An Almost Perfect Sendoff to One of the Greatest Film Sagas of All Time

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2014)

I was fortunate enough to view this film opening night in a large format theatre. I read many reviews from Rotten Tomatoes criticizing it for many reasons, but I went in with an open mind.
The opening sequence is by far one of the best from any film in history. Watching Smaug destroy Lake Town was amazing on the big screen. It was epic and very intense, just what I had hoped for.
The film has brilliant moments. Thorin's "dragon sickness" is portrayed brilliantly by Richard Armitage. The whole Kili and Tauriel love story works very well, kudos to Peter Jackson for pulling that off. Ian McKellan is brilliant as always, and Martin Freeman proves that he really was 'born to play Bilbo' in this film.
The "Battle of the Five Armies" was very good, although I feel that it started and ended way too abruptly. Fili and Kili's death scenes were portrayed well. I really liked how Tauriel got emotional seeing Kili dying. I definitely shed a few tears at that part. Thorin's battle with Azog was also well done, and Thorin's final moments with Bilbo before he dies was beautiful. Cried at that part the most. And I really liked when Thanduil hinted to Legolas about Aragorn and the familiar "Lord of the Rings" theme played for a few seconds. The film ends right where "Lord of the Rings" begins, which I liked a lot. And the end credits with sketches of the main characters, similar to "LOTR: Return of the King" was brilliant. And with Billy Boyd's "The Last Goodbye" playing over it made it even better.
Although I enjoyed this film for the most part, I had some issues. Firstly, the film ended without explaining what happens to Tauriel. She isn't in Lord of the Rings and I happen to really like the character, so I feel that she deserves a proper ending. My second, and main issue in this film, is that they forgot a major scene from the book: when Thorin is buried with the Arkenstone. I was furious that they didn't include that key scene. I'm sure it will be in the extended edition, but it should have been in the theatrical release. My final issue with this film is that it should have been longer by about thirty minutes. The previous instalments drew criticism for their "formidable" running times, but when you are making the last Middle-Earth movie, 144 minutes flies by and just isn't enough. The ending also felt rushed, as I would have liked a more emotional goodbye between Bilbo and the Dwarfs, and maybe a conversation between Bilbo and Gandalf on "The Return Journey", possibly about Thorin.
We have to give credit to Peter Jackson. He created an amazing trilogy out of a very small book. The Battle of the Five Armies in the book was a very small part, and Peter Jackson created an amazing, long Battle in this film. He has an amazing mind and must be respected for what he pulled off.
In the end, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" is an "almost perfect send off to one of the greatest film sagas of all time".