Review of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) by Skullkid — 27 Feb 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- 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.