JASMINE's THOUGHTS on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Genre:

Fantasy, Adventure

Rating:

PG-13

Run Time:

2 hrs. 24 mins.

Release Date:

December 17, 2014

Distributor:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Official Site:

http://www.thehobbit.com/

Based on the novel by:

J.R.R. Tolkien

Directed by:

Peter Jackson

Screenplay by:

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo Del Toro

Producers:

Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, Carolynne Cunningham, Zane weiner

Plot Summary:

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and the Company of Dwarves. The Dwarves of Erebor have reclaimed the vast wealth of their homeland, but now must face the consequences of having unleashed the terrifying Dragon, Smaug, upon the defenseless men, women, and children of Lake-town.

As he succumbs to dragon-sickness, the King Under the Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield, sacrifices friendship and honor in his search for the legendary Arkenstone. Unable to help Thorin see reason, Bilbo is driven to make a desperate and dangerous choice, not knowing that even greater perils lie ahead. An ancient enemy has returned to Middle-earth. Sauron, the Dark Lord, has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the lonely mountain.

As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide -- unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends as five great armies go to war.

The Hobbit trilogy tells a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings.

Cast:

Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Lee Pace, Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom, Aidan Turner, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, Dean O'Gorman, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Benedict Cumberbatch

Find the full list of the cast & crew on IMDB

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My Thoughts:

Note: this review contains NO spoilers

As a Christmas treat, my Dad treated us to the movies! And...we all wanted to watch The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies! So we did...and we all were reeling with the "amazingness" (yeah, I know, it's not a real world) of it!

Wow! What an epic conclusion!!! It absolutely took my breath away! It brought me to tears. It even made me cheer them on! The cinematography was absolutely beautiful! The cast was amazing! I loved how there were hints linking it to the next trilogyt, The Lord of the Rings. I also loved how it ended...tying it to the beginning of the next adventure...the next trilogy. Of course, there was no doubt that we must know what happened with the Dragon, Smaug, since the end of the second film. And...that is how the film started...started where it ended. The connection between the films flowed seamlessly. I also loved the humor that thrown in...haha!!

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies was beautiful, gripping, and emotional from start to finish. After watching this epic conclusion, I definitely want to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy...again!

My rating:

TRAILER: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Synopsis

The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost dwarf kingdom of Erebor.

I thought The Hobbit was beautiful, the cinematography was amazing. But, I felt it was slow...I think I almost fell asleep in the theater! Yikes! However, I did enjoy the movie...the storytelling flowed from scene to scene, and the actors did an outstanding job in bringing these characters to life. I do so enjoy watching Sir Ian McKellan portray the wizard, Gandalf the Gray. It's funny...now that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure is on HBO and can be purchased on DVD/Blu-ray, I find myself watching it again...hahaha! Despite my first thought on it when I watched it in the theater, I am watching and enjoying the movie. Go figure...haha!

But, after watching the trailer for the second installment of The Hobbit movie, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, it looks like moviegoers, as well as myself, will be in for more adventure and action for this group of dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard as they continue on their quest to Erebor. Good thing the first film is showing on HBO, I will be ready to watch this second installment with having my memory refreshed with what happened in the first movie...haha!

Check out this adventurous 3-minute sneak peek trailer that was recently released for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug!

And, here's a recent video 12 from Peter Jackson's Production Diary...


Watch all of Peter Jackson's "Production Diary" videos at:
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailers & Clips

Also, follow the blog at: The Hobbit blog

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug character posters were also released!

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman)

Gandalf (Ian McKellan)

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage)

Legolas (Orlando Bloom)

Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly)

Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans)

Thranduil (Lee Pace)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hit theaters December 13, 2013

Oh yeah! I am excited! I am definitely looking forward to watching this!

What say you awesome nerds! 

Sound off in the comments below!

'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' Teaser Poster is Out!

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug teaser poster

... there's Benedict Cumberbatch as a big, bad, dwarf-hating dragon.

The Motion-capture character himself doesn't actually appear on this new poster for the second film in Peter Jackson's Hobbit series, which trades goofy dwarf portraits for something moodier. Look at the entrance to the Lonely Mountain in the center of the image, though, and you'll spy a veil of mist coverin a tantalizing golden gleam, which could represent either the treasures within the mountain or Smaug's fire breath. Good luck, little Bilbo (Martin Freeman) -- you're gonna need it.

(source:  EW Inside Movies) 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will premiere December 13, 2013. Peter Jackson's final Hobbit film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again is scheduled to be released one year later on December 17, 2014.

Last week, Entertainment Weekly released a first look at Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel, an elf warrior.  This is what Lilly had to say about her character, Tauriel, "She's slightly reckless and totally ruthless and doesn't hesitate to kill."  However, Tauriel does not even exist in the original novel, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Check out the full article at:  Entertainment Weekly

Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) (photo credit: James Fisher/EW)

The new teaser trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will be revealed this Tuesday, June 11th, at 10AM (PST)/1PM (EST).

My Thoughts:

Well, we all know that making a film adaptation of any novel is a challenge.  It is known that many parts of a book will either be in the film or cut out.  And, for the most part, the film adaptation will add or substract to the film. With such a large amount of fans of the author and/or the books, there will be those who absolutely hate it or absolutely love it.  We just have to remember that it is only a film adaptation, it's not the book.  I have seen my fair share of film adaptations of my favorite books, and some were terrible and some actually was well done.  Everyone will have a say about any film adaptation of their favorite books.  We just have to remember that these films cannot put "everything" in the film.  I think as long as the book was read and researched before writing the screenplay, then the film itself would stay true to the essence of the story, and/or the vision of the author.  

I also like that many directors, screenwriters and/or casts are actually in contact with the authors during filming.  Not all, but so far, there have been a few that have actually had the author's involvement during filming.  I think that's great to have authors on set.

  

To name a few authors involved, on any level, during filming, Stephenie Meyer with The Host, Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia with Beautiful Creatures, Cassandra Clare with The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.