Movie Review 7: The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies

A fitting conclusion to our times in the land of Middle Earth, this final movie wraps up the timeless classic of the Hobbit and paves the way for the Lord of the Rings. Every fan of the Tolkien movies has known that this day would come, our final farewell to all of the Hobbits, elves, Dwarfs, Rangers, and Wizards of Middle Earth. But this movie manages to conclude on a bittersweet but happy ending.

The movie begins right where the last one ended, with Smaug laying fiery waste to the heavily unprepared Laketown. Bard the Bowman, with the help of his son, manages to slay the dragon once and for ever. The news of the fall of Smaug reaches Bilbo and the dwarfs back at the now reclaimed Lonely Mountain and all seems well, until word spreads round that the flames of war are coming. Tensions run high within the mountain, as Thorin becomes infatuated with keeping all the treasure of the mountain to himself, plus the missing Arkenstone. Bilbo, seeing the sickness getting worse within Thorin's mind, seeks out the help of Gandalf, Bard, and the Mirkwood Elf king. Unfortunately, the combined armies of orcs, led by General Azog, declare an all out war with the Dwarfs, Elves, and the remaining men of Laketown. In the end Thorin dies in battle, the kingdom of Erabor returns to its former greatness, and Bilbo returns to his home under hill with a ring that would soon change Middle Earth forever.

Many, including myself, were holding their breath in anticipation for what the defining chapter would bring us. Some thought we would leave the theater bitter and angry at the developers for shaming the great works of Tolkien. Others believed we would leave with tears in our eyes and a smile on our face.

In the end, we got just the ending we needed. While we reminisce the memories we all shared during our time in this saga, future generations will look back on these timeless classics and forge new stories that keep the legacy alive. I give The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies a 4.5 out of 5 stars simply because they should have stuck with the title "The Hobbit There and Back Again".

Thank you all for reading, and I thank you, Mr. Tolkien for providing us with these timeless classics.