The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

Let me explain a little something about The Hobbit movies: my friends and I made it a Christmas tradition over the past three years to watch the newly released films during the Christmas break. Of course this means that we need a new Christmas tradition. 😝 But seriously, this means that I haven't yet made it to the point in the list where the things I am blogging are things I've read or seen in 2015. I really need to work in that.

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies is the throes instalment in the Hobbit movie franchise. I realize that I have planned this out very poorly. You see, my blog didn't exist when I watched the first two movies, and so those blog entries do not exist. But I don't want to have to go back that far to work on blogging those. I apologize if you haven't seen the others and this causes spoilers or confusion for you. That is not my intent.

So Smaug is out of the mountain and intent on attacking the people of Laketown. The remaining elves and dwarves are escaping in boat. The master of Laketown is selfishly trying to gather his riches and ditch his people. Bars the bowman must now choose to step up and hope to succeed where his father failed. As the city burns, he will take on Smaug. And his loyal son comes to help. Within the first half hour of the movie, Smaug is defeated and the city of Laketown destroyed.

In a somewhat separate plot point, Gandalf is facing off against the Necrimancer (really Sauron). He is assisted by Elrond, Sauramon, and Galadriel. Considering th age of these characters (and their actors) it was an epic battle.

Now the people need somewhere to go and they look to the shelter of Erebor.  However, the dwarves have retaken their mountain and as Thorin faces the greed of the gold, the dwarves wall themselves in and everyone else out. Of course, the elves also want to lay claim to the mountain.

Bilbo gets mad at Thorin and betrays him by giving the Arkenstone to Thranduil, Bard, and Gandalf as a bargaining tool.

The armies of the men and the elves team up against the dwarves (and their army of 12, plus Bilbo, but their back-up will come later). Then the orcs catch up, led by Azog. If you're following, that makes four. Finally, Radagast and Beorn recruit the army of Great Eagles.

The final face-off is long and epic with some tragic results.

I found that the cliff hanger of the second movie was brilliantly done, but it resumed so oddly at the beginning of this movie that you couldn't connect with the plot. You just got thrown in. I found the sad moments underwhelming because of this. If like to see if watching them all at once would change that.

The battle was epic and amazingly animated. It took up a huge chunk of the movie which made it a little lacking in plot, but there was enough that I didn't really notice.

I admire so many of the actors in this movie, and u have always loved the books. Overall, it's worth watching, especially for LOTR fans such as myself.

I would also like to take this opportunity, however late to say RIP Sir Christopher Lee. You were an unbelievable man and a talented actor. Your legacy will live on.