The Hobbit: Battle of the 5 Armies Spoiler-free Review

Guess who just saw The Hobbit: Battle of the 5 Armies twice this week? This guy. Once in regular 3D, once in IMAX 3D, both times in a ridiculously crisp 48 FPS.

The 3rd Hobbit movie is aptly named, as there’s very little journey time, and a hell of a lot of battle time. This, to me, is a bit of a problem. I’ve always believed that Tolkien’s work respects the journey and conversation as much as it does the battle.

The Battle of the 5 Armies respects the battle, and the dialogue, but not the journey. Prepare yourself for 2 and a half hours of slaying. And it’s glorious indeed.

I have an issue with the 48 FPS digital look of the film, in that it looks a hell of a lot like the re-enactments from a 90’s BBC documentary. The truth is that this frame rate takes away from the feel of the film.

Other than that, the story is, as one would guess, absolutely amazing. There are highs, lows, gains and losses that swirl in one fantastical kaleidoscope. It’s every fantasy geek’s dream, myself included.

Peter Jackson does an amazing job of closing the chapter on this masterpiece of a tale, in what we presume will be his last set of trilogies related to Tolkien’s work (then again, there’s still The Silmarillion).

Rating: 8.5/10

See it or don’t see it?: Definitely go and see it, and if you’re going to endure the 48FPS, you may as well enjoy how cool the snow looks in 3D too.

Catch the trailer for The Hobbiy: Battle of the Five Armies here:

About the Author: Stephen is a filmmaker and critic who values food, and cheer, and song above hoarded gold.