“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is the third and last movie in the trilogy of films adapted from the popular book The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien. It hits theaters on December 17.
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” brings an epic conclusion to the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), and the Company of the Dwarves. At last, the dwarves have reclaimed their homeland, the place that they have been seeking out for many, many years, after defeating the treacherous dragon Smaug. But as soon as they start to make themselves at home, Thorin succumbs to a disease known as dragon-sickness, where Thorin is overcome by so much greed that he sacrifices his friendship in his search for the legendary Arkenstone. However, at the same time, a dangerous enemy has returned to Middle-earth, someone who many people know as the Dark Lord, Sauron. Sauron, in preparation for his return, has sent legions of orcs to stealth attack the Lonely Mountain, so that he can reclaim the mountain as his own. As the darkness attempts to swallow all of Middle-earth, the races of Dwarves, Elves, and Men must unite and stand against the evil or else face their doom and have everything and everyone they love be destroyed.
One thing that Peter Jackson is able to do so well with these movies is putting his own little spin on things without sacrificing the integrity of the overall story. The special effects were amazing. The orcs were extremely ugly and the elvish people were especially beautiful. The war scenes were better than the sequences from the “The Lord of The Rings” trilogy and that’s saying a lot.
Lastly, the acting was awesome. These movies are known for intense action scenes, but they are also known for their emotional scenes. Martin Freeman, although he wasn’t one of the main focuses, gave the performance of a lifetime, making his character Bilbo Baggins all the more lovable and memorable. Richard Armitage, who played Thorin also did a fantastic job especially the part where he was going mad with greed and trusted no one. And Sir Ian McKellen did a phenomenal job playing Gandalf per usual.
This final installation of “The Hobbit” has such a satisfying ending that you will leave the movie smiling because it was so good, but also very sad because it means that there are no more “The Hobbit” movies left to see. We suggest you should re-watch “The Lord of The Rings” trilogy again to cheer yourself up.
-Vinesh Vora
