Review of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) by Gordon H — 24 Jan 2016

A Rousing Conclusion to an Awesome Story!

Originally written January 1, 2015--.

As the finale to Peter Jackson's epic Tolkien odyssey concludes, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) is killed by Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) during the dragon's devastating attack on Lake Town. In the aftermath of the carnage, Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the dwarves find themselves torn between staying loyal to Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), who has been deeply affected by "dragon sickness," and assisting the refugees. But what they don't realize is that the armies of the necromancer are also marching towards the Lonely Mountain and that very soon, men, elves, dwarves, orcs, and goblins will all come to sword and bow point with each other for control of their strategic stronghold.

I was intrigued and somewhat excited to see this final chapter in "The Hobbit" trilogy. After all, the three films comprising Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy are among my most favorite. I know this master storyteller can tell a fantastic story, but the previous two films had really let me down. I admit I had lessened my expectations for this one. Well, I'm pleased to say that this final chapter delivers--BIG TIME! The payoffs that had been set up in the previous two films are awesome! My only real gripe coming out of the theater was why in the world Jackson felt it was necessary to split this amazing story into three parts instead of two (or with a little creative editing, perhaps even one)! There is definitely a lot going on in this story, but there really was no reason to make moviegoers wait for these payoffs. Having said that, if you want a great experience at the theater, you have to see this final "Hobbit" film. I promise you won't be disappointed!