The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

[Covert Rain]

Took my son to see this yesterday. It was pretty good and we both liked it. Definitely, had much more depth versus the previous two films. We went to see this in 3D and it provided some really cool FX. Definitely better versus the first two.

However, in retrospect, it also reinforced what I already knew in that making 3 films of this material was incredibly unnecessary. When I look back at all these films, this second trilogy may have done more damage than good to the overall set of films.

Had they made this two very tight films.....it would have made a tremendous difference IMO.

 

[Chaplin]

I really liked this one. IMO, the movies have gotten progressively better, with this one by far the best of the 3. It doesn't save the trilogy as far as in comparison to LOTR, but it turns it into an average worthy prequel.

Liked the call-backs to LOTR and the earlier movies -- with Bjorn making a cool appearance. IMO, there are really only 2 things I didn't like, and they are actually fairly major. One, Smaug has a pretty small role in the movie--they wrap-up that particular story point quickly. That said, what they DID do was pretty spectacular, so it's not that big of a deal.

The second is really an overall gripe--because the character development in earlier installments wasn't very good, it was harder to care about the characters this time around. Unfortunately, this film does a much better job of showing the characters and their arcs, but since there wasn't much of an arc in the previous movies, it's not as involving. I thought Thorin, Kili, Tauriel, Legolas, King Thranduil and even Galadriel had some really great character moments (and of course, Martin Freeman elevates the material whenever he's on-screen), so it's a shame that it could have been so much better had their characters had more to do in the previous films.

 

[crisper57]

Good, not great. Legolas channeling his inner Super Mario was just about the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen put to film.

Peter Jackson definitely followed George Lucas to the Dark Side. These films will not hold up like LOTR, sadly.

 

[Chaplin]

Good, not great. Legolas channeling his inner Super Mario was just about the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen put to film.

Peter Jackson definitely followed George Lucas to the Dark Side. These films will not hold up like LOTR, sadly.

I can't believe you are comparing PJ to Lucas. Come on now. PJ isn't going to go back and digitally alter LOTR. That in itself puts PJ much higher in my estimation.

 

[crisper57]

He digitized what had previously been done with practical effects. Not an improvement.

 

[Chaplin]

He digitized what had previously been done with practical effects. Not an improvement.

Example? I haven't heard anything about him going back to LOTR and changing things.

 

[crisper57]

No, he just digitized intimate fight scenes in the Hobbit (not the grand wide shots, but the one on one stuff amidst the chaos). In LOTR, those were almost all done between two actors. Stuff like that. Made the Hobbit feel weightless.

 

[Chaplin]

No, he just digitized intimate fight scenes in the Hobbit (not the grand wide shots, but the one on one stuff amidst the chaos). In LOTR, those were almost all done between two actors. Stuff like that. Made the Hobbit feel weightless.

Ok, I can see that. But I still don't think that equates him with Lucas. Maybe more with James Cameron, who uses digital effects for almost everything.

 

[crisper57]

Ok, I can see that. But I still don't think that equates him with Lucas. Maybe more with James Cameron, who uses digital effects for almost everything.

I'll buy that comparison and rescind my own!

 

[ajcardfan]

Just saw it tonight and I agree with those who say it's the best of "The Hobbit" series. I think it's pretty clear that is the case. Too bad it took until the 3rd movie to really start to care about the Dwarve characters who are so central to this trilogy.

I rate it behind all 3 of the LOTR movies though. In a way, to keep the inane Lucas and Jackson comparison going , that is like the Star Wars prequel trilogy. A really bad first movie, a better second one, and then a very decent third one.

 

[ajcardfan]

Good, not great. Legolas channeling his inner Super Mario was just about the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen put to film.

IDK, once you've bought into all the fantasy of the Middle Earth, I don't think it's that much of a stretch. Although, I do admit I laughed out loud and thought of this post as soon as it happened in the movie. But, is it really that much more crazy than Legolas jamming a sword into the brain stem of the troll and using it like a joystick to get him to knock down the tower in the first place?

 

[Stout]

Just saw it tonight and I agree with those who say it's the best of "The Hobbit" series. I think it's pretty clear that is the case. Too bad it took until the 3rd movie to really start to care about the Dwarve characters who are so central to this trilogy.

I rate it behind all 3 of the LOTR movies though. In a way, to keep the inane Lucas and Jackson comparison going , that is like the Star Wars prequel trilogy. A really bad first movie, a better second one, and then a very decent third one.

I agree with all of this. I'll surrpise just about everyone (and give Chap a heart attack) by saying I was pleasantly surprised by this installment. For long stretches, it was just a bangin' movie. It avoided what looked like the idiotic 'kill the dragon with a very believable balista' trap (though the kid's face would have been cut up by the fletching). I really had only two major gripes, which I'll put in the spoilers below. Okay, I'll also gripe about Jackson bringing DUNE to Middle Earth, but eh, I guess I can overlook that. And the aforementioned Legolas Super Mario Bros act sucked too

Spoiler

Ugh, the Dwarf-Elf love fest not only continued, but became a major idiot point in this movie. Plenty of material for drama here--in no way did the trilogy need a fabricated love story that has Tolkien rolling in his grave. I almost swore at the damn screen every time they got into that mess, but I didn't want to ruin the movie for the other viewers. Bringing in the made-up Tauriel as a kick ass Elven warrior? I'm cool with it. The rest? Oh hells no.

Right as we get to the climactic fight, it breaks down into a laugh fest. The ice thing? I mean, the goal isn't to make the audience belly laugh during the cool showdown, which is exactly what happened. It was like Jackson realized he had a solid hour-and-a-half up to that point, and decided to just mail it in for the next 20-30 minutes. The stretch after the first brother's death ended up lame as hell. Then they're just like, 'oh, there are the eagles, and yay, here's Beorn!', and poof, we don't have to think about the rest. Weak, Jackson, weak.

But hey, otherwise, I was pretty satisfied. I thought I'd be ripping the whole thing to shreds, but it is not so. I might actually watch this one again--not the other ones, though.

 

[Bert]

I agree with all of this. I'll surrpise just about everyone (and give Chap a heart attack) by saying I was pleasantly surprised by this installment. For long stretches, it was just a bangin' movie. It avoided what looked like the idiotic 'kill the dragon with a very believable balista' trap (though the kid's face would have been cut up by the fletching). I really had only two major gripes, which I'll put in the spoilers below. Okay, I'll also gripe about Jackson bringing DUNE to Middle Earth, but eh, I guess I can overlook that. And the aforementioned Legolas Super Mario Bros act sucked too

Spoiler

Ugh, the Dwarf-Elf love fest not only continued, but became a major idiot point in this movie. Plenty of material for drama here--in no way did the trilogy need a fabricated love story that has Tolkien rolling in his grave. I almost swore at the damn screen every time they got into that mess, but I didn't want to ruin the movie for the other viewers. Bringing in the made-up Tauriel as a kick ass Elven warrior? I'm cool with it. The rest? Oh hells no.

Right as we get to the climactic fight, it breaks down into a laugh fest. The ice thing? I mean, the goal isn't to make the audience belly laugh during the cool showdown, which is exactly what happened. It was like Jackson realized he had a solid hour-and-a-half up to that point, and decided to just mail it in for the next 20-30 minutes. The stretch after the first brother's death ended up lame as hell. Then they're just like, 'oh, there are the eagles, and yay, here's Beorn!', and poof, we don't have to think about the rest. Weak, Jackson, weak.

But hey, otherwise, I was pretty satisfied. I thought I'd be ripping the whole thing to shreds, but it is not so. I might actually watch this one again--not the other ones, though.

Well said, I totally agree on all points. Especially your last point.

Didn't hate it, but if a friend asked me how it was I would say; ehhhhhhh it's worth seeing, but don't expect greatness.

 

[Stout]

Well said, I totally agree on all points. Especially your last point.

Didn't hate it, but if a friend asked me how it was I would say; ehhhhhhh it's worth seeing, but don't expect greatness.

 

[Cheesebeef]

the best of the Hobbit series, but I echo most other people's thoughts. I never really cared all that much about anyone in the series until this installment so it didn't emotionally resonate the way it should. That said, I appreciated that some MAJOR characters died in this one. Always thought it was beyond ridiculous that Boromir was the only member of the original Fellowship who bit the bullet in the LOTR trilogy.

that said... The Eagles... again? Man... I don't know if that was a Jackson or Tolkein thing but to rely on that TWICE in the same way kinda sucked. I thought it was a major copout in LOTR and seeing it happen again in The Hobbit just annoyed me that much more (and yes, I know the Hobbit comes before LOTR, but it's annoying either way).

 

[Bert]

the best of the Hobbit series, but I echo most other people's thoughts. I never really cared all that much about anyone in the series until this installment so it didn't emotionally resonate the way it should. That said, I appreciated that some MAJOR characters died in this one. Always thought it was beyond ridiculous that Boromir was the only member of the original Fellowship who bit the bullet in the LOTR trilogy.

that said... The Eagles... again? Man... I don't know if that was a Jackson or Tolkein thing but to rely on that TWICE in the same way kinda sucked. I thought it was a major copout in LOTR and seeing it happen again in The Hobbit just annoyed me that much more (and yes, I know the Hobbit comes before LOTR, but it's annoying either way).

Yeah, it's ridiculous. I mean it's got to be one of the biggest plot holes EVER in cinema when you consider how huge this franchise came out. Even 8 year old kids asked their parents after ROTK; Daddy, why didn't the Eagles just take Frodo directly from the shire to the volcano? "Well son, because then it would have been 1 movie that was 10 minutes long instead of 3 movies that were all 3 hours..." lol

So I have to assume that bringing them back again and copping out AGAIN is just his way of giving us all the big middle finger and telling us to get over it?

 

[Stout]

Yeah, it's ridiculous. I mean it's got to be one of the biggest plot holes EVER in cinema when you consider how huge this franchise came out. Even 8 year old kids asked their parents after ROTK; Daddy, why didn't the Eagles just take Frodo directly from the shire to the volcano? "Well son, because then it would have been 1 movie that was 10 minutes long instead of 3 movies that were all 3 hours..." lol

So I have to assume that bringing them back again and copping out AGAIN is just his way of giving us all the big middle finger and telling us to get over it?

I can't remember what it was, but I have a buddy who is a huge Tolkien fan, and there was a very specific reason why the eagles couldn't take them to Mount Doom.

 

[GiantCardFan]

Saw it with my SIL and grandsons today. Everyone enjoyed it, 3 generations. But after 5 other movies, I felt like this one could have been put together with outtakes from all the others. Felt like I'd seen it all before. The Orcs, pound for pound, have to be the worst fighting force in the history of cinema, lol.

 

[Chaplin]

I read something that eagles simply wouldn't do it. They were extremely stubborn and took some heavy convincing from Gandalf to get Frodo off of Mount Doom.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I read something that eagles simply wouldn't do it. They were extremely stubborn and took some heavy convincing from Gandalf to get Frodo off of Mount Doom.

that scene should have definitely been in the extended version. would have been hilarious!

It just bothered me in BOTH movies that just when all seemed lost, the Eagles literally flew in to save the day.

 

[crisper57]

that scene should have definitely been in the extended version. would have been hilarious!



It just bothered me in BOTH movies that just when all seemed lost, the Eagles literally flew in to save the day.

Blame Tolkein for that. Terrible writing to include deus ex machina twice from the same source. Almost as bad as inventing Tom Bombadil...

 

[Bert]

that scene should have definitely been in the extended version. would have been hilarious!

It just bothered me in BOTH movies that just when all seemed lost, the Eagles literally flew in to save the day.

How hard is it to persuade an eagle? Cut a trout open, offer him the gizzard, boom, non stop service to Mount Doon, the movie on this flight will be Frodo and Sam, love unrequited.

 

[Stout]

Blame Tolkein for that. Terrible writing to include deus ex machina twice from the same source. Almost as bad as inventing Tom Bombadil...

Bull puckey. Used the eagles in LOTR, and they were merely a part of a final army (the beasts) that aided in winning the day in the Hobbit. The problem is, Jackson decided to just use the eagles and show Beorn dropping in, probably thinking people would be happy to recognize them. Blame Jackson, not Tolkien.

Also, Tom Bombadil was cool as all get out

 

[Chaplin]

How hard is it to persuade an eagle? Cut a trout open, offer him the gizzard, boom, non stop service to Mount Doon, the movie on this flight will be Frodo and Sam, love unrequited.

This is obviously joking, but the eagles, to my understanding, were a higher form of intelligence and were extremely stubborn and arrogant.

Them just showing up is a little convenient, but the books are pretty clear as to why the eagles weren't in the story more.

 

[Cheesebeef]

This is obviously joking, but the eagles, to my understanding, were a higher form of intelligence and were extremely stubborn and arrogant.

Them just showing up is a little convenient, but the books are pretty clear as to why the eagles weren't in the story more.

I never read The Hobbit, but I read the LOTR series. Don't remember their stubbornness or arrogance talked about all that much.