Film Review: The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies

"Will you follow me, one last time?"

Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lily, Christopher Lee
Runtime: 144 minutes

All good things must come to an end. After six films, over 1200 minutes of runtime and countless dead orcs, Peter Jackson's Middle Earth saga concludes in this final chapter, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. 

Through tying together the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel, The Hobbit trilogy, The Battle of the Five Armies is a satisfying, if uneven and disjointed, sendoff for the iconic cinematic saga.

Saddle your warpig, and let the final battle commence...

Meddling with Middle-Earth (VOR)

The release date for Peter Jackson’s final foray into Middle-Earth is fast approaching with the highly anticipated film, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, premiering this December. 

With that in mind, my personal friend (and first-time guest blogger) - Daniel Jauk - decided it was time to look back at previous instalments in The Hobbit trilogy and weigh up what worked, as well as what didn't and why.

Even though Dan's a big fan of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (particularly the extended editions), he does have something of an axe to grind when it comes to The Hobbit trilogy (we're looking at you, character development).

So, without further ado, let's delve once more into the depths of Middle-Earth. Take it away, Daniel!

Film Review: The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug

Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lily and Luke Evans.
Runtime: 161 minutes

Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy returns to our screens with the second chapter in the story, The Desolation of Smaug. Starring Martin Freeman as the titular Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, The Desolation of Smaug is a step-up from the divisive first instalment, An Unexpected Journey, providing the most entertaining foray into Middle-Earth for a decade, if not ever. 

Film Review: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

"I'm going on an adventure"

This review may contain mild spoilers.

Martin Freeman as Bilbo

Peter Jackson returns to Middle-Earth with the first third of his highly anticipated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy novel, The Hobbit. Maintaining complete continuity from his earlier works on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson's first Hobbit movie is one that is different in tone but not different in quality.

So put down your pitchforks and your torches. It's okay, just calm down. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is good. Very good in fact, certainly not deserving of many of the mixed reviews circulating around currently.