Skip to main content

Matt Vs. The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies


Another Christmas holiday, another Hobbit movie. However this isn't just any film about Shire-folk with hairy feet, The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies brings both Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy and larger six film Middle Earth Saga to a close. The film serves as a climatic conclusion of Bilbo and company's quest to reclaim the Dwarf Kingdom at the Lonely Mountain and acts a bridge to the Fellowship of the Ring in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The Hobbit trilogy has been criticized as being a poor man's LOTR and while I somewhat echo that sentiment for I found this new trilogy very enjoyable. Does Battle of Five Armies reach the heights found in the original films or does it still lie the shadow of its more epic predecessors.


Battle of Five Armies begins as Desolation of Smaug ends with Smaug laying waste to Laketown ans after a bit of time and burning Bard dispatches Smaug by piercing  the hole in the dragon's armor-like hide with a black arrow. Following the Dragon's slaying, Thorin and the dwarves reclaimed the mountain kingdom of Erebor and the refugees from Laketown were left to fend for themselves. Word travels quickly in Middle-Earth and soon armies from across the land arrive to try to take the Lonely Mountain and its riches for themselves.

Essentially the majority of the movie is the setup for the titular battle and the battle itself. Character-wise the focus shifts from the company of dwarves themselves to mainly Bilbo and Thorin. Bilbo who spent the majority of the last film in the background, returns to his proper role as an intermediary between the dwarves and the allied men and elves. Thorin having reclaims his birthright becomes lost in his obsession with finding the fabled Arkenstone. His greed/lust makes him forget his promise to help the Laketown refugees and puts his companions in certain peril.

While I enjoyed the film, it is not without its flaws. I would say I lost track of what was going on during on the Battle itself as it was hard to differentiate one army from the next especially with the addition of the 2nd orc army. At my last count, I only saw  four armies not five. While I felt that the original trilogy had a decent mix of practical effects to CGI, Battle overly relies on CGI which I found distracting at times. Ultimatlty Battle of Five Armies doesn't reach the heights of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy but fans of the Hobbit trilogy will enjoy it.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Matt V.S. Sonic the Hedgehog

Growing up, I've had several video game systems including the Gameboy, NES, and Nintendo 64. However I would be remiss if I did not mention the Sega Genesis. The year was 199X (specific year I can't recall) and my brother and I made the jump from 8 bit to 16 bit. At the time this blew our minds. We played games such as Road Rash, Mortal Kombat, and several excellent licensed games based on Batman, Disney, ect. However I can clearly say that one of my favorite titles was Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Compared to the more primitive 8 bit era and its immediate predecessor Sonic 2  possessed certain qualities which made it not only the most successful game on the console but one of my favorite of all time. Sonic 2 was bigger, faster, and better designed than Sonic 1. From Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant to Oil Ocean and Sky Fortress, the game had amazing variety and design and also giving Sonic his trademark SpinDash. (This excludes the death pit in the Mystic Cave level). Giving the abi
2 comments
Read more

Matt and the Joker's Five Way Revenge

    Last year saw the passing of acclaimed comic book writer Denny O'Neill. O'Neill had a long history with many DC Comics superheroes as a writer and editor and is best known for revitalizing the character of Batman among others starting in the 1970s. I decided to pick up a copy of one of the more famous Batman issues of this era, Joker's Five Way Revenge which was written by O'Neill and drawn by Neal Adams. The story featured in Batman # 251, was released in November, 1973. While I am gaining a better appreciation for 1990s comics, I largely avoided avidly reading 1970s issues due to their seemingly dated nature and tropes. After reading this issue, I had some thoughts on both how the character and mythos of Batman has evolved over time and a greater appreciation for a more grounded Dark Knight. In Joker's Five Way Revenge, the Joker is seeking revenge for a presumed betrayal by killing members of his former gang and Batman is striving to stop him. By the time t
Post a Comment
Read more

Matthew versus the Barnes Foundation

There's something oddly relaxing about going to an art museum. For me personally, it offers me a moment to both unwind and focus on the intricacies of the art on the wall. I feel that paintings greatly benefit from being seen in person as opposed to viewing on a computer screen or on a print. I can see and follow the brushwork and ultimately come away with a greater appreciation of the artist's skill and creativity. Last Friday, I went to the Barnes Foundation as a part of Philadelphia's 100 year celebration of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It has long been on my list of museums to visit and while I have visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art,  I have never visited the Barnes before. Now on a cool September night, I decided to take that plunge. The Barnes Foundation building houses the art collection of  Philadelphia native Dr. Albert C. Barnes a chemist, physician, and businessman who lived in late 19th through the first half of the 20th Century. The collecti
Post a Comment
Read more