All good things must come to an end and for The Hobbit the finale is amazing. Titled The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the film delivers action packed sequences of total devastation putting the film up there with The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The cast continues to amaze with their fine acting, Peter Jackson lays the story to rest with a solemn, but captivating finish and the production crew dishes out a heaping helping of awesome cinematography/CGI and special effects.

 
We left the Dwarfs and Bilbo in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug following an attack by the frightening Dragon. With things in a mess at Laketown, the Bard of Bowman (Luke Evans) tries to retaliate shooting arrows at the creature. Caught off guard his son rushes to his side with his last chance to take down the massive beast. The Laketown’s people are fleeing the village in whatever boats they can get and get caught in the middle of the sea between their burning town and the Lonely Mountain. Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and the fearless Dwarves are inside the city that lies within the Lonely Mountain hoping Smaug will not return to destroy their legacy and the gold.

A Dwarf led army gets ready to do battle

Elsewhere in Middle-earth armies of Orcs and Goblins have been dispatched to fight for the takeover of Oakenshield’s treasure. Gathered at the front of Oakenshield’s fortress, thousands of Elves have come to help the people of Laketown, but find their army facing a greater threat. Director Peter Jackson keeps a feverish pace in developing each of the battles. His characters have all been established so there’s no slowing down from his explosive beginning to the final sword thrust that ends it all. He’s a master of what he does and there’s been no one better at telling a story that includes so many costumes, make-up, sets, characters, drama, battle choreography, props, explosions, CGI and logistical cinematography. He lays it all on the table one last time with aplomb and without disappointment to his loyal followers.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his eight dwarves

There’s no need to expound on the loyal actors who helped make The Hobbit trilogy a success, they contributed their all to Jackson’s massive project. If you’ve read my reviews from the previous two sequels then you know that I feel the cast has been impeccable in developing their characters and making each of the three films an ingenious adventure. But I will make note of three actors who made it all work. Richard Armitage as the Dwarf King who is relentless in getting back to his place of birth and claim his kingdom. Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins who gets sucked into helping the Dwarves achieve their destiny. And, Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey the guardian who wants peace in Middle-earth no matter the damage to himself or those who seek war.

Bard (Luke Evans) talks over a battle plan with Legolas (Orlando Bloom)

Much like I felt with the last episode of The Lord of the Rings, I am at a loss. At least with the announcement of The Hobbit some 8 year ago I had something to look forward to that would allow me to revisit Middle-earth. Now I’m relegated to plunking a Blu-ray into my player of the extended versions of  The Lord of the Rings trilogy as I do every summer. This time however, I’ll be adding another 10 to 12 hours with The Hobbit trilogy. “Come ye sweet summer and bring me the wrath of the armies of Middle-earth”. And, thank you JRR Tolken and Peter Jackson for a wonderful fantasy that will live long in memory.

The Pale Orc Azog

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA. It contains as many extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images as the other two sequels. Be sure to accompany children under the age of 13 to see the film as the Orcs can be very frightening at times and their battles get very bloody and brutal.

 
FINAL ANALYSIS: An apt conclusion to an amazing fantasy adventure. (A)

 
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and Richard Armitage with Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch, Billy Connolly, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Graham McTavish, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, Mikael Persbrandt, Sylvester McCoy, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, William Kircher, Stephen Hunter, Adam Brown, John Bell, Manu Bennett and John Tui
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Sequel
MPAA Rating: PG-13, contains extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images
Running Time: 2 hrs 24 min
Release Date: December 17, 2014
Distributed by: Warner Bros.
Release Formats: 2D, 3D, IMAX, IMAX 3D