The Hobbit : The Battle Of The Five Armies (2014) 7/10

Starring : Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lily, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Billy Connolly, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom
Director : Peter Jackson
Running Time : 145 mins

When Smaug (Cumberbatch) is killed and the Lonely Mountain is freed from his rule, a number of armies descend on the area, each wanting the return of the treasures stolen from them over the years by the hateful dragon, but their lust for treasures soon leads most of the clans into an all out war with each other as they try to claim back what they believe is rightfully theirs.

One hell of an extended battle scene, this movie may be visually rewarding but the story is spread so thinly it’s amazing that it manages to stay entertaining for the most part. As everyone’s favourite Tolkien characters seemingly show up for no apparent reason, we are given a somewhat repetitive story that tries to distract us with special effects and random deaths.

You’ll like this if you liked : The Lord Of The Rings : The Return Of The King