The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) Review!!!

Synopsis – Bilbo and Company are forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the terrifying Smaug from acquiring a kingdom of treasure and obliterating all of Middle-Earth.

My Take – Back in 2001, the year when The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings I just knew this was going to be the most epic franchises ever! Every movie I saw was always an improvement of the previous. While the series ended with the most epic was possible with the Return of the King (2003), 11 years later the stories, characters & battle sequence still live in our minds. Being a fan, I was glad when Peter Jackson decided to bring back us back to Middle Earth with a prequel series – The Hobbit. A series adapted from mere 320 pages of a children’s book, splitting it into three parts was always going to be a task. Although It took time realizing that this was not going to have the same effect as the LOTR trilogy, it could build on its own epic ness. And it did, when I have accepted that this preceded the first 3 movies, I understood a different story telling. One cannot compare movies or series that are entirely different from the other, much less, one which would tell the history of the first. Well yes An Unexpected Journey (2012) was a bit low, as it catered to a more friendly side, all doubts where restored by The Desolation of Smaug (2013). It was an incredibly enjoyable movie and is one of my favorite fantasy films of all time. When The Desolation of Smaug ended on a cliffhanger as Smaug flies to lake town to destroy everything, it has been uphill task for a fan like me to wait for a year to see the epic conclusion, and how is the battle? Fantastic obviously! The movie started where the previous installment had ended.

Scenes of epic destruction and fire in the lake-town are brilliantly shot. Bard kills Smaug with the Black Arrow but lake-town is completely destroyed. Thorin takes shelter in Erebor and refuses to pay any heed to the troubles of the men of lake- town. This time Gandalf is rescued not by giant eagles, but surprisingly by Lady Galadriel, Saruman and Lord Elrond. On the other hand, Bilbo smuggles the Arkenstone out of Erebor and gives to Bard. He asks him to use the stone to negotiate with Thorin. There are many scenes that I just can’t get over with that keeps replaying in my head. Bard using his son to kill Smaug, Thorin’s gold sickness, Galadriel’s outrage, the nine and Saruman’s fighting sequence (played by Sir Christopher Lee was really awesome), Thranduil asking Bilbo to confess about stealing the keys to his dungeon, Elven King’s smirk that signaled his archers to position and the sad demises of some characters (not mentioning a spoiler here). I think that if Peter Jackson wasn’t the director, this battle would not work because only he can shoot the war in such a way that is both effective and jumpy. Peter Jackson is king when it comes to battle scenes, having directed what is by far the two best cinematic battles ever, in the battle of Helm’s Deep and the battle of Pelennor’s Field/of Minas Tirith. And even though the battle doesn’t really beat those two battles, this one is still one of the all-time best. The wonder of the visual effects and action makes this battle a delight to watch. It may be long, but let me tell you, it is EPIC. After Helm’s Deep, I didn’t think Peter Jackson would be able to get any better. I was pleasantly surprised. Though a lot of it is CGI, the battle is carried out perfectly. The fighting, effects and acting are brilliant and everyone who worked on the film deserves a big pat on the back. Besides the battle itself and the opening sequence, there’s an undeniably magnificent relationship between Thorin and Bilbo in this movie. The chemistry between the two shines bright, and is one of the strongest aspects of the entire film and the entire trilogy as a whole.

Martin Freeman has done excellent work as Bilbo Baggins and shown us that his acting talents are not limited only to Sherlock. While not given the amount of screen time as he was given in the first two Hobbit films, is still perfect as Bilbo – perfect! He really captures the essence and personality of Bilbo beautifully! Richard is amazing as Thorin and every character has performed greatly. Armitage in particular brings the best performance he’s given in the trilogy, as Thorin’s character-arc is very interesting and quite dark in this film and Armitage pulls that off in spades. You also have Lee Pace as Thranduil, who also performs at the top of his game. Contrary to his performance as the ill-wicked Ronan the Accuser in the last summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Pace is really given the opportunity to shine here and works really well together with Armitage to form this ill rivalry between the two. Sir Ian McKellen knocks his role as Gandalf the Grey out of the park once again. But that is as obvious as sunrise and sunset. Another standout is Orlando Bloom as Legolas. Most of you people probably already know that Legolas is not in the book. This topic is often a hotly debated one, with some people saying that he has no place being there and that he’s just forced into the film, while others, like me, thinks that he does add something to the film. And that is what Bloom has done in the two entries in which he was given screen time. He is such a cool character. I mean if you would look up the definition of cool or badass, Legolas should be at the top of that “list”. Everything Legolas does in the film is done with such flavor and style, that it is hard to not be amazed by him. Legolas truly is, just like in the last film, a really cool character. another character who is often hated for being a non-canon character is Tauriel – a character that I also love.

Evangeline Lily brings such a great presence to the film. It is often in movies that you don’t believe when there’s a badass female hero or villain. You can tell that that person couldn’t even lift a sword and that the only reason to why she’s a badass is because it says so in the script. Well, that’s not the case with Tauriel or Lily as Tauriel, she’s a force to be reckon with, and challenges often Legolas in terms of who is a bigger badass! Even though I still wasn’t completely sold on the whole romance front (still like it though) between Tauriel and Kili – played very well by Aidan Turner, one of my favorite dwarfs of the entire company. Luke Evans as Bard is just as interesting and relevant as in the last one. Evans manages to bring out more depth and charisma & at times manages to steal the thunder from the rest of the cast! Benedict cumberbatch’s voice-over of Smaug is delicious! Though it is the shortest movie in the series, it is enough, satisfactory and not remotely boring. Believe me folks this is worth your bucks. It is not just a movie, it is a cinematic experience even non-hobbit fans will enjoy. To sum it all up; The Battle of the Five Armies brings to a spectacular conclusion the legend of Middle-Earth. It is the ending of a 9-hour film and to certain extent, the ending to the full, now, 21-hour saga. In ten years we can look upon these films as six chapters of what is ultimately one story. And in ten years the Middle-Earth films will still live on. Battle Of Five Armies is a brilliant, emotional & fitting way to end the Middle-Earth saga! Highly Recommended!