seeing it in both 3D and HFR is superb, so much more 3D-effects and less dark scenes than in The Desolation of Smaug. There are lots of great action sequences and much of them are indeed epic and unique. I can tell you this: The Battle of The Five Armies is not a boring movie, you are constantly in the movie and there’s always something going on. It even got much more humor than any film of the franchise, so hilarious.

The characters are stunning, and I really feel much more attached to them than in the previous film. The romance between Tauriel and Kili is much greater and less boring as in The Desolation of Smaug. I even got emotional because the romance is so good. There’s one character that die relatively early in the film, which in my opinion is a bit too rash and hasty. The CGI is much more clear than in the previous film, but there’s still some noticeable bad CGI. The biggest flaw in the film isn’t really a flaw. It’s just that classic “I want to see more-feeling”, because the ending don’t have all I want to see. I want to see more, and what happened after the events and so on. Another “flaw” is that there’s so much action in the last act, and I really love it. But there’s so much going on at the same time, so some of the characters don’t get as much focus as I want to see.

Still, I really like this last installment of The Hobbit. It's a fine conclusion and even though there are some minor flaws and that I want to see more; am I totally satisfied. Peter Jackson truly is a great director and I cannot wait for the extended version to come out. I hope there will be much material that I didn't see on the premiere. I was totally satisfied the first time I saw it, but over time isn't it as great as what I first thought. The lack of depth and uniqueness lowers my rating from 8.8 to 8.

8/10.… Expand
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5
sanyrubMay 4, 2015
Disappointing ending for a trilogy that was kind of hurt from the start due to The Lord of the Rings comparisons. The first chapter (Unexpected Journey) felt too long and with a lot of filler material, especially compared to Lord of TheDisappointing ending for a trilogy that was kind of hurt from the start due to The Lord of the Rings comparisons. The first chapter (Unexpected Journey) felt too long and with a lot of filler material, especially compared to Lord of The Rings, but was still better than this one. At least we could discover Martin Freeman was perfect to play the Hobbit and we had some connections to the first trilogy. The second was turned out to be the best of this new trilogy. Not as long, more entertaining and with an stunning final part with Smaug. But this third chapter disappoints and lowers the level again making it the worst of the trilogy. There are important scenes that very good, especially how Thorin goes crazy and Bilbo feels threatened, and also good the many connections to the first trilogy again, towards the end of the film. But apart from that, it feels uninspired, totally rushed and doesn´t even bother to give us some insight of what happened to some of the characters in the end. They could have showed us how the dwarf´s new life was or who became the new king, or what happened to all those other dwarfs who came to help them for the big battle. More examples of that lack of resolution could be given.
At least it doesn´t feel too long since it really is not.… Expand
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5
Rox22May 2, 2015
It's like one VERY long action scene.

True, it is like a special effects orgasm, or ambrosia for the eyes, but is also so drawn out. There are also far too many conveniences obviously put in to speed things along or just lazy writing.It's like one VERY long action scene.

True, it is like a special effects orgasm, or ambrosia for the eyes, but is also so drawn out.

There are also far too many conveniences obviously put in to speed things along or just lazy writing.

Overall:
Not to much I can say. It was both exciting and boring at the same time with far too many plot holes and inconsistencies. A real let down when looking at the potential the story had in the first movie.… Expand
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7
johnbobs1Apr 28, 2015
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Having stuck with Peter Jackson's Middle Earth film adaptations over the years, I've finally made it to the bitter end and viewed them all. While the Lord of the Rings films were a distinct success, the first two films of the Hobbit trilogy had largely been seen as poor relations by critics (and myself!).
Thus, I was presently surprised by the final outing in the Hobbit trilogy; The Battle of the Five Armies. Though still not up to ''Rings'' standards, it's a gritty, aesthetically pleasing and grandiose piece of work.

In terms of the plot, there are of course plus and minus points. By now (and indeed for the whole trilogy) it's been painfully obvious that this is as much based on Jackson's script as much as Tolkien's book. Once you get used to the fact that the plot isn't really going to try to remain that faithful to the book (as I did after the first two films) then the action becomes more enjoyable and palatable.
Of course, the best part of the film is undoubtedly the first ten minutes, when we witness Smaug's attack on Lake Town. It's a memorable piece of cinema, with great action and visuals, though sadly (because of poor planning) ten minutes of Smaug in this film is just not enough. We don't get to see a whole lot more of Sauron and the Ringwraiths either, and after a couple of brief but visually pleasing scenes, they get vanquished back to Mordor.
This leaves much of the attention in the remaining bulk of the film focused on two baddies; Azog the Defiler and Bolg. Two good baddies, yes. But both a bit anti-climactic compared to Smaug at least.
Far too much attention is also given over to the character of Legolas, who does his best to ruin many of the action scenes later on in the film. What a joke his character has become; poorly acted (Orlando Bloom is distinctly wooden whenever he has to speak) and somewhat symbollic of the wrongs of Peter jackson's battle sequences; too trivial, daft and super-hero like for his own good. With Legolas's abilities portrayed as they are in this film, you have to wonder why he wasn't sent to Dol Goldur to deal with Sauron himself. The Dark Lord would've been toast...
Despite these failings, this film redeems itself with it's generally gritty battle sequences (among the best seen since the ''Two Towers''), a fantastic performance from Richard Armitage (Thorin) amongst others and memorable bad guys (Smaug, Sauron, Azog... ). Effects wise, WETA have got it spot on this time as well; impressive but not as dizzying or over the top as in one or two films in Jackson's adaptations.
If only some of the unnecessary scenes had been cut out of the trilogy (the Storm Giants, Radagast the Brown, the Barrel riding battle, and all of Legolas's scenes) then we could have had an even better ''trilogy'' packed into two three hour films.
Oh well, you can't have it all. Decent effort, nonethless.… Expand
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7
TheQuietGamerApr 23, 2015
The "defining chapter" turns out to be the weakest. If you were expecting Jackson to fix the complaints many had with the Hobbit trilogy here prepare to be let down. Even with it's flaws though there is still enough excitement here to make itThe "defining chapter" turns out to be the weakest. If you were expecting Jackson to fix the complaints many had with the Hobbit trilogy here prepare to be let down. Even with it's flaws though there is still enough excitement here to make it worth a watch for fantasy fans. Especially those with a love for Middle-Earth.

One of the biggest issues is evident right from the beginning. The film picks up right where the last left off with Smaugs attack. The opening just serves as a rather brief conclusion to that event. It is over so abruptly that it all feels anticlimactic. You quickly realize how this all should have been wrapped up in the last film while the intensity of Smaugs arrival was still fresh in our minds, rather than picking up where an unnecessary cliffhanger left off. The dragon just feels wasted.

From there we are left with waiting while a big battle builds up. The moments before blades start clashing deal with Thorin's descent into madness. These moments are slow, but deal with an interesting theme regarding the corruption of money.

Things pick up in the big battle, and believe me they pick up. Action is everywhere. One-on-one battles pack a level of excitement, tension, and absurd moments that are just a blast to watch. Just like the previous Hobbit movies Jackson has infused the combat with a certain amount of over-the-top goofiness. This at times gets in the way of the seriousness of the overall conflict, but it doesn't make the huge, lengthy battle any less fun to watch.

There is a more solemn tone when compared to the previous Hobbit movies that does more often than not clash with the more light-hearted tone of the trilogy. This leads to a movie that feels uneven. Thanks to the way it handles and wraps up the different plot threads it also can feel rushed.

However despite all of this I can't deny that I enjoyed another trip to Middle-Earth. Even if it wasn't as enjoyable as the others I've taken. The conclusion to the Hobbit trilogy wraps up on a pretty flawed note, but one that should still be enjoyable to those who have hung around this world.

I give "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" a 7.4/10.… Expand
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8
MovieManiac83Apr 23, 2015
In 2005, genre fans were able to celebrate the day when the entire six-film Star Wars saga was available for public consumption. Nine and one-half years later, the same can be said of Peter Jackson's Middle Earth epic. As George LucasIn 2005, genre fans were able to celebrate the day when the entire six-film Star Wars saga was available for public consumption. Nine and one-half years later, the same can be said of Peter Jackson's Middle Earth epic. As George Lucas learned, the making of a prequel trilogy can be a troublesome thing; Peter Jackson has now been taught the same lesson. Not without reason, die-hards turned on him when The Hobbit became not a faithful rendition of its source novel but a long-winded attempt to wed book with appendices and tie them into the hugely successful Lord of the Rings movies. But, if An Unexpected Journey disappointed with its long-windedness and The Desolation of Smaug was weighed down by bad CGI and extraneous filler, at least The Battle of the Five Armies can be said to engage and invigorate. The best film of The Hobbit's three, this final installment is closer in quality to The Lord of the Rings than to its immediate predecessors.

The Battle of the Five Armies isn't quite as impressive as the two huge engagements of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Helm's Deep in The Two Towers and Gondor in The Return of the King), but it's still pretty amazing. Choreographing complex campaigns is among Peter Jackson's notable strengths as a director; it elevates the third chapter of The Hobbit trilogy even though the strategy and tactics aren't fleshed out with the details of The Lord of the Rings battles. There are some tremendous, heroic moments that allow various characters, including Thorin, Legolas, Bard, and Bilbo, opportunities to shine.

Despite The Battle of the Five Armies' devotion to action, there is a surprising focus on character development. Thorin has the strongest arc but there are opportunities for fleshing out Bard, Killi (whose quasi-romance with Evangeline Lilly's she-elf Tauriel becomes a defining characteristic), and (of course) Bilbo. Tangentially related scenes link The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings by showing how Sauron used the struggles of this film to mask his return. To that end, the goblins of Tolkien's original novel have been replaced by orcs.

With a running time of less than 2 1/2 hours, The Battle of the Five Armies is the shortest of The Hobbit movies. The word "bloat," often used in association with An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug, isn't appropriate here. This is a briskly paced motion picture containing little in the way of fat. (The exception is the fatuous backstabbing character of Alfrid, who appears to have wandered into this film by way of a Monty Python sketch.) In fact, it could be argued that too much was left on the cutting room floor - the back-end of the battle and the final resolution seem rushed and there are plot holes that will likely be plugged when Jackson re-inserts 30 minutes of material into the home video "extended edition."

he Battle of the Five Armies is the most CGI intensive of the three films, beginning with Smaug's immolation of Lake Town and continuing into the battle, which comprises roughly 50% of the running length. There are times, especially during wide angle clashes between opponents, when the involvement of computers is evident, but it's less intrusive here than during the escape from the Goblin Kingdom (in An Unexpected Journey) or the barrel ride (in The Desolation of Smaug). Once again, the 3D is unnecessary but at least not badly done.

I'm not going to argue that the decision to split a two-part story into three segments was a creatively sound choice; it wasn't. An Unexpected Journey and especially The Desolation of Smaug suffered for it and the series' reputation took a worldwide blow. Fortunately, whatever narrative fissures afflicted the first two episodes have not carried over to The Battle of the Five Armies. This is a worthy follow-up to The Lord of the Rings, something fans have been awaiting for more than a decade.… Expand
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3
psyberdelicApr 22, 2015
Overblown with a ridiculous amount of padding and unnecessary extra story lines... It's like they wanted to do the Lord of the Rings over again but they had to stretch the Hobbit completely out of proportion to do it. Yes, I am one of thoseOverblown with a ridiculous amount of padding and unnecessary extra story lines... It's like they wanted to do the Lord of the Rings over again but they had to stretch the Hobbit completely out of proportion to do it. Yes, I am one of those people who loved the book but this movie is just way too long. Even skipping scene to scene to get through it was a pain. Not surprised that the Tolkien family doesn't want anything further to do with Peter Jackson. A money grab from start to finish.… Expand
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10
Nicolas_aslanApr 19, 2015
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As far as The Hobbit's movies go, I would say this movie is by much the best one in the series. Not only it managed to catch the essence of Tolkien's most personal thoughts --the certainty of death and the pain that comes by watching a friend as he/she dies--, but also introduced some lasting innovations that were not seen in the Lord of The Rings saga. I do not mean by this that Peter Jackson has in any way surpassed his previous take on Tolkien, being that the Lord of The Rings trilogy is my all-time favorite trilogy -and the same goes for many people-, but I do mean he has allowed his cast to express certain emotions and desires in ways that he could not achieve in the Rings' movies.

The first novelty would no doubt be the madness and ill-thoughts that overwhelm Thorin's mind. The close up to a sick man's thoughts and desires that are to his mind entirely reasonable --because of his being astray, of course- permits us to delve into that realm of fear, passion and anger. We constantly play sane. We feel we can control our lives and emotions, but more often than not we just lose it and become controlled by our own thoughts. Thorin's "dragon sickness" is nothing more than a depiction of one of those instances in which we shouldn't called ourselves "sane" or "reasonable", but one that has been constructed so perfectly that his reminiscence has come to last.

The second one would be the manner in which Peter Jackson portrayed Elves this time around. In The Ring's trilogy we saw them as guardians of the forest, as caring, loving protectors which, although they could be deadly if they felt threatened, as soon as that barrier was taken down they became pleasant folk. In Tolkien's books, this could certainly be said about Rivendell Elves and perhaps about most of Lothlorien's, but never about Mirkwood Elves. Never before were Elves represented best than in this movie. Tolkien always though of them as haughty, greedy, selfish and unforgiving folk, and Peter Jackson nailed it with Lee Pace's depiction of Thranduil. At the start of the movie, he does not care about matters involving other races -especially Dwarfs-, so he shows his worst face. But after the tragic events that follow he becomes somewhat reasonable, growing above his own true-self.

Last but not least, there is the character of Bilbo. At the beginning of the first movie, he was a shy "forgive me" and "sorry" hobbit who thought adventures were of very bad taste and never had dreamed about becoming an adventurer himself. This time around, and for the joy of those of us who love "The Hobbit" book, Martin Freeman has made a progression in his representation of Bilbo exactly in the way that Tolkien tells us in the book. He goes from shy to brave, and from asking permission to taking the initiative. Overall, he becomes the hero of the story, for the joy of Thorin's company and ours alike.

In a sense, every part of this movie felt exactly right --unless you are one of those who constantly complain about the three movie-one book stuff, and can't move beyond that scheme- while bringing innovation at the same time. The terrifying spirit of Sauron, the most feared foe of Middle-earth, vanishing from the reach of Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel and giving rise to a new era of chaos is one of those jewels the movie gives us for our own delight. And I only just revealed a glimpse of what the movie offers. By all accounts, if you are an all-time Tolkien fan or even if you are not, but you loved the Lord of The Rings trilogy, this is a movie you shouldn't miss. This is a movie that will make you watch The Ring's saga again because it constantly remembers us of whence it came. And that's just a joy to experience. Take it from me, watch the movie and you will not be disappointed in the least.… Expand
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4
Soma9840Apr 16, 2015
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wow. Just... Such a piece of... Such... CRAP! The first fight is one you'll really enjoy, but then there's another really long fight, and that's when you realize, "This is the whole movie, isn't it?" I will admit, the fights are well made, but they get repetitive quickly and last a while. So when you ask, "Is there that dialogue that should be boring, but is actually super epic? Like in the other movies?" Yes... For about ONE FREAKING SEVENTH OF THE MOVIE! THE REST OF IT WAS FIGHTING! I honestly only liked the scenes in Erebor, where Thorin went crazy. Also, Thorin's death scene must' have been written by amateurs. The entire time, I was like, "Yup, just keep following it... go on... nothing bad is gonna happen... I spent money on these tickets?" And, in the end, it was a huge disappointment to Hobbit fans everywhere... unless most hobbit fans don't have very good taste. I understand, Peter. You must have gotten a crap ton of mail saying, "MOAR ACSHUN! PLEEZ! WUV, BUTT". I forgive you... At least I WILL if you make another super awesome movie! You know, like the other two Hobbit movies!... Please?

Favorite character? Definitely those random worm things.

You know the ones.… Expand
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7
ClariseSamuelsApr 7, 2015
The 3-part series concludes with the characters who have become so familiar, they feel like old friends—Gandalf, Bilbo, Thorin, Galadriel, Tauriel, Legolas, and others. Martin Freeman as Bilbo has to carry the entire film with his dwarvishThe 3-part series concludes with the characters who have become so familiar, they feel like old friends—Gandalf, Bilbo, Thorin, Galadriel, Tauriel, Legolas, and others. Martin Freeman as Bilbo has to carry the entire film with his dwarvish friends, which are King Thorin (Richard Armitage) and the rest of the motley crew. The third installment wraps up the prequel to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and just in time, because although as charming as ever, The Hobbit was beginning to wear just a bit thin.

The murderous talking dragon, Smaug, who possesses the baritone voice of none other than a distant relative of Richard III (Benedict Cumberbatch), was awakened at the end of Part II. Now the vile, sadistic, and rather intelligent beastie, who acts suspiciously Norse, is set on death, suffering, and destruction. The fire-breathing creature relishes the helplessness of his victims; nevertheless, he is not immune to a long iron arrow that is bravely aimed at his heart by Bard of Laketown (Luke Evans), thus bringing a long reign of terror to an end. The gold and jewel-filled mountain is no longer guarded by the sleeping monster, and the Dwarves can reclaim their ancient home. The only problem is that news of Smaug’s death spreads, and a lot of creatures feel they have a claim to the pile of gold in the mountain, thus forming five armies—Dwarves, Elves, the good citizens of Laketown, Orcs heralded by Were-worms, and a fusion army of Orcs and goblins from Gundabad.

The influence of Old English is notable but not always consistent, as there is the occasional glaring anachronism, such as “Come on!” and “We’ve got this.” The focus of the plot is on war, with respect to the military logistics and strategy of the final battle. The film is most entertaining when it is not overly centered on the five armies of the title squaring off and vowing to annihilate each other. There are intriguing subplots, such as Smaug’s deadly rampage and Bard’s bravado. Thorin’s temporary insanity and his duel with Azog (Manu Bennett) provide for some tension as well as a classic encounter between good and evil. The Romeo and Juliet dilemma between Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom), son of the Elven King, becomes more complicated when it is clear that Tauriel is in love with Kili the Dwarf (Aidan Turner). If Legolas is off limits to Tauriel because she is a lowly Silvan Elf while Legolas is an Elven prince, there is clearly a conflict when Taureil is tempted to switch species and run off with Kili. Another subplot involves Gandalf the Wizard (Ian McKellen) and the loyalty he inspires in Galadriel (Cate Blanchett).

Azog , like Smaug, is conspicuous for being a brutal incarnation of evil, although Azog is a big dumb lug and lacks Smaug’s eloquence. Subtitles are used to translate his ancient Orkish, where he issues orders that sound something like, “Schmool la boole!”

The uneven but still riveting film takes the viewer up to the spot where the Lord of the Rings trilogy begins.… Expand
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4
djryangApr 3, 2015
Why the hell did they make the Hobbit into 3 films? Wait I think I know. To make MONEY. Peter Jackson is treading dangerously into George Lucas territory. If they had followed the material from the book, and not added characters it wouldWhy the hell did they make the Hobbit into 3 films? Wait I think I know. To make MONEY. Peter Jackson is treading dangerously into George Lucas territory. If they had followed the material from the book, and not added characters it would have fit been great as 2 films. Instead we get a bloated third film with maybe one hour of decent story. By far the worst movie of all the Peter Jackson book translations.… Expand
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8
horizonbtsMar 30, 2015
A great and fitting ending to a wonderful trilogy! Sometimes it is hard to follow the story lines and also the accents are hard to understand at times, but nonetheless this is a great adventure. I have seen all three of the movies in theA great and fitting ending to a wonderful trilogy! Sometimes it is hard to follow the story lines and also the accents are hard to understand at times, but nonetheless this is a great adventure. I have seen all three of the movies in the trilogy and the special effects are over the top. I also saw the trilogy of "The Lord of the Rings" and can see both trilogies being for all ages and generations of many years to come. Both series have some legends and great actors of the ages. Well done Director Peter Jackson!! Whats next?… Expand
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3
czerwcrMar 27, 2015
Watched this movie in 3D and was very disappointed in it. The 3D was minimal in effects and lacked all the "flying out at you" details. It did have good depth but that was all.
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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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8
emirbudMar 18, 2015
I am actually quite content with the series. More so than the LOTR series, and the main reason is - I like the casting much better in this series. Choice of actors is far better that the LOTR. Martin Freeman is excellent as Bilbo (as opposedI am actually quite content with the series. More so than the LOTR series, and the main reason is - I like the casting much better in this series. Choice of actors is far better that the LOTR. Martin Freeman is excellent as Bilbo (as opposed to Frodo in LOTR who was awful), and Luke Evans should have been Aragorn in LOTR, however he's excellent as Bard. The others are just fine. I did not read the book - Hobbit (I tried, I just couldn't go on), and I think the movie is much better than the book, as opposed to LOTR where it's quite the opposite. Overall, fine trilogy.… Expand
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5
homer4presidentMar 11, 2015
First off, I will say that the LOTR films are my favorite films of all time and the first two Hobbit films, while far from perfect, were still very enjoyable and entertaining. However, the final installment in Peter Jackson's 'Hobbit' trilogyFirst off, I will say that the LOTR films are my favorite films of all time and the first two Hobbit films, while far from perfect, were still very enjoyable and entertaining. However, the final installment in Peter Jackson's 'Hobbit' trilogy left me underwhelmed and disappointed. It's battle sequences, while thrilling in moments, felt small in scale, and the strong emotional impact that I felt reading Tolkien's novel is no where to be found here. These were not the impressions I wanted to be left with witnessing what is most likely to be the last cinematic journey to Middle-Earth.… Expand
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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
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8
Movi3R3vi3werMar 10, 2015
Although it doesn't quite meet the heights of the epic conclusion it was going for, The Hobbit is an entertaining and often thrilling final chapter for the Hobbit trilogy. But after 90 minutes of non-stop fighting, it does get repetitive,Although it doesn't quite meet the heights of the epic conclusion it was going for, The Hobbit is an entertaining and often thrilling final chapter for the Hobbit trilogy. But after 90 minutes of non-stop fighting, it does get repetitive, much of the CG didn't look finished and doesn't really feel like a movie but a conclusion to the previous one.… Expand
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0
seventhbeaconMar 7, 2015
A **** end to a **** trilogy made in the grand mindless tradition of the Transformers movies. I can't express how much I didn't want to go and see this, but I wanted to get it over with, much like my experience of watching the third andA **** end to a **** trilogy made in the grand mindless tradition of the Transformers movies. I can't express how much I didn't want to go and see this, but I wanted to get it over with, much like my experience of watching the third and final Matrix movie.

But The Matrix Trilogy was far superior to this garbage, which I'm sure, buried beneath all of the extra crap, there's still a movie to be salvaged.

I look forward to viewing a proper edit, where all three Hobbit movies are condensed into one 2-3 hr sitting, and all of the ridiculous **** is gone.… Expand
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2
talonps1Mar 4, 2015
OMG what the hell happened?! When did Jackson suddenly get the idea he is J.R.R incarnate and destroy, literally not figuratively, th Hobbit?

Lord of the Rings...more like, Lord of the CHA'ching!! I hope now Mr. Jackson understands hisOMG what the hell happened?! When did Jackson suddenly get the idea he is J.R.R incarnate and destroy, literally not figuratively, th Hobbit?

Lord of the Rings...more like, Lord of the CHA'ching!!

I hope now Mr. Jackson understands his capacity for creating original thought falls so short he'll never attempt to butcher another's work.… Expand
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7
PJDMar 4, 2015
This is the weakest Jackson entry so far in the two series. The movie really could have done without the Dol Guldur scene which pitted some noteworthy series characters against the ring wraiths. The acting and production quality for thatThis is the weakest Jackson entry so far in the two series. The movie really could have done without the Dol Guldur scene which pitted some noteworthy series characters against the ring wraiths. The acting and production quality for that scene felt well below the rest of the movie. It hurt the movie more than it helped.

Aside from that scene I would say the movie was pretty good. This is perhaps the lone Jackson entry into the series that wasn't batting 1000.… Expand
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10
SkullKidFeb 27, 2015
This movie was amazing! Maybe even the best in the Hobbit series!
The acting was perfect- Richard Armitage's performance as Thorin was one of, if not the best, in all 6 middle earth movies. His descent into madness is played very well- youThis movie was amazing! Maybe even the best in the Hobbit series!
The acting was perfect- Richard Armitage's performance as Thorin was one of, if not the best, in all 6 middle earth movies. His descent into madness is played very well- you understand his motives and even feel a little bad for him as his greed and paranoia slowly take over him, and when he charges forth from the mountain with his company to save the day is one of the most rousing, epic scenes of 2014.
Martin Freeman is also perfect, and the chemistry between him and Thorin is at the heart of the film and lends it many emotional scenes. Two of the best scenes are the moment Bilbo reveals his betrayal to Thorin and Thorin's death scene.
McKellen is as great as ever, and two other highlights are Bard and Thranduil. Luke Evans is great as Laketown's reluctant leader, and Lee Pace makes Thranduil one of the most complex characters in this seires- cold, bitter, and flawed, he is one fo the few "grey" characters in these films.
Another stand-out was Billy Connolly's ferocious, foul-mouthed, ill-tempered Dain Ironfoot, who wipes out entire legions of orcs with his headbutts and rides a top a boar into battle. I could write a whole review on how epic the Scottish, mowhawked dwarf commander is, but all I'll say is he provided one off the most enjoyable performances.
The action scenes are truly epic. The battle, divided into three main acts, is the best action sequence of 2014, hands down. Starting off on the fields of Erebor, where we have all sorts of fantastical war beasts and large scale, epic warfare between the armies of elves, dwarves, and orcs, it then moves into Dale, which has less focus on cgi and more on gritty, personal combat between the main characters. Those who criticize the hobbit for its over reliance on cgi will enjoy these scens more. The final act, on the snowy ruins of Ravenhill, is the best however, with several epic duels (including a truly amazing and tense battle between Thorin and Azog on the ice as it begins to break apart), tragic death scenes, and epic brawls. Those who are a fan of Legolas's stunts are in for a treat as well!
The music is another highlight, more epic and LOTR-like than the rest of the Hobbit movies, with Dain's theme and the music played while Thorin charges out of the mountain the best bits.
The CGI is as always flawless- I really don't understand how people say its bad. For example, you never once think of Smaug as a cgi creation- WETA has done such a phenomenal job that you truly believe he is a flesh and blood creature. Azog, a bit rough in the first movie at times, is now flawless, as is the extensive cgi that went into the battle scenes (including some truly terrifying colossal were-worms).
This is definitely the darkest movie in the Hobbit series. The whole thing is set in a bleak, winter landscape, with gloomy skies and falling snow reflecting the sombre tone. Those who preferred lotr's more mature feel as opposed to the first 2 Hobbit's more childlike tone will be satisfied. The themes of greed and friendship and portrayed very well through out, as are the several story arcs established in the first films.
I do have one slight problem with the film- the supporting dwarves were not given enough screen time. Kili, Fili, Dwalin (who gets a truly heart-breaking scene with Thorin), and Balin are in it a decent amount, but the others are practically ignored, even James Nebitt's Bofur, who was one of my favourite characters in the first film! The supporting dwarves are in this one even less than the others, which is disappointing, but as the collective character of "the dwarves" all in all they were a memorable bunch all through out the trilogy, and I'm sure every one has their favourite "dwarf moment in the Hobbit."
The Battle of the Five Amires is just packed with amazing, powerful scenes- epic, emotional, tense,and some that are truly heart-breaking. Some of the best and most memorable are: Smaug's assault on Laketown, the Battle of Dol Guldor, the scene with the negotiations for the Arkenstone before the walls of Erebor, Dain's arrival, the Battle, and Thorin's duel with Azog and his death scene. Also, Kili and Tauriel's sublot is wrapped up very nicely, and Legolas's character is given more depth. The movie moves at a very brisk pace as well. The whole movie is filled with a sense of urgency and tension as all the races gather for war and then battle it out. Over the course of the battle, the advantage constantly sways back and forth, and you're held on the edge of your seat the whole time.
All in all, this movie was near-perfect and the number one movie of 2014 in my opinion. It is not just a great finale to the Hobbit trilogy (and entire Middle Earth series), but a great stand alone film, and I would recommend it to every one.… Expand
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7
FrogfisherFeb 25, 2015
The final chapter in the Hobbit-trilogy and Jackson's last Middle Earth film (for now), is a full out war brawl film in the vein of The Two Towers and Return of the King, and although not very faithful to it's own predecessors or the book itThe final chapter in the Hobbit-trilogy and Jackson's last Middle Earth film (for now), is a full out war brawl film in the vein of The Two Towers and Return of the King, and although not very faithful to it's own predecessors or the book it is based on, it is one hell of an action ride, far more to the point than the two prior films. While focus is misplaced on Bard and Thorin again, Bilbo gets some saying in the film and sets up the next trilogy a lot more subtle than one would expect from this trilogy. Issues come down to too many loose ends of which some are big obvious ones, actor performances, some confusion over various story elements and a truly cheesy "revelation scene" for Thorin. But the action and emotional impact makes the film stronger than Desolation of Smaug.… Expand
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