The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies -- DVD review by Maggie Woods

“The final film in the adapted trilogy of
Tolkien’s The Hobbit takes up the
journey of the Dwarves on their quest
to regain their homeland; but there are
many more dangers to face, culminating
with the bloody conflict to prevent evil
pervading Middle Earth in The Hobbit:
The Battle Of The Five Armies...”

CONCLUDING THE EPIC ADVENTURES of Hobbit of the Shires Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies sees an all-out battle as Dwarves, Men and Elves take on the might of the formidable and evil Orc army as it aims to bring darkness to Middle Earth.

Bilbo has joined King Under The Mountain Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his brave Dwarves in their quest to reclaim their homeland of Erebor and the incredible wealth lying beneath the mountain that was stolen by an evil dragon, the firedrake Smaug.

“Five great armies
go to war in the terrific
final film of
The Hobbit movie trilogy,
boasting all the
excitement and visual
treats expected from
the team responsible for
the spectacular
Lord Of The Rings...”

The Dwarves are about to face the consequences of the broken promises made to the people of Laketown as unleashing Smaug has caused the dragon to wreak his vengeance upon the innocent men, women and children of the town, defenceless apart from a sole champion who has risen up to fight for the lives of his children and his neighbours.

Bard (Luke Evans) joins the fight for survival and proves to have very special skills that will help to save his family from Smaug as the dragon attempts to burn everything to the ground, leaving the survivors to join the Dwarves, who have promised riches to help rebuild Laketown.

However, once safely home at Erebor, Thorin goes mad with dragon fever and, forsaking honour and loyalty, searches in vain for the Arkenstone, the fabled mystical stone of the Elves, who seek to have their birthright gems returned to them and have sworn to take them by force if necessary.

Bilbo's friend, the wizard Galdalf (Ian McKellen) joins forces with fellow wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the lady Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) to bring the strength of their magic to the coming dangers.

As the Elves gather to do battle Gandalf cautions them against attacking the Dwarves, but nothing will stop the Elven King Thranduil (Lee Pace), aided by the half-Elven Lord of Rivendell Elrond (Hugo Weaving), from claiming that which belongs to the Elves. And Thorin is equally adamant that he will give nothing, preparing his thirteen remaining Dwarves for battle.

However, a more malevolent power in the form of an ancient enemy is making its way towards Erebor. A great army of fearsome Orcs in the service of the Necromancer (Benedict Cumberbatch) is destroying everything in its path; bringing the darkness ever closer. The Dwarves, Men and Elves will need to join forces to deal with the menacing hordes and Bilbo is forced to fight for his own life and those of his friends.

Bravely battling their way across the mountain top, Elf Prince Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and his beloved Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), who is in love with the Dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner), attempt to cut off the head of the legions of Orcs sent by Sauron, the Dark Lord, who is in league with the Necromancer.

As the Goblin mercenaries arrive, will Thorin recover from the dragon sickness in time to lead the Dwarves to help defeat the Orcs? And will Gandalf discover that a desperate Bilbo has a perilous trick up his sleeve of which, although he will heartily disapprove, may well be instrumental in helping to prevent the Lonely Mountains from falling foul of the rising darkness?

Five great armies go to war in the terrific final film of The Hobbit movie trilogy, boasting all the excitement and visual treats expected from the team responsible for the spectacular Lord Of The Rings.

The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies also features: Sylvester McCoy as Radagast; Billy Connolly as Dain; Stephen Fry as Master of LakeTown; Ian Holm as Older Bilbo Baggins; James Nesbitt as Bofur; Ken Stott as Balin; Dean O'Gorman as Fili; Mikael Persbrandt as Beorn; Graham McTavish as Dwalin; Ryan Gage as Alfrid; Peter Hambleton as Eoin; John Callen as Oin; Mark Hadlow as Dori; Jed Brophy as Nori; William Kircher as Bifur; Stephen Hunter as Bombur; Adam Brown as Ori; John Bell as Bain; Manu Bennett as Azog; and John Tu as Bolg.

Music is Composed by Howard Shore; Cinematography is by Andrew Lesnie; Song The Last Goodbye Performed by Billy Boyd, Written by Billy Boyd, Phillippa Boyens and Fran Walsh; Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, who was also the Project Consultant; Produced by: Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson; and Directed by Peter Jackson.

* The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies and The Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy Box Set is released by Warner Bros Home Entertainment in the UK on Digital Download from 6 April and on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD on 20 April 2015.

And to celebrate the Home Entertainment release of The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies on Digital HD now and Blu-ray 3D, DVD on 20 April, Warner Bros Home Entertainment also makes available a brand new featurette focusing on the Five Armies.

"Five great armies go to war in the terrific final film of The Hobbit movie trilogy, boasting all the excitement and visual treats expected from the team responsible for the spectacular Lord Of The Rings" — Maggie Woods, Motorbar

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