by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has finally arrived! The third (and final) installment in the epic Hobbit Series from Director Peter Jackson will hit theaters this week, and it is definitely the movie we have been waiting for. Smaug has left his dwelling under the Lonely Mountain, and has unleashed his might on the unsuspecting citizens of Lake Town. With the Lonely Mountain vulnerable, the various forces of Middle-Earth move in to claim the riches and power contained within. With war looming, a lowly Hobbit must find his place in the battle, and hopefully survive to tell the tale!
Beware of minimal spoilers past this point!
Martin Freeman (Sherlock) completes his adventures as Bilbo Baggins in style, demonstrating just how great of an actor he truly is. His partner in crime, Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), also returns briefly as Smaug. Six movies later, Ian McKellen (X-Men: Days of Future Past) continues to amaze as Gandalf the Gray. Richard Armitage (Captain America: The First Avenger) takes Thorin Oakenshield into very dark corners with this final film, showing how easily greed and power can corrupt the best of us. Hugo Weaving (The Matrix Trilogy) makes a cameo during Gandalf’s rescue with a bad-ass attack against the dark forces. Evangeline Lilly (LOST) manages to get plenty of screen time in this last outing, adding some memorable scenes with Aidan Turner (Being Human), who plays the scene-stealing Kili the Dwarf.
Visually speaking, Battle of the Five Armies feels like it has come a long way in terms of the real world and CGI blending, which I felt was a challenge with the previous Hobbit films (mainly due to the frame rates). The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was hailed as being spectacular in this category, seamlessly blending the world of the fantastic with reality. The issues I had with the first two Hobbit movies were that there seemed to be more of a step back in this area thanks to the visible changes when viewing the film in the 48 frames per second screenings. Aside from the incredible battle sequences, one of my favorite shots from the film depicts Gandalf riding across Middle-Earth to warn of the impending attack by the Orcs.
You know the phrase “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket?” Peter Jackson and his creative team definitely took the opposite approach in terms of The Hobbit film series. After the slower paced setup of An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies picks up the action, adventure, and shows that they saved the best for last. With the exception of the extremely quick defeat of Smaug in the opening sequence of the film, the pacing was pretty fantastic. The second movie built up the encounter with Smaug as being an epic sequence that would play out in the final film, but the threat of the Dragon is removed within the first few minutes of the story, paving way for the final battle for the mountain. While these images were impressive to say the least, it felt like Smaug’s story should have (and easily COULD have) been concluded in the second film, leaving the final film to focus on the battle alone. Having now experienced all three of The Hobbit films, I wish they had just combined the stories from Journey/Desolation into one film instead of stretching the story so thin.
Overall
The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings franchise couldn’t have gone out on a stronger note. The Battle of the Five Armies wrapped up the story in an entirely satisfying manner, and perfectly dovetailed into the story of Frodo Baggins and his quest to destroy the one ring to rule them all. This is without question a film to see in IMAX, 3D, RPX, or any of those extravagant theaters where you get to become engulfed in the cinematic experience.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – 5 out of 5 times to drop a bear into a war zone (this will make sense later).
Tagged:Benedict Cumberbatchbilbo bagginsGandalfMartin Freemansmaugthe hobbit
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