Based On: JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit
Directed By: Peter Jackson
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, and Evangeline Lily
This momentous battle between Orcs and Wargs, Dwarves, Elves and Humans, was finally released December 17, 2014. The third in a trilogy of long movies based on the rather short book, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
The prequel movies for The Lord of the Rings have raked in billions for the producers from all over the country in the past three years. Thorin (Armitage) and his thirteen little Dwarf ducklings (plus an odd Bagginses) have finally reached their destination: the Lonely Mountain. But a huge cloud of desperation hangs above it. Armies upon armies of foes and allies come together for a war that will decide the fate of Middle Earth. Everyone’s fighting for money and power, except for one peculiar Hobbit (Freeman), fighting for the lives of his friends. Bilbo Baggins’ loyalty sets a theme for probably the last movie based on JRR Tolkien’s books that we’ll get. Friendship is more important than all the gold in the world. And although he might have the Arkenstone, Thorin’s lost friends due to his greed. The Arkenstone is the greatest treasure left for Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, from the time when ones of this powerful Dwarf blood were Kings under the Mountain. Tolkien exemplifies the Dwarves’ lust for wealth and the value of loyalty as the dark and the light.
Throughout the movie, we get to see conflict spread through the Men, Elves and Dwarves. Until a new enemy arrives, a common threat, and these three separate races come together despite differences. The Orcs and their vicious wolf allies, the Wargs, want revenge on the Dwarves for wronging them in the earlier movie, Desolation of Smaug. These deadly races wouldn’t mind taking down the Elves and Elvenking, Thranduil, as well as a few Humans along the way. And now the epic battle, known as the Siege, we’ve all been waiting for has begun and there is no few number of casualties. The suspenseful war full of our beloved Dwarves, Hobbit and Elves (cough, Legolas, couch, cough) was full of twists and surprises. The evil vs the good, and sometimes the stories don’t always come out as we expect or want them to.
In closing of our Middle Earth series, The Hobbit trilogy by Peter Jackson, based on JRR Tolkien’s famous novel, cemented the idea of wealth in riches versus wealth in happiness into the audience’s minds. Using familiar characters and themes, we get to see Bilbo’s struggles through unknown lands and dangers and the corruption that gold can cause people, even those good of heart deep down. And with Bilbo’s adventures, Jackson ended the line of movies with Battle of the Five Armies, but lead it into opening of our popular Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Aine Kern