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

[baumer]

I liked this one much much better than the other two.  This felt much more like the originals.  There was true conflict in this, there was danger, people were in peril and actually died.  The script sounded more like the originals, the battles were closer to what we saw in Minis Tirith and even characters like Legolas acted more like he did in LOTR.  It's not a perfect film but then again I didn't think TTT and ROTK were either but in terms of that epic holiday event film feel that the originals had, this one was close.  I will actually see this one again.  The beginning was decent and then it dragged for a little but once the crux of the story is upon us you know exactly what you are in for and as they dropped a few LOTR ties ins, it actually got me smiling and a tiny bit giddy in some parts.  

 

7.5/10

 

 

[baumer]

BTW...my grades for the originals have changed over the years too.  I used to have TTTas a 7 and ROTK a 6.5 but they have grown on me as well.  Both would be an 8 now.  FOTR is still a ten.

[4815162342]

I appreciated Jackson just going for broke with so much: The improvised Black Arrow crossbow, Wizard Fu, Catapult Trolls, Battering Ram Trolls, Dain Headbutts, Most of the Legolas Anti-Gravity Moves (especially his finishing move on Bolg, the crowd saw the callback to Bolg's trick in DOS and loved how Lego beat it this time), etc.

Edited December 19, 2014 by 4815162342

[The Panda]

I'm actually incredibly disappointed. I fell asleep during the early battle sequence (I rated AUJ and A-)

I nearly fell asleep when the battles started, I was tired and it was just plain boring. I woke myself up pretty quickly though.

There's just no joy in these last two hobbit movies. The first one was the closest to how these movies actually should be and that was flawed by having about an hour and half's worth of material in a 3 hour movie.

The movies gradually get worse in my opinion (although I think DoS is stupider than Five Armies, I saw it at midnight tired and it managed to keep me awake).

AUJ could have been a strong movie if all the fluff had been cut out (plus Azog is unneeded), it was the only one of the three that actually managed to capture the brisk tone and spirit of the novel. The other two tried to be LOTR films yet failed on every level.

AUJ B-

DOS D+

Battle of Five Armies D

Edited December 19, 2014 by The Panda

[Ozymandias]

Just got back, good fucking lord I was disappointed and I don't really care for the first 2 movies, wasn't expecting that.  The biggest problem with this move besides the overall cartoony feel and obnoxious CGI overload that looks utterly terrible in parts(really, it makes AUJ and DOS look tame in comparison) is how inorganic/mechanical it all feels, I almost felt like leaving on multiple occasions but each time I was tempted to walk out I said to myself "bitch, you ain't gonna walk out of a Middle Earth movie, now sit your ass down".  There are some scenes that were flat out awful like Legolas running up falling rocks in semi-slow motion and the whole dwarf/archer romance, I felt so bad for Evangeline Lilly(she didn't deserve that, she signed on to The Hobbit when it was still 2 movies and her character didn't have any of that incredibly hokey shit in it that doesn't amount to anything but groans from the audience).   There were a few scenes however that almost touched greatness such as Smaug's attack on Laketown(especially when he starts taunting/talking to Bard and walking over/through the burning buildings towards him) and to a lesser extent Dol Guldur, but both of those scenes felt rushed and wrapped up way too quickly(especially fucking Smaug since the last movie ended with that major cliffhanger, might as well just put his demise in DOS and cut out the part where Smaug and the Dwarves run around Erebor).  I also really liked the scene with Gandalf and Bilbo at the end where Gandalf is trying to light his pipe because it was funny and felt like a genuine moment that almost gave me my humanity back.

 

BOTFA - D

DOS - B/B-

AUJ - C

 

None of these movies are nearly as bad as any of the Star Wars prequels, but the trilogy as a whole generally gets a thumbs down from me and the fact that all the LOTR movies are masterpieces with their places carved out in movie history makes that sting real bad.  I was never expecting The Hobbit movies to approach LOTR because of the source material, but these seriously didn't need to be to be 3 movies(it should've been either 1 four hour movie or 2 movies) and Peter Jackson has COMPLETELY lost all discipline when it comes physics and CGI. 

 

If the rights to The Children of Hurin ever get sold,  I sure as hell don't want Jackson doing it.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Ozymandias

[James]

I am so in awe. I went in with skyhigh expectations and even so I was blown away.

My show was 100% full and the audience loved it. I've never seen an audience reacting so much to a movie. With "wow"s and "aws". I heard girls crying when Kili died and when Tauriel was over his dead body, I heard "wow"s when Thranduil started slaying orcs and when Legolas and Thorin battled their opponents and laughs when Gandalf was cleaning his pipe at the end a big. And a general "AWW" when Bilbo sees the Shire and that music starts playing.

My audience was also so diverse. A lot of children, a lot of old people and most of all people in their teens and a bit older. They actually stayed until the credits were over, which never happens here.

Also, before we went in we met this super friendly kid that was afraid Thorin will die and I had to keep myself from laughing. At the end we meet him again and you could see he cried.

It was also amazing to see people whispering whenever a LOTR connection appeared. At the Sauron battle scene (looking around I saw people with their mouths open), at the Aragorn reference at the end, at the ring in Bilbo's hand near the final scene and, of course, at the knocking at the door.

Also heard people (when trying to get out - and we waited for about 10 minutes to get out since it was so crowded) saying they want to re-watch LOTR.

On the movie itself, I have nothing to add. It felt like Middle-Earth movie. It really did. And after I saw Interstellar earlier this year, I thought no movie will surpass it, but it did. I don't remember having this much fun in theatres since the final Harry Potter two years ago.

 

A+ 

 

Comparing it to the other Hobbit movies:

 

BotFA - A+

DOS - A

AUJ - A-

 

Comparing it to the whole ME saga:

 

ROTK - A+

TTT - A+

FOTR - A

BotFA - A

DOS - B+

AUJ - B

[Noctis]

Sounds like a non-biased review. I love it. 

[James]

I am biased. But my audience reaction isn't.

[JohnnyGossamer]

Maybe my hopes were too high, I actually enjoyed the first two much, much more...

[pepsa]

I nearly fell asleep when the battles started, I was tired and it was just plain boring. I woke myself up pretty quickly though.

There's just no joy in these last two hobbit movies. The first one was the closest to how these movies actually should be and that was flawed by having about an hour and half's worth of material in a 3 hour movie.

The movies gradually get worse in my opinion (although I think DoS is stupider than Five Armies, I saw it at midnight tired and it managed to keep me awake).

AUJ could have been a strong movie if all the fluff had been cut out (plus Azog is unneeded), it was the only one of the three that actually managed to capture the brisk tone and spirit of the novel. The other two tried to be LOTR films yet failed on every level.

AUJ B-

DOS D+

Battle of Five Armies D

 

I tought AUJ tried to be Lotr, and it was quite good, it missed some good action.

[75Live]

I saw the movie this morning and just felt it was there.  It wasn't bad or anything, just bland and felt like paint by numbers.

 

There were a couple scenes I liked but overall nothing worked for me.

 

My friend who is a huge fan of the series felt basically the same way.

 

B-

[Michael Gary Scott]

I saw the movie this morning and just felt it was there.  It wasn't bad or anything, just bland and felt like paint by numbers.

 

There were a couple scenes I liked but overall nothing worked for me.

 

My friend who is a huge fan of the series felt basically the same way.

 

B-

I feel the same way. I mean I was sad when thorin died and the end made me smile but I felt like there was nothing to get invested in. It's still well made with good performances so I'd give it a 4.

[Rorschach]

Very well done and well crafted, if not very shortcoming in some of the obvious editing flaws.

(Tolkien Purists are gonna rage and I'll be sitting there, eating popcorn and enjoying the crap out of it )

A-

Edited December 20, 2014 by Rorschach Le Pingu

[Rorschach]

Also is it me or did Bill Connoly look completely CGI the whole time. He looked like something out of Beowulf.

[CoolioD1]

Also is it me or did Bill Connoly look completely CGI the whole time. He looked like something out of Beowulf.

Billy Connolly is old as shit and has parkinsons. so yeah, probably.

[The Panda]

I really feel like Azog is one of the most tacked on franchise villains in a long time, he's very boring and plays by the numbers, you could tell he was really only there to give a named face of a villain once Smaug died.

[RobinHood26]

I was so disappointed, my least favorite Hobbit movie pretty easily. Right of the bat the problem is Smaug. The last movie should not have ended that way, and this one should not have started that way. 

 

All the Dragon stuff in should be 1 large sequence. In DoS the whole Dragon fight in the Mountain before lake town should be the false climax. Then we get laketown. Yay the dragon is dead and boom you tease Throin going mad as the very end of the movie.

 

Fast forward to BotFA movie should open like TT (recapping Gandalf's fate)  did but instead it quickly recaps Smaug/Thorins demise, we revel its Bilbo debating on giving him the Arcane stone on the bench or something. Thats our prologue. 

 

 

This movie start down right awkwardly we are thrown right into battle. Its not that started on an action beat is bad but the content truly feels like ti belongs in another movie. It doesn't feel like an opening. It lacks the weight it should. The dragon attack in the beginning of AUJ even with out seeing the Dragon is more badass and terrorizing I think. 

 

The whole sense of an epic Journey feels lost. We are waiting for a battle but when the battle hits its pretty underwhelimg.  When it starts who am I supposed to root for? Anyone but the Orcs? It also in general feels kinda forced. If you take out Smuag you can spend 10 more minutes slowing down Thorins arc. 

 

I like Legolas but this was the final straw, its just to much. I love Jackson's over the top light hearted pure movie fights and moments but he went 10/15% overboard in this. I also felt like all his emotional beats were forced like the stuff about his mom. 

 

The whole the love was real thing could have been good but felt to cheesy and Pace seems to be a tad to Bi polar. 

 

Overall this didn't feel like a full movie, its just the end of one, but even though its just a 3rd act it some how fails to feel quite as epic as the previous 2. I'm going to go back and listen to the soundtrack but from what I picked up it was good of course but didn't bring anything to knew to the table. 

 

I do like some moments of course, Jackson and his team truly do shoot the shit out of there movies though and I enjoyed the wizard fu quite a but overall I couldn't help but be disappointed. 

 

C (74)

 

 

AUJ B (84)

DoS B- (82)

Edited December 20, 2014 by Jay Hollywood

[lilmac]

C +

 

I got the sense of a story stretched out to cover 2.5 hrs.  For example, the Laketown scenes (after Smaug's defeat) could have been condensed.  The plot also seemed paper-thin featuring 2 hrs of battles and fighting over the mountain and not much more that.  The fight scenes were exciting but got boring and tedious.

 

The highlight for me was Galadriel vs Sauron.

 

What are her powers exactly?  Is she stronger than a Valar? 

[friendofnarnia]

I quite enjoyed the movie, but the ending was poorly done. Almost nothing was resolved. We are just left to assume the eagles finished everything off, but the battle never really felt like it ended. Who has the Arkenetone? Is Bard just keep it? Who ended up King under the mountain? Did the elves, dwarves, and men ever reconcile things? Did the Elf King ever get what he wanted? What happened to Tauriel?

They should have at least shown a resolution between the different races of some kind, and shown us who would be the new King under the mountain. It just wasn't a very satisfying ending.

[Empire]

I quite enjoyed the movie, but the ending was poorly done. Almost nothing was resolved. We are just left to assume the eagles finished everything off, but the battle never really felt like it ended. Who has the Arkenetone? Is Bard just keep it? Who ended up King under the mountain? Did the elves, dwarves, and men ever reconcile things? Did the Elf King ever get what he wanted? What happened to Tauriel?

They should have at least shown a resolution between the different races of some kind, and shown us who would be the new King under the mountain. It just wasn't a very satisfying ending.

The Hobbit is ultimately just about Bilbo's journey, so none of that really matters enough to be perfectly wrapped up on screen. Would I have liked it to, yeah, but it didn't bother me much that it wasn't.