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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies brings to an epic conclusion the adventure 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 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: The Battle of the Five Armies arrives on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 2-Disc DVD Special Edition and Digital HD on March 24th from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
The Battle of the Five Armies is a thrilling finish to the Hobbit trilogy of films. Peter Jackson and the folks at Weta deliver an all out assault of the senses for at least half of the films run time of 2 &1/2 hours. We begin right where The Desolation of Smaug left off with Smaug destroying Lake Town and the brave Bard taking action. There is a bout a half hour slowdown after that shows the dragon sickness for gold and treasure that has overtaken the heart and mind of Thorin. Friends and enemies arrive to claim Erebor and the ensuing battle between Orcs, Men, Dwarves, Elves and one very brave Hobbit is a stunner that hardly lets up for well over an hour. The only downtime is the struggle that is going on within Thorin's mind and once he breaks free and rekindles bond with his kin it is non stop action with the consequences being an end to the epic battle and the loss of some important characters. The cgi on display is fluid and breathtaking.
The best sequence in the entire film and save for the Gollum scene in The Unexpected Journey the best in the trilogy is a 4 minute scene that takes place in Dol Guldur. Gandalf is saved by Galadriel, Lord Elrond and Saruman. They are confronted by the ghosts of the 9 who become the Ringwraiths in the LOTR. The battle between good and evil is brilliant and then we get a glimpse of the Dark Lord Sauron who threatens the East will fall and Angmar will rise again. Galadriel thankfully is able to banish them for the time being but we all know decades later that Sauron's powere will build and rise again, this time in Mordor. It is an effective and haunting scene of what is to come in Middle-earth.
The cast is perfect in their roles and I really can't imagine anyone else as Gandalf other than Ian McKellen. Martin Freeman was the standout of the trilogy for me, he is at the start a homebody who would rather stare at his books then venture outdoors but once he begins his journey as a "burgular" for the company of Thorin he becomes a much braver Hobbit who in comparison to Frodo is much less whiney and more ready to take the initiative. The films ends with Bilbo on his 111th birthday going over maps when a very dear friend knocks on the door. 9/10
The Battle of the Five Armies arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 2.40:1 - The look of the final chapter completes the darker tone of the second film but don't let that fool you. Colors range from cold whites and grays to brilliant gold tones and fiery deep oranges and reds from the hell that the dragon Smaug unleashes. The final minutes of the film pops off the screen with lush greens of the Shire, earth tones in dresses and velvet coats and almost every color in the rainbow during the auction of Bilbo's possessions. Black levels were inky deep with excellent shadow delineation in the halls of Erebor. The fine craftsmanship and fine details in armor and weaponry is stunning to look at. The image is basically flawless in it's clarity and depth. No signs of edge enhancement or noise. This is a treasure for fans. 10/10
Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. - Just as perfect as the video presentation the audio is one big moment after another of demo worthy material. Dialogue was consistently clear and intelligible , even during battle voices are clearly defined. Surrounds provide a sense of immersion that is realistic and help the viewer feel like they are on the battlefield. LFE performance is epic. Precise and deep , low bass will rattle you to the core when the foul creatures of Gundabad are unleashed. Buildings and rock walls crumble and crash down with a furious presence. Driving all the action on screen is the beautiful score by Howard Shore. The music breathes through all 7 channels and is never drowned out of the mix by some of the more intense sound effects. I can't find a fault in this presentation and give it a perfect score of 10/10.
The special features included are informative enough and includes some nice behind-the-scenes- moments with cast and crew on location. While a commentary would have been welcome we all know that the Extended Edition available later this year is the on that will be filled to the brim with several hours of features and commentaries.
**DISC ONE**
* New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth, Part 3 (HD, 6min7sec) - From Lake Pukaki to Mt. Crawford, the cast and crew introduce the epic film locations of New Zealand, transformed by the filmmakers into Middle-earth.
** DISC TWO**
* Recruiting the Five Armies (HD, 11min39sec) - Experience what it was like to be recruited to play Dwarves, Elves, Men and Orcs on set for The Battle of the Five Armies epic battle sequences.
* Completing Middle-earth - (HD, Play All option 19min59sec)
- A Six-Part Saga (HD, 9min54sec) - A look at the narrative threads and connections the filmmakers wove into The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies to make them one complete, cohesive story.
- A Seventeen-Year Journey (HD, 8min59sec) - This companion piece to A Six-Part Saga follows the 17-year journey the filmmakers undertook to bring Middle-earth to the screen-not just once, but twice.
* The Last Goodbye: Behind the Scenes (HD, 11min18sec) - A look at the writing and recording of the final end credit song for the Middle-earth films, performed by LOTR alum Billy Boyd.
* The Last Goodbye Music Video (HD, 4min21sec)
* Credits (HD, 1min31sec)
* Theatrical Trailer #2 (HD, 2min33sec)
* The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Extended Edition Trailer (HD, 1min34sec)
