[Movie Review] The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

After watching the prequels- 'The Hobbit' and 'The Desolation of Smaug', I had to watch this one. I still cannot get over the fact that all these three movies is based on one small book. How the hell did Peter Jackson managed to produce three movies out of the small book by J R R Tolkien is still a mystery to me. 

This one stars almost the same characters from previous one. Add a couple of doses of Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans and many other talented actors and you get a great Peter Jackson movie. The story starts off as a continuation to its prequels. This is the battle of five armies for the gold hoarded by the dragon Smaug in the Lonely Mountain. The dwarves with their cousin takes up one side while the Elves want their ancestor's share. Bard the bowman and the people of Lake Town want their promised share. The darkside Azog and army from Gundabad makes up the last two armies. With this the battle of five armies becomes brutal while Bilbo Baggins tries to stop the great war which brings devastation to everyone who values gold more than home. 

Like all of his movies, Peter Jackson has emerged victorious again. The story went in a way which did make sense even if you haven't watched the prequels. There were a few flashbacks and some interesting details if you note carefully. There were times when the viewers are given a continuity of this movie with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy by providing teeny tiny clues. The good thief Bilbo Baggins is the only one who tries to lighten the mood. I couldn't have imagined another Bilbo other than Martin Freeman. Bard the bowman has been well played by Luke Evans. Legolas-Tauriel-Kili triangle poked up here and there. Tauriel wasn't even in the book and Peter Jackson has done a fantastic job of squeezing her into this trilogy. You will not get bored and that's a guarantee. For a one time watch it's a great movie. I am happy that Peter Jackson can finally get a long rest after back to back trilogies.