On the night of December 9th to December 10th the last movie of The Hobbit premiered here in the Netherlands. As die-hard LOTR fans we had to be there of course, so when the clock struck midnight, we were present at the cinema. After all, who needs sleep when you can watch the last of the Hobbit trilogy? And I can tell you, Peter Jackson didn’t disappoint! The Battle of the Five Armies was the perfect ending to the story of Bilbo and the Dwarves quest to reclaim the Homeland of Erebor.
I’d been worried that, with that title, the movie would be one huge battle field from start to finish, but I shouldn’t have. Jackson managed to show the battle involving the armies of dwarves, elves, mortal men and orcs in a way that still left room for the stories about relationships and the inner turmoil of Bilbo and Thorin. The father-son relationship between Legolas and Thranduil was shown, and the love between Kili and Tauriel was highlighted in a very satisfactory way. I heard someone in the cinema complain about how Smaug died in the first part of the movie after the way the second movie had led up to his demise. I agree, a short role in this part for Benedict Cumberbatch, but looking at the book it was to be expected.
Of course Jackson changed some things in the story, and added to it. Tauriel wasn’t in the book, neither was Legolas for that matter. And a romance between a dwarf and elf wasn’t what Tolkien had envisioned. I was a little bit disappointed that Jackson didn’t change anything about the deaths of some of the important characters. But maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part! We were shown a different side of Galadriel, and we saw that Saruman wasn’t always the enemy.
This trilogy was different from the Lord of the Rings. While you could look at one of the LOTR films as a separate movie, the Hobbit trilogy has to be watched from the first to the last. Some people complain that there is no charismatic character like Aragorn in the Hobbit. Maybe it’s because I’m a fan, but I like the characters in the Hobbit. The way Bilbo is shown masterfully by Martin Freeman, the dwarves, that rowdy bunch, and the inclusion of Tauriel. But then, like I said, I’m a fan, so I think it’s best that you form your own opinion. What I do know is that this movie marks the end of 13 years of going to the cinema every year for a new part to the story, watching two of my favorite books come to life. I wonder what’s next? Jackson could still take on the Silmarillion but I read that the rights to that book haven’t been sold and are still with the family. Anyway, he has my vote if he should get the opportunity to make a new movie.
