Bilbo and the Dwarves must protect the kingdom of Erebor from 
invading armies and stop Smaug from destroying Laketown.

ACTION/FANTASY

The Hobbit: The Battle
​of the Five Armies (2014)

Directed by Peter Jackson

Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson,
​Guillermo del Toro

Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage,
​Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lilly, Benedict Cumberbatch, Aidan Turner, Orlando Bloom, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish,
​Manu Bennett, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee,
​Hugo Weaving, Stephen Fry, Sylvester McCoy

Sequel to 2013's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and ​
​Prequel to 2001's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien

Oscar Nominations - Best Sound Editing

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Connor Eyzaguirre

December 16, 2014

8/10

The final installment of Peter Jackson's overly long Hobbit trilogy was by far the best adventure in Middle-Earth since The Lord of the Rings. It had everything I had wanted in this series since the beginning: Copious amounts of Orcs, a solid evil threat, and of course intense dramatic moments. The Battle of the Five Armies delivered all of this and more.

The epic battle that had been building between the Dwarves, the Elves, and the Orcs finally converged with a monumental attack on the mountain kingdom of Erebor, with Thorin and company stuck in the middle. Richard Armitage completely stole the show as Thorin, finally giving us a reason to love his character. 

The ending of the film gave audiences a reminder of how far we've all come. From The Lord of the Rings to The Hobbit, Peter Jackson has shown us the most glorious adaptation of Tolkien's Middle-Earth that we could have ever hoped for.

Caleb Leger

December 20, 2014

8/10

While I still think that this series didn't need to be three movies, the last film in The Hobbit series delivered on all fronts. It continued the story from the previous two films, ended on a satisfying note, and gave us quite the epic battle sequence. 

The battle sequence that involved the Dwarves, Elves, Humans, and Orcs was really epic and a ton of fun to watch. The actors did an excellent job in their roles, giving all their respective characters a proper send off. Richard Armitage really shined as Thorin in this installment, giving his character a lot more depth. Even though she wasn't originally in the books, I also really liked Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel. It was good to see her return for the final installment. 

This was a good final installment to The Hobbit trilogy that served as a proper send off and beginning to The Lord of the Rings. Despite the stretching of a simple book into three movies and a startling amount of CGI, this was a great movie that fans of the Middle-Earth saga will enjoy.