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

[Plain Old Tele]

A Hobbit's LOTR Tale, by Bilbo Baggins Peter Jackson.

 

Discuss.

[Plain Old Tele]

The best of the trilogy. It still suffers from the same general aspects of the first two, but it benefits from a streamlined story, the fact that all the subplots come back together, it actually has an ending (and a good one!), and the Bilbo/Thorin interplay is given its proper due. It looks great and the battles are huge, epic, and fun -- Jackson is more playful than most of his action peers, and he delights in introducing all sorts of clever, absurd, goofy, and thrilling beats: a battering-ram troll whose whole goal is to dive head-first into walls, catapult trolls with little teams of orc catapulters hanging on for dear life on little platforms and harnesses, fights that happen on ice, fights that happen on collapsing bridges, Legolas one-upping himself in his solitary fight against physics -- it's all very engaging.

 

Fortunately, Thorin's black descent into greed is given its due, and it plays out sort of like a Dwarf version of Macbeth, with Balin and Dwalin and Bilbo the standouts as friends seek to dissuade him from his madness. 

 

I assume there'll be plenty more in the EE, but there's still something very satisfying in a theatrical cut that's willing to trim little side stories and moments and just get down to business.

 

The very end is a charming moment, and I think most people who loved LOTR will feel an urge to pop the FOTR bluray into their players for another spin.

 

B+

[ShouldIBeHere]

Review: A Very Fond Farewell

 

As (almost) the strongest of the three Hobbit movies, “The Battle of the Five Armies” provides the emotional and thrilling pay-off for the good, yet not totally satisfying first two instalments and leaves the Middle-earth saga as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time.

 

I always liked Jackson for thinking big with these movies, not being too afraid in the handling of his source material. Whatever sympathy I have for criticism stops when it is claimed that he just went for the “easy, modern, action crowd pleaser”-approach. Because it excludes the obvious fascination with the material he works with, the eye for detail, his inventiveness in creating and orchestrating scenes, his exceptional good hand in choosing actors to portray these iconic characters (one but not the only reason why this is so far above the SW prequels). All this (and the marvelous work of all his artistic and technical collaborators) are very present and strong in this last installment. And yes, it is a blockbuster with much more heart and soul than what we so often get these days. It is also a better movie than most of those. Though, also this Hobbit shows that the world-building-effort is stronger than the storytelling-effort in this trilogy.

 

The movie starts where we left off last year, which feels equally fresh and overwhelming. I warmed to the idea of not having a prologue but wouldn’t mind if the Extended Edition would re-introduce one. The magnificence and greatness of the destruction of Lake-town (the soundtrack is excellent in this scene) will only really touch you if you have already been able to immerse yourself – and you only have seconds to do so. While I thought for a long time that this scene should have been part of DoS, I totally get now why they did not do it. Having the dragon’s death in the same film as all its consequences is much more powerful and I am glad they went for the cliffhanger.

 

So it is good that after this scene we have time to settle down a bit as the title appears and we follow the immediate aftermath of Smaug’s demise. We basically meet all characters again and are reminded of where they are right now and how the chess game for the treasure in the mountain begins, culminating in the White Council battling the Nazgul and Sauron: a scene that will go down in the long line of epic scenes of the franchise. It is short but everything it needed to be for the theatrical cut.

 

In the scenes from there to the begin of the battle the movie does not miss one single beat a fan could have hoped for, playing the politics aspects of it all very nicely – the tyrant is dead and yet he was awful, he had held the place together and stabilized the North of Middle-earth. Now, everyone wants to either take his place or at least get a part of his treasure.  Strong performances by Armitage, Pace and Evans make this one of the best 30 minutes in the Hobbit trilogy, with Freeman’s charismatic Bilbo shining at the right moments.

 

Legolas and Tauriel (the latter again being marvelously played by Evangeline Lilly) are put to very good use with their exploration of Mt. Gundabad were the main force of Sauron gathers its strength. While people will discuss Legolas’ stunts in the battle and Tauriel’s storyline with Kili until the end of days, they do not feel out of place at all for the majority of their scenes and especially Tauriel enriches Tolkien’s world.

 

Once the battle starts the movie just does not give you time to breath (in a good way for the most part) and some of the vistas are better than anything we have seen on film before.

 

Jackson’s approach to tell the story of the battle by jumping between the heroes works for the biggest part, I even liked some of the over the top stunts by Legolas. Despite losing all sense of gravity here, it somehow did not feel that out of place, though it certainly does touch the line to being tedious several times. It is not a game-breaker, though. What is annoying is that Legolas gets to do a lot in the battle that should been given to Beorn (or Dain) – and at least one very crucial deed.

 

More of a game-breaker (or maker) is the resolution of the battle, particularly the death of three of our heroes. The fact that Tauriel is involved in all this might put some people off to an extent that might ruin the movie for them. Personally, I somewhere on the road bought that affection between Tauriel and Kili, believing that it comes from their desire to think outside the mindsets of their races and the strict traditions and feuds that shape them. So when the inevitable end of their relationship comes, I could not help myself but being touched by this “death of innocence” – maybe one of the strongest hints at the fact that Middle-earth is looking into a very dark future at this point.

 

Fili's death was imho handled best with the execution... really shocking and moving. Kili was played for more emotion but will only wrk if one buys the relationship.

 

Still, for all the emotions present during the climax of the battle, I did miss the perfection of a “Ride of the Rohirrim” or “The End of All Things” from RotK. It sometimes just gets there, but never as brilliantly or as meaningfully.

 

In the end, the story returns to Tolkien, for all its embellishment, changes and additions. The last scene that Thorin and Bilbo share is a tear-jerker and everything I had hoped it to be.

 

As Tolkien’s book, the movie does not tell us much about the future of all the other characters, though a lot is self-explanatory – Bard is obviously the leader of the Men of Esgaroth/Dale by the end of the movie, Thranduil will obviously remain a grim Elven king but seems to leave his isolationist stand behind him (by sending his heir out into the world… telling him to befriend a certain Ranger). A theatrical cut of the story does not really need much more, even though as a fan of the franchise I do hope to get more material with the Extended Edition (rumored to be 30-40 minutes longer) for this part of the movie in particular. The theatrical version is justifiable though – it is the beginning of greater conflicts and darker days, not the time for several resolutions.

 

Bilbo’s return gives you almost not enough time to let go… I might have wished for a few more emotional beats in these last seconds. But the last scene does tie everything together in a very neat way. It is as much as a lead-in to FotR as it is a finale to BotFA and that may be the reason why it is hard to let the movie go once the credits starts rolling. I definitely needed “The Last Goodbye” to say my inner farewell to Middle-earth.

 

 

 

 

Verdict: In the end, Jackson keeps the integrity of his two trilogies intact (unlike Gorge Lucas, despite LotR remaining on a masterpiece level that no Hobbit movie touches). BotFA is the movie that was needed to make these films work as a six movie saga that will sit on the shelves of movie fans and Tolkien fans for decades to come (and watchable in both orders), even if this last journey to Middle-earth does not completely use its emotional potential.

 

All six courses of the Middle-earth menu have been worth it – with LotR being haute-cuisine at its finest and TH being a delicious yet sometimes overly sugary dessert. But boy, what a dinner it was. What a journey. What a cinematic experience. There will not be anything like it. Farewell, Middle-earth.

 

 

8.5/10 (AUJ 8.5/10, DoS 8/10, AUJ EE 8.5, DoS 8.5/10)

Edited December 10, 2014 by ShouldIBeHere

[IndustriousAngel]

ok, finally saw the Hobbit "complete" (theatrical cuts, of course) ... while a bit more focussed than 1 and 2 , H3 still shows some difficulty in hitting a consistent tone and rhythm. Tragedy is mixed with lough-out-loud visual gags, large-scale battles with duels ... and I absolutely did not unterstand why they had to remove the dwarves from the battle to kill them, there's nothing wrong with the plot as it's in the book? And the rhythm - I hope for the extended cut; many scenes felt rushed (Sauron's demise? The end of the battle? The journey home?) or too jumpy (where now exactly did those wargoats come from?)

 

From the Middle-earth experience POV, this is the most boring of PJs 6 Tolkien films, nearly no new region to explore here except a short (and quite unnecessary) trip to Mt. Gundabad. As my ladyfriend mentioned when we stumbled out of the theater: There was little of the middle-earth magic in BotFA.

 

The battle scenes had good choreography, even if everything was a bit over-the-top.

 

The big plus point, as in all the LotR and Hobbit films: The actors. Especially Freeman's Bilbo is a joy to behold, from the first moments in the Shire to the desolate ending.

 

So, my overall conclusion: While I'm glad those movies were realised, and there are many memorable and nice scenes, overall I had hoped for something better. Don't get me wrong - "The Hobbit" (the book) is not "The Lord of the Rings", so we couldn't expect something on the same level - but there were many missed opportunities. Starting with the decision to shoot in 3D, which led to a different look and the necessity to use CGI in many instances, and the decision to make it more "grown-up" than the book but keeping (or even introducing - rabbit-sled anyone?) the childish elements. And you can't simply replace epicness with amusent park rides. I don't think there's a better "Lord of the Rings" waiting in the foreseeable future, but I definitely can see a better "Hobbit".

[Leyla]

too many emotions right now (ranked it an A obv  ) so I just wanted to ask something that stood out for me

 

It was so weird to see Bilbo say "I vouched for you!" to Thorin

Wasnt this scene only in the DOS SEE??? 

or its just my memory fail? 

 

 

more after 

Edited December 11, 2014 by Lady of Lorien

[Goffe]

Thorin descent into madness and return to sanity was handled poorly

 

Every scene with Thranduil and Tauriel interacting was cringe-inducing

 

I liked Kili and Tauriel in DoS, disliked it here. The love triangle didn't bother me in the second film, it felt like a waste of time (boring, uninteresting and predictable) here.

 

Thurdndil saying to Legolas that his mother loved him more than anything in the world was the most random subplot ever

 

Smaug indisputably feels out of place, even if the sequence was good.

 

it tried to be emotional and failed terribly

 

the second half (after the battle starts) is incredibly disjointed

 

Bilbo and Thorin so called big friendship didn't feel natural

 

the lowest point of the movie was when the eagles came to save the day, again. At that point I just wanted the movie to end.

 

And I can't get past the CGI (some of the time bad CGI) overload

 

Dol Guldur and some of the stuff before the battle was good.

 

It all comes down to splitting The Hobbit into 3 films, They could have made two great films, right up there with LOTR.

 

AUJ 80/100

DOS 70/100

BOTFA 45/100

Edited December 12, 2014 by Goffe Ascending

[ShouldIBeHere]

too many emotions right now (ranked it an A obv  ) so I just wanted to ask something that stood out for me

 

It was so weird to see Bilbo say "I vouched for you!" to Thorin

Wasnt this scene only in the DOS SEE??? 

or its just my memory fail? 

 

 

more after 

 

Yes, however, one could say by following after that and being in his company, all of them kind of vouced for him. In the EE Bilbo just also takes the formal role.

[pepsa]

I have kind of a review in the Hobbit forum, but I will wait till my second viewing to get a better view on the film. So the score could still rise or fall, then I ll post something here.

[Leyla]

Yes, however, one could say by following after that and being in his company, all of them kind of vouced for him. In the EE Bilbo just also takes the formal role.

ah yeah that kinda can explain it for the theatrical only viewers

 

btw was elvish dubbed in germany????

 

ugh here I was so mad listening some of the 'actors' particularly Lego & Thranduil. They killed the moments by letting them "speak elvish" over the original actors. The Tauriel actress actually was pretty good. 

Edited December 12, 2014 by Lady of Lorien

[ShouldIBeHere]

No, Elvish always remains Elvish in the dubbed German versions

 

 

I opted for a B+ for now.

 

 

All in all, I think PJ never dropped the ball on this franchise and I still think that AUJ is vastly underrated. There is neither a PM nor a AotC in this franchise. And there is no Peter Lucas.

 

 

Still, this could have been better. I think either a two movie version or a better planned and structured three movie version would have helped a lot.

 

The planning seems to have been too chaotic at times, especially after GDT left and after the last minute trilogy decision.

 

 

Though I am sure this will be watched by people with different eyes in the future, especially those who have not witnessed or followed the releases of the two trilogies and do not know the story behind it.

 

 

Watching all six movies in chronological order will have quite a nice flow to it. 

 

 

 

TH Trilogy 8/10

 

AUJ - A-

DoS - B

BotFA - B+

 

LotR Trilogy 10+/10

 

FotR - A+

TTT - A+

Rotk - A

 

 

 

The journey there and back again was worth it. And it helped that via the phenomenal documentaries one was able to be part of the journey. And it is good that this is it for now. Hoping to see "The Dam Buster", "Tintin" and "As Nature Made Him" from PJ next.

Edited December 12, 2014 by ShouldIBeHere

[pepsa]

No, Elvish always remains Elvish in the dubbed German versions

 

 

I opted for a B+ for now.

 

 

All in all, I think PJ never dropped the ball on this franchise and I still think that AUJ is vastly underrated. There is neither a PM nor a AotC in this franchise. And there is no Peter Lucas.

 

 

Still, this could have been better. I think either a two movie version or a better planned and structured three movie version would have helped a lot.

 

The planning seems to have been too chaotic at times, especially after GDT left and after the last minute trilogy decision.

 

 

Though I am sure this will be watched by people with different eyes in the future, especially those who have not witnessed or followed the releases of the two trilogies and do not know the story behind it.

 

 

Watching all six movies in chronological order will have quite a nice flow to it. 

 

 

 

TH Trilogy 8/10

 

AUJ - A-

DoS - B

BotFA - B+

 

LotR Trilogy 10+/10

 

FotR - A+

TTT - A+

Rotk - A

 

 

 

The journey there and back again was worth it. And it helped that via the phenomenal documentaries one was able to be part of the journey. And it is good that this is it for now. Hoping to see "The Dam Buster", "Tintin" and "As Nature Made Him" from PJ next.

 

I almost agree with you:

 

The Hobbit

 

AUJ - A

DoS: - B

BotFA - A-

 

Lotr

 

FotR - A++

TTT - A+ (Maby just an A, if I have to compare with the other 2 instalments)

RotK - A+

[Leyla]

No, Elvish always remains Elvish in the dubbed German versions

well it remained 'elvish' here too but with awful accent  

 

 

as for the rating

TTT A+ 

FOTR A+

BotFA A

RoTK A

DOS B+

AUJ B

 

[Noctis]

Better than RoTK?

[pepsa]

Better than RoTK?

 

Noctis believe me you won't find it beter then RoTK I can asure you that

[IndustriousAngel]

Seriously, none of the Hobbit films comes near LotR quality, even if I like them very much and they're beautifully made.

[ShouldIBeHere]

My opinion as well.

Movies full of heart, better than most of that Marvel and hero stuff, but no masterpieces. "Just" good movies.

[pepsa]

I can only agree with you both, but it isn't only PJ fault the story isn't as epic as that of Lotr.

[baumer]

Has this been released internationally?

[Plain Old Tele]

Has this been released internationally?

 

In 11 territories yesterday... it grossed 11.3m (up a bit from AUJ and DOS). It opens in more territories this weekend, although I think it's only another 20 or so.

[IndustriousAngel]

I can only agree with you both, but it isn't only PJ fault the story isn't as epic as that of Lotr.

 

That's true, of course, but (my personal opinion) when adapting such a basically boy's own adventure book (without strong characters, love stories and so on), it would be the responsability of the screenwriters and directors to create relatable, distinct characters and maybe invent situations where these character definig moments happen. Very little of this happened in the Hobbit films, instead they tried to go for visual overkill. In tone, those three films are much nearer to "Pirates of the Carribean" or "Avatar" than "Lord of the Rings", and that's not the fault of the book. There were only very few scenes that made use of the acting capabilities of the (really good) cast.

 

btw, expanding the story to three films was not the main problem (as some people maintain); the original book together with the Dol Guldur storyline has plot enough for those three films - it's just that the time should have gone more to character moments, less to eye-candy silliness like the Goblin-town chase, the rabbit chase, the barrel chase, the battle for Dale embellishments ...

And that's mainly the fault of PJ, followed by the other screenwriters.