The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

[jye4ever]

Tauriel should've died of a broken heart.

Ooom baa.

 

[TURINS~BANE]

Anyone else a little let down with the actual battle. Needed much more bear too.

 

[jye4ever]

The personal battles were meant to be the primary conflict with the larger battle taking a back seat.

EE will probably extend the larger battle.

 

[JAWS]

For those that care and want to take the time to read my thoughts on the movie. I'll post it with spoiler tags.

Spoiler

We’ve come to the end of road for new releases of Middle-earth based movies, and I find myself happy to see the movie while also being sad that it’s the end. We of course do have the Extended Edition that will come out next year so we have that to look forward to. I’ve had a chance to see this twice already and I’ve walked away loving it each time. I’m going to copy the format my fellow staffer Garfeimao used to give my thoughts on various moments.

Unlike the previous two movies The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies jumps right into the action. The pace of this movie moves every bit as quick as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug if not a little bit quicker, and the movie is shorter, as well, coming in at 2 hours and 24 minutes long (with credits). As has been the case with the entire trilogy, there is some really good stuff and some stuff I can’t say I’m a fan of. However, I love this series and how all of it came out and have enjoyed the journey we’ve all taken to get to this point. I will say this movie is going to set the discussions ablaze with how much it does veer off the normal path of Tolkien, but I do feel it still captures the proper feel of the world I love. The end of this one is beautiful and a nice emotional beat as we close out the movie, and then we of course have the credits that match The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Overall, I think this movie is a total winner and I will be seeing it multiple times before it leaves theaters.

Things I liked:

1. I love the Laketown stuff. Smaug taking out the town is pretty darn impressive but it only picks up once we get to Bard v. Smaug. Smaug is of course arrogant as always especially after Bard has tried his best to take him out with a regular bow/arrow combo. It is a touch different with Bain entering the picture but he does bring the Black Arrow to the party. I also liked that the windlance isn’t used in the killing of Smaug. The makeshift bow Bard has to make while using Bain to steady it I thought was quite perfect. As was watching Smaug come crashing down on Laketown while also taking out the Master.

2. Dol Guldur – I loved this sequence. It is something I’ve wanted to see since I read The White Council takes on the Necromancer. I love the stealth mode in which Galadriel gets into Dol Guldur, and surprises the original Bolg look. Her showing a short burst of power was pretty awesome. Then we get Saruman and Elrond who join the fight taking on the Ringwraiths. Both of those guys put on a heck of a fight and I love the look they went with on the Ringwraiths. I also love how the Ringwraiths, even after being defeated, are brought back by Sauron. It fits with Gollum telling Frodo they cannot be killed. They can be defeated but not killed as we saw during The Lord of the Rings.

We also get to see Galadriel in full power mode, which we get a glimpse of in The Fellowship of the Ring. This time she really flexes her muscle and shows why when Frodo tempts her with the ring it would be a really BAD thing if she took it. I also like that we see Sauron having to flee to Mordor to start the process over, which we see during The Lord of the Rings.

3. Azog/Bolg both are really awesome I think. I love the battle changes they both get in this movie and how they look. Especially the switch out weapon Azog got and the description we got in the new Weta Chronicles book. Basically he ripped the other out and put this one in. I know these two have caught a lot of crap for being CGI, but I think they look fantastic. I find myself forgetting they’re CGI and think they’re about as real as they can get.

4. One of the moments I loved is the conference between Bilbo, Gandalf, Bard, and Thranduil when Bilbo gives them the Arkenstone. It is yet another moment that I think we’ve all been waiting to see and it comes out perfectly. You have all this power in the room trying to decide what exactly the best route is and in steps Bilbo. This little hobbit who so loves his friends is willing to offer something that might get him hurt as a peace offering. Thranduil just trashes the Dwarves and Bilbo steps and reminds them how great really they are. I just love this part as I think it reminds us all that all our friends have faults but they also have many positives.

5. Thorin’s fall is FANTASTIC! All along we’ve gotten a nicer version of him with bits here and there of what is to come. I’ve been eager to see this all come to life and Richard Armitage does such a great job with it. He finally becomes that dark mean character from the book. He questions the loyalty of those around him, wants to toss Bilbo off the edge of the blockade, and just the greed you see from him even while battle is on his doorstep. It’s as if the gold itself is like the Ring and corrupts him to nearly beyond coming back.

6. Thorin’s return is something I also really enjoyed. He and the dried gold that they used to trap Smaug are really well done. I love how as he looks at this he feels like he is being swallowed by the lust for gold and that his greed is almost too much. This to me is fitting with how we approach money and let it consume us. He comes out of it though and realizes he is becoming like Thror.

7. Bilbo and Thorin have a couple of nice moments during all of this. I love the scene with the acorn and the brief moment of Thorin coming out of the Dragon Sickness. It’s nice to see these two share that they’ve been in a journey and respect each other. I also love seeing Bilbo get the Mithril Shirt. The impact that shirt has after we go into The Fellowship of the Ring is huge.

8. The Battle itself is really cool. I love that there are fights going all over the place and that it isn’t bigger in scale than the fights we get in The Lord of the Rings. You’ve got some great moments where you have the Dwarves showing off their power as well as the Elves showing off just how awesome they are. Mix those together and it makes for some great fighting. Then of course you have the men lead by Bard who show that you can’t take fishermen as a weak army. Of course you have all the Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, and bats. They’re just so cool! One complaint I’ve seen of this is we only get small bits of the whole battle. This isn’t any different than The Lord of the Rings films. We’re always up close in those instead of just focusing on the entire battle.

9. The Trolls and various Orcs. I really like all the designs we got. They look darn cool, IMO. I think they all are things that could exist in Middle-earth and I cannot wait to see Weta make statues of them and add them to my collection. I especially like the Trolls with the catapults on their back.

10. Legolas has been an awesome addition to these films. I love him in this movie to be honest. We get to start to see Legolas become the Elf that goes to The Council of Elrond, as well as why he cares for Aragorn so much. The move he does with the Bat is totally awesome, IMO. For me it is no different than anything we’ve seen from him before so I just rolled into those moments. I also think it’s funny we finally see him run out of arrows and what he does when he doesn’t have them. The rematch of him v. Bolg is also pretty darn good. You’ve got another Legolas moment with him and the stone steps. Maybe take the slow mo part out but it’s a neat moment. Of course when he finally kills Bolg that’s a fist pump moment for me. Even if it is different than how Bolg dies in the book.

11. The deaths of Fili and Kili are sad as we knew they would be. They don’t die protecting Thorin but defending those around them. Maybe not the way we thought it would end but a fitting end nonetheless.

12. Thorin finally gets to take on Azog. They duke it out on the ice, which is a change from the book but I really like this. I enjoyed the process of the final moments as Azog gives Thorin the killing blow with Thorin realizing he must sacrifice himself for this to end. Thus allowing him to finally end Azog and save his line from annihilation

13. I do like that Bilbo gets to participate in the battle instead of just getting knocked out at the start. I also like that he tosses the stones, which is a nice touch with how we know Hobbits can toss a rock. He does get knocked out, which is nice to see that come into play as well.

14. Bilbo saying goodbye is short but sweet. It’s touching because we see just how much they all care. That Bilbo now will welcome a house full of Dwarves anytime, which is different than how he started.

15. Thranduil telling Legolas about Aragorn. I love this line to be honest. As I said earlier it helps explain why Legolas is protective of Aragorn at The Council of Elrond.

16. The chat between Bilbo and Gandalf was quite nice. It reminded me of the chat they have in the first film before Bilbo decides to not go on the journey. Some nice lines from the book happen here as well reminding Bilbo he’s just a small part in this world. I also like the bit talking about rings because we know Gandalf knew Bilbo found a magic ring, and it works with the shock of Gandalf realizing it’s The One Ring.

17. For me the auction was a funny quick moment that was nice to see. The part though that made it stand out for me is when Bilbo is asked about Thorin. That right there shows the quality of this Hobbit.

18. The Last Goodbye by Billy Boyd is perfect. It fits the end of this trilogy as well as the trip we’ve been on through six films. What an amazing ride and I’m so glad we went on it. I also love the end credits and how they match what we got before. A fantastic end.
Here are a few things I didn’t care for just so folks don’t think I thought this was perfect.

Things I didn't care for:

1. I think the love stuff was a little thicker in this movie than I care for. I didn’t feel it was that way in film two but in this one it was between Kili/Tauriel. I also didn’t care for the kiss at the end.
2. The lack of Beorn. He’s not my favorite character but again we don’t get much. We’re getting more of him in the EE but we couldn’t get more in this?
3. I could have lived without Alfrid dressing as a girl. I didn’t mind him otherwise but that was just a bit silly to be honest.
4. I also wish the movie was longer because we didn’t get some closure to certain moments. Again, I expect we will see them in the EE but I want them now.

Nice review/thoughts.... Many things I don't agree with and lots that I do. Good read.

 

[JAWS]

Having read a lot of people complain about Legolas and his over the top action... and those that defend it as it's just legolas doing legolas stuff... For me it's like this..


In LOTR it was a build up... Legolas in FOTR had one "Legolas" Moment and that was the Cave troll kill... It's never been a fav. moment of mine because he looks CG but it was nice idea... In TTT he has two Legolas moments... Jumping on the horse and Sliding down the shield... To show that I don't hate CG I actually liked the Horse stunt better then the shield slide.. Then comes ROTK and Legolas gets one Major moment... The talking down of the Mumakil... And WOW what a moment... A blend of CG and real actor on green screen... It is by far my fav Legolas moment and the CGI is fantastic!!

All of this stuff was either... Great CGI and not possible (ROTK), Bad CGI and not possible (reverse horse mount), bad CGI and maybe possible (Cave troll Kill), or kind goofy practical effect (Shield slide)...

My issue with Legolas in the Hobbit... was it was almost always... Bad CGI and not possible. Had the he not looked like a cartoon half the time I could have gone with it.. My own 9 year old son can pick out the CG Legolas... Perhaps I could forgive if it was just one "Legolas" Moment in each of the films... But it's time after time of CGI Legolas doing gravity defying stunts... He does not just get that one moment in the film like he did in the original films... He gets many and instead of being cool... It comes across as corny IMO...

This is how I see it for myself... I don't hate the character.. Nor am I against cool Legolas action... But it was too much all the time...

This is not an attack on anyone who loves the Legolas action and his parts in the film... Something Josh said his thoughts mde me think about it. Just explaining what drove me a bit crazy... I should state it did not make me dislike the movie or the character... It just made me roll my eyes more then cheer.

Now DOS EE made those moments seem fewer and farther between because all the added scenes were without Legolas and his part thus felt more Cameo like... I am hoping for the same thing with the EE of BOTFA.

 

[JAWS]

someone posted this comparison on fb and it does kind of piss me off. how do you even defend this? how? HOW?

if LOTR was made today NONE of these would exist in this way...none of them... damn you Peter (Lucas) Jackson... damn you
(cant wait until he replaces all the creatures from LOTR with cgi... you know thats coming)

Azog and his Bolg were great characters, as good as Lurtz, Ugluk, Grishnak, and even Gothmog.

Agree with Gruson 100%.... I loved Azog... He was great character to hate... I thought he was better then any of the main Orcs or Uruk-Hai in LOTR... Granted he got three films to be hated and MAN did I Hate him... But In a good way .. Bolg was good also.. Just not as great as Azog.

 

[JAWS]

Anyone else a little let down with the actual battle. Needed much more bear too.

The personal battles were meant to be the primary conflict with the larger battle taking a back seat.

EE will probably extend the larger battle.

At first I was a little let down... But when you look at the series as a whole.. Including FOTR. Then this battle was about right... Make it too big and it dwarfs the more important battles in the Ring films. So it was about right IMO... I would have liked to see someone take down a Wereworm though

 

[The Josh]

Nice review/thoughts.... Many things I don't agree with and lots that I do. Good read.

Thanks.

 

[hoodonit00]

Having read a lot of people complain about Legolas and his over the top action... and those that defend it as it's just legolas doing legolas stuff... For me it's like this..


In LOTR it was a build up... Legolas in FOTR had one "Legolas" Moment and that was the Cave troll kill... It's never been a fav. moment of mine because he looks CG but it was nice idea... In TTT he has two Legolas moments... Jumping on the horse and Sliding down the shield... To show that I don't hate CG I actually liked the Horse stunt better then the shield slide.. Then comes ROTK and Legolas gets one Major moment... The talking down of the Mumakil... And WOW what a moment... A blend of CG and real actor on green screen... It is by far my fav Legolas moment and the CGI is fantastic!!

All of this stuff was either... Great CGI and not possible (ROTK), Bad CGI and not possible (reverse horse mount), bad CGI and maybe possible (Cave troll Kill), or kind goofy practical effect (Shield slide)...

My issue with Legolas in the Hobbit... was it was almost always... Bad CGI and not possible. Had the he not looked like a cartoon half the time I could have gone with it.. My own 9 year old son can pick out the CG Legolas... Perhaps I could forgive if it was just one "Legolas" Moment in each of the films... But it's time after time of CGI Legolas doing gravity defying stunts... He does not just get that one moment in the film like he did in the original films... He gets many and instead of being cool... It comes across as corny IMO...

This is how I see it for myself... I don't hate the character.. Nor am I against cool Legolas action... But it was too much all the time...

This is not an attack on anyone who loves the Legolas action and his parts in the film... Something Josh said his thoughts mde me think about it. Just explaining what drove me a bit crazy... I should state it did not make me dislike the movie or the character... It just made me roll my eyes more then cheer.

Now DOS EE made those moments seem fewer and farther between because all the added scenes were without Legolas and his part thus felt more Cameo like... I am hoping for the same thing with the EE of BOTFA.

What do you mean by not possible? That Legolas couldn't do any of the things he did? Like I said it's pretty much established in FOTR that Legolas is a bad ass. The falling bridge scene in The 5 Armies is not much different then him walking on snow in FOTR. And as I stated, in one of the books it does say that an elf lord could beat a Balrog. I think that's a little more impressive than killing a troll or an elephant.

 

[a2themonster]

@Josh I loved your review, I really agree with everything more or less…

Some of the Legolas stuff made me say "really?" at times….off the top of my head the slow-motion on the stone steps for one, the super sword throw from below….I felt like during that sequence they really honed in on him and didn't cut away enough, so we got one feat after another of legolas…after 2 or 3 things naturally I feel ud say 'christ this guy doesn't quit'…nothing though that took away from the movie (maybe the slow-motion lol) but I really enjoyed it and loved the pacing of it.

 

[Bo Shrek]

I went back and read the last few chapters of the book (I have read it many times before but this time with the movie in my head), and WOW...there is really no details of the battle. Bilbo get hit by a stone and gets knocked down. When he wakes up the battle is over. He goes to a tent where Thorin is just about to die. Fili and Kili are mentioned in one sentence that they died. The end.

What's not in the movie and hope is shown in the EE. Thorin is buried under the mountain with the Armenstone and orcist. Dain becomes king under the mountain. Bard gets the 14th share which he gives the jewel to the Elf king and gold to the men of the lake.

Bilbo, gandolf, belt on and elf king leave together one by one dropping each other off

So full credit to PJ and his team to fully illustrate only a few pages of what is BOTFA.

 

[JAWS]

What do you mean by not possible? That Legolas couldn't do any of the things he did? Like I said it's pretty much established in FOTR that Legolas is a bad ass. The falling bridge scene in The 5 Armies is not much different then him walking on snow in FOTR. And as I stated, in one of the books it does say that an elf lord could beat a Balrog. I think that's a little more impressive than killing a troll or an elephant.

I was talking about real stunts... Things that could be pulled off in real life. Sorry about the lack of an explanation...

My point was that they kept it all few and far between in LOTR and each Legolas moment was bigger then the other and thus the payoff was cooler and more viewer pleasing... In Hobbit trilogy it was less exciting and more eye rolling (to me). Had they been able to pull off all the things and have it look as good as taking down the Mumakil I would not mind as much... But every Legolas moment in the new films looked completely CGI. Ruins his Bad Assness if you ask me.

 

[greygoose]

Finally saw this film yesterday. I thought it was a good ending to a trilogy that my family and I have enjoyed watching over the past two years.

Bard tackling Smaug was visually and as a scene my favourite across the trilogy.

 

[The Josh]

@Josh I loved your review, I really agree with everything more or less…

Some of the Legolas stuff made me say "really?" at times….off the top of my head the slow-motion on the stone steps for one, the super sword throw from below….I felt like during that sequence they really honed in on him and didn't cut away enough, so we got one feat after another of legolas…after 2 or 3 things naturally I feel ud say 'christ this guy doesn't quit'…nothing though that took away from the movie (maybe the slow-motion lol) but I really enjoyed it and loved the pacing of it.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

I think I was that way some with Legolas but overtime I've just rolled with it and enjoy the moments. I could totally do without the slow motion bit.

 

[Irvy]

The only Legolas moment I enjoyed was when that smug ***** finally ran out of arrows

 

[The Ween]

I went back and read the last few chapters of the book (I have read it many times before but this time with the movie in my head), and WOW...there is really no details of the battle. Bilbo get hit by a stone and gets knocked down. When he wakes up the battle is over. He goes to a tent where Thorin is just about to die. Fili and Kili are mentioned in one sentence that they died. The end.

What's not in the movie and hope is shown in the EE. Thorin is buried under the mountain with the Armenstone and orcist. Dain becomes king under the mountain. Bard gets the 14th share which he gives the jewel to the Elf king and gold to the men of the lake.

Bilbo, gandolf, belt on and elf king leave together one by one dropping each other off

So full credit to PJ and his team to fully illustrate only a few pages of what is BOTFA.

I've said this several times before. The book as written has little detail. Go back and read about Smaug and Laketown. It's like a page and a half.

 

[The Ween]

Anyone else a little let down with the actual battle. Needed much more bear too.

 

[The Ween]

I was talking about real stunts... Things that could be pulled off in real life. Sorry about the lack of an explanation...

My point was that they kept it all few and far between in LOTR and each Legolas moment was bigger then the other and thus the payoff was cooler and more viewer pleasing... In Hobbit trilogy it was less exciting and more eye rolling (to me). Had they been able to pull off all the things and have it look as good as taking down the Mumakil I would not mind as much... But every Legolas moment in the new films looked completely CGI. Ruins his Bad Assness if you ask me.

Nothing ruined it more than the scene this pic came from in FotR.

 

[Xenoburger_]

Saw it today. It's definitely the best of the three and I enjoyed it, but the CGI was awful as expected, and there was way too much of it.

Legolas is an Elf who's thousands of years old. He should be able to do all kinds of back flips and gymnastic-like **** with great ease. I love that he, Thranduil and Tauriel's hundreds (thousands) of years of experience and training showed in the battles. What I hate is how FAKE it all looked. Game of Thrones has better CGI than this trilogy. What a mess. Those big troll/goblin creatures were embarrassingly bad as was the completely unnecessary CGI on Dain...what the hell was that all about? Seeing his video-game face right next to a natural Thorin was very jarring.

Loved all the armor and weapons. If there's one thing they've done right in this trilogy it's the designs (except Azog). The dwarven armor and weapons looked exactly how you'd imagine they would, as did the elven gear.

I didn't care for Bard in the previous film, but he kicked ass in this one and I'd proudly display Weta's statue of him now.

I hate Azog but his armor and new arm weapon were such great designs that I'm not sure I could resist a statue of him in that outfit.

 

[Bo Shrek]

So according to PJ the EE will have 30 minutes extra including more of Beoron.