The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

{Of course there will be spoilers! Also, you can find my reviews of the first two films here: An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug.}

I'm finally getting around to writing about the last Hobbit film. I've mentioned before that I missed seeing it in theaters, but of course I bought the DVD on the day it came out and watched it that night. It probably worked out better that way, actually...not only could I pause it to take notes for this post, but I also had tissues nearby. :)

Okay, I'll just jump straight in with my rambling. With the book, I didn't blame the dwarves as much for Smaug's attack on Lake-town. But in the movie, it definitely feels like they're to blame since they had been inside the mountain riling Smaug up and trying to kill him. So I don't exactly feel as much fondness for the dwarves in this movie as I did in the first two! (One dwarf in particular.) Speaking of Smaug, how can they possibly make a CGI dragon look so cruel? I never noticed it before this film, but he's so evil looking.

Let's talk about Thorin. "Dragon sickness" or not, he goes from being a pretty awesome character to being a jerk. I love the moment between him and Bilbo with the acorn, because it's one of the few times in this movie when he's actually likable again. I was so ashamed of him in the scenes when the war is going on and he's shut up in the mountain, worrying about his stupid gold and the Arkenstone! I mean, I was disappointed with some of Thorin's actions in the book, but seeing it played out on screen makes is so much worse somehow.

Random thoughts on a couple more characters: the whole thing with Galadriel was pretty creepy. Also, Thorin's cousin Dain cracked me up. Was he riding on a pig? I knew his voice sounded familiar, and when I looked it up, I realized that he was Uncle Monty in the Series of Unfortunate Events movie (and the voice of the dad in Brave).

Even though Thorin let me down in the movie, there's one character who never disappoints: Legolas. You knew that was coming, right? :) I just can't get over how awesome that guy is. He dances across rivers on the heads of dwarves in barrels. He glides down hills on dead Orcs. He can hang onto a bat in order to soar across the sky and he can defy gravity to run up falling rubble. And his hair always looks disgustingly perfect. I don't even know what else to say. (Except now I really want to rewatch the LOTR trilogy to see more of Legolas's awesomeness, but I won't let myself watch them again until I reread the books. I'm trying to get motivated.)

And then there's Bilbo. I just love Bilbo Baggins. He's so likable and normal. He loves his home and his routine and his cozy, comfortable life (oh, how I can relate to that). But he's brave and loyal and pretty clever, too. I'm not saying he always makes the best decisions, but he's such a good guy. And Martin Freeman portrays him perfectly. It's like Freeman really is a hobbit...the mannerisms and everything are perfect. I know I say this every time I talk about LOTR, but I think movie-Frodo is a wimp. It's been so long since I read the entire trilogy that I can't really remember how book-Frodo is, but I dislike movie-Frodo so much. Bilbo is a real hero and Frodo wouldn't have made it without Sam (in my opinion!).

Of course I have to talk about the deaths. Kili's death didn't affect me like I thought it would! I think it was because it was with Tauriel instead of with Thorin. I don't exactly mind Tauriel as a character in general, but as a love interest for a dwarf, it's ridiculous. The whole thing about Fili and Kili dying is that they were supposed to die protecting their uncle, Thorin. I guess in a way they still were, but I just thought the way it was done in the film felt cheap.

But Thorin's death...that made me cry. I knew the way he supposedly defeated Azog was too easy, which is why he shouldn't have just stood there when he saw him under the ice! I always imagined him dying in the midst of the battle, so at first it bothered me that he was away from the others. But then it felt fitting that it was just Bilbo there with him. It was so sad but I was glad he had some redemption before he died. It almost made me forget about how infuriating he was for most of the movie. :)

After all of that build-up and action and excitement, the battle was over a little abruptly! I liked that they showed Beorn and Radagast with the eagles, but I don't think they made it clear that the eagles were what really turned the battle.

I enjoyed this movie. I didn't feel as much closure with it as I do with The Return of the King, but I guess that's understandable since this is really only the beginning of the story.

I still feel like turning The Hobbit into three films was overkill. I wish that there were fewer Orc chases and that they had kept the lighter, more whimsical tone of the book. But I still really enjoyed these three films. I think they did a good job of connecting them with the Lord of the Rings films. I feel like you could watch the Hobbit films and then the LOTR trilogy (goodness, what a marathon that would be...) and it would all be pretty seamless, because they did a good job of connecting everything. That in itself is impressive considering that they were made about a decade apart! I liked the way they did some foreshadowing/references (depending on when you're watching them) to the LOTR films...having Legolas insult Gimli years before they even met made me smile.

What did you think of the last Hobbit film? Did you like what they did with these three films or not?