A stimulating end to the journey of a lifetime!

Rating: 9/10 (12 December 2014)

As the final scene ended with Old Bilbo answering the door to Gandalf sixty years later from the events of TBOTFA, it was fitting that Billy Boyd's highland soul sung 'The Last Goodbye', and a goodbye to an epic series of fantasy films that will endure time, enrich our lives and enlighten our hearts.
TBOTFA albeit the shortest in running time in the series, is by all accounts a finale that dwarfs (No pun intended) all finales. The story created by Tolkien is masterfully put together (with snippets from other books in the writers library) and magically filmed by Peter Jackson. Jackson has surely outdone himself, and spared no expense (probably stole some of Thorin's treasure) with tantalising action and a great plot all the way through this rousing movie.
Martin Freeman stands out in this movie especially, with the fantastic portrayal of a friend being loyal and doing the right thing to his loved ones whatever their strife. McKellen, Armitage and Evans provide great supporting roles that bring these characters off the screen and into your hearts.
TBOTFA is by far my favourite, and with the added inclusion Billy Connolly (My Favourite Comedian) especially seeing him with a brilliant ginger beard and riding a pig into battle, it made me rate this high amongst my all time fantasy favourites. My only two disappointments were the untimely, unfunny outbursts by Alfrid, and the shortness of the film, the latter of the two possibly will be changed when the extended edition hits shelves next year.
All I can say is GO WATCH THIS MOVIE, AND ENJOY MIDDLE EARTH #ONELASTTIME