'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' Review, Plot Spoilers: Brings Satisfying End To Prequel Series
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," the third and last prequel to the "Lord of the Rings" triology, saw the series brought to a satisfying end as five armies all laying claim to Erebor and its riches engaged on a massive battle.
The film, set for release on Dec. 12, has been screened for reviewers who expressed favorable impression on the movie. Most described the action in the movie as swift compared to the preceding two films. They noted the standout performance of Richard Armitage, who plays the role of Thorin Oakenshield, who had to fight the Iron hill dwarfs, Elves, Orcs and eventually people from Lake-two who all turned up to claim Erebor.
In the film Oakenshield becomes mad after seeing all the wealth of Erebor. He loses his empathy for his friends and the people of Lake-town as Smaug burns it to the ground. Oakenshield's influence on the film is seen throughout, with Variety noting in its review that his eyes are "ablaze with a private madness."
The rest of the cast are sidelined in the film which focuses for about 70 minutes on the battle. Even Bilbo (Martin Freeman) is described by Empire as being a "portrait of quiet understatement" compared to Thorin. However, Empire notes that by the end of the film his character is seen "cracking" as the Ring starts to takes its toll on him. Armitage's performance is also highlighted by Empire, which describes his final statement as "powerful."
The Hollywood Reporter in its review notes that "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" lives up to its billing by focusing on the battle. This narrow focus allows a large amount of well designed CGI mayhem to be show on the screen, making it an "out-and-out war film."
