Expectations

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2014)

I went into this movie expecting to see all characters connected fully to how they were in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I was a little disappointed by that thought. What I was excited to see was what Sauron would do to Solomon to make Solomon so evil so easily. We saw nothing of this unfortunately. Additionally, I did not like the relationship between Kili and Tauriel. It was completely meaningless to the story and both of them are not in the story going forward. The last aspect I did not appreciate was minor but still very noticeable throughout the entire movie. I saw it in 3D (what better movie to see in 3D) and found it to be very overwhelming. There was ALWAYS a sword, hand, etc. in your face and made it very complicated to concentrate on other aspects on the screen.
Now to what I truly appreciated; Azog, firstly. I thought his battle armor fit his persona perfectly. His scars were his evidence of power and supremacy, and that's what he showed off. Had he been dressed in a full suit of armor, that would have been seen as confusing to the audience. I also noticed that throughout the 6 movies, we have never seen Legolas in a full suit of armor. His armor combined elegance and power all at once which I appreciated. If you want to find out more about secrets, quotes from producers, and BTS action, check out The Hobbit/The Battle of Five Armies/Chronicles/Art &Design by John Howe.