Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Film: The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies








GENRE: Adventure/Fantasy
RATING: PG-13 for extended action violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 24 minutes
STARRING: Martin Freeman (Sherlock, BBC’s The Office, Fargo: TV series)
Richard Armitage (Captain America), Luke Evans (Dracula Untold)
DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings)
WRITERS: Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens (Lord of the Rings)
Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth)
PLOT: The Lonely Mountain is up for grabs so a large battle ensues.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 Wow, that was a lot of fighting. It’s pretty non-stop. Except, of course, the times when characters can slow down and look meaningfully at each other while the battles rage on. Some really cool formations and attack strategies this time around; different from the Battle of Helm’s Deep in LOTR.
2 I appreciated the big stupid creatures that were used as battering rams. Very funny stuff.
3 Lots of stabbing, no blood. I guess that’s why its PG-13 and not R rated.
4 Ryan Gage’s portrayal as Alfrid is pretty entertaining. Love watching a coward trying everything in his power to save his life.   
5 While the transition from The Hobbit to LOTR worked, I would have liked to have a seen a bit more of the in-between chapter (and a little less battle).

RECOMMENDATION: Epic battles deserve the big screen
UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Imitation Game

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