A Hell of a Ride

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2014)

The Battle of the five armies is more than just another blockbuster it delivers us the purpose and the heart of the story finally , this is the Hobbit movie we have been hoping for . It's bloody , dark & utterly excellent . This is a War story & the movie does not hang around the film opens exactly where part 2 ends with Smaug swooping down over Lake-town & laying waste to it with an incredible sequence . Up in the mountains the dwarfs look on racked with guilt as they have helped cause this horror . Even with the unbelievable battle going on you did not once loose track or concern of the various plot threads going on . Where the first film takes to long to get anywhere & the second film sagged between set pieces this film roars into life from the first frame & doesn't let up for a moment & ends quickly , satisfyingly , and on one perfectly well judged note . The special effects are spectacular and beautifully integrated . The acting particularly Martin Freeman's portrayal of Bilbo Baggins is just extraordinary ! . The Battle of the Five Armies feels like the reason this trilogy exists , it is complete & exactly as it needed to be .