The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies review - exactly what it promised to be (3-stars)

The Guardian (UK) ^ | Tuesday 2 December 2014 03.02 EST

[Perdogg]

In before the haters......

[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I'm looking forward to this film, which is highly unusual. No, the Hobbit films are not really faithful adaptions of the book (heresy warning, I like the films better than the books anyway), but they are entertaining to say the least!

More Middle Earth -- what's not to like?

[Old Sarge]

I enjoy PJ’s work on bringing The Professor’s epic to life.

Can you imagine the howls of rage if Tim Burton tried this? Or Emmerich? They don’t have the faithful vision to Tolkien that PJ has shown.

Thank you, Professor Tolkien, for leaving us a world to explore. And thank you, Peter, for giving it color and movement.

[Tolkien]

You’re welcome.

[shibumi]

I first read Tolkien in 1965. I re-read the four books again in ‘67. I had always been if the belief that they could never be successfully translated into a cinematic experience.

I couldn’t be happier being wrong.

(Now if someone could just do an equivalent job on “Dune.”)

[Cowboy Bob]

hortly after the climactic battle scene of this final instalment

Is "hortly" an adverb?

[Old Sarge]

LOL!

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Ditto, all of the OZ books and many other, successful fantasy and SF books!

[shibumi]

The best Sci-Fi (in my not-so-humble-opinion) deals with matters of physics, consciousness and the links between the mind and space-time (which was a huge part of Dune.)

It’s tough to see how that stuff would translate onto the screen. And even tougher to see how you could sell the result to audiences raised on constant gunfire and an explosion every 45 seconds, dutifully interspersed with gratuitous obscenities.

[Old Sarge]

how you could sell the result to audiences raised on constant gunfire and an explosion every 45 seconds, dutifully interspersed with gratuitous obscenities.

And boobs, let's not forget boobs...

[shibumi]

"And boobs, let's not forget boobs..."

Yes, I know that most of those in the audience are boobs. Real dullards and halfwits.

Wait .....

What?

Oh. I get it. Sorry.

[Old Sarge]

[Blackirish]

I’m still watching The Hobbit. The usher tells me it will be over any day now.

[Resolute Conservative]

To me the Hobbit was the least of the movies. Too much obvious CGI. The mixture of CGI and outdoor scenes in the first 3 was good.

[trebb]

But it will be 3 stars in epic proportions. I watch this type movie for the entertainment value and have enjoyed the whole series of them. Sometimes one needs time to recreate without all the subliminal message and dissection of plots, etc.

[Clara Lou]

I have owned The Hobbitt and the trilogy books since the ‘80s It’s taken me until now to sit down and take the time to read the appendices included in one of the trilogy volumes, Return of the King, probably. A lot of what I thought was “not faithful” is actually included in the appendices.
I found out that Gimli was allowed, by special dispensation due to his great friendship with Legolas, to sail to the West with Legolas when he finally left Middle Earth. Thorin, Kili, and Fili all die in battle sometime not so long after reclaiming Erebor.
I love the books and have thoroughly enjoyed the movies. Tolkien is an amazing author.

[Clara Lou]

Agreed. Too much CGI, and some of it badly done. One scene, in particular, as the Orcs run down the riverside after the barrels. Sad.

[MrB]

Yep, gotta have gratuitous boobies...

[AppyPappy]

That is a reality when you create a fantasy movie. But the LOTR series has been good for just kicking back and watching time and time again.