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February 25, 2025
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | Summary, Recap, & Review
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies concludes the epic trilogy. Take a look at a movie summary, review, book and movie differences, and FAQs.
7
Intriguing
The stakes are high in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, but many felt that it didn't live up to the standards its predecessors set.
Pros
Scenes with Smaug are intense
The soundtrack and sound effects are great
Cons
The previous film set high expectations that the final entry didn't meet.
>Buy: The Hobbit Merchandise & Gifts
Buy: The Hobbit Merchandise & Gifts
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the third film of the Hobbit trilogy, concludes with an epic battle against Smaug and five different armies. Gandalf also discovers a darker force that threatens Middle-earth. In this article, we take a deep dive into the most important scenes of the movie, as well as a movie review, book and movie differences, and FAQ.
The Battle of the Five Armies | Summary & Recap
Smaug’s Demise
The movie begins right where the Desolation of Smaug ended. Smaug heads towards Lake-town, where Fili, Kili, Bofur, Oin, Tauriel, Legolas, Bard, and Bard's family prepare for dragon fire. Bard manages to escape his cell and make it to the nearby bell tower with a bow and arrow, but it has no impact against the dragon. His son leaves the group to retrieve the last Black Arrow. He brings it to his father despite the town burning around him.
Bard’s bow breaks when Smaug attacks the bell tower. He uses the remaining supports of the tower and his son’s shoulder to aim the Black Arrow. He hits his mark, a weak spot under Smaug’s wing, and kills the dragon. Smaug's falling body crushes the boat with the town's lord on it.
A New Leader
The survivors of Lake-town make it to land. Kili plans to rejoin the Dwarves under the mountain and he parts ways with Tauriel. Legolas is summoned back to his kingdom by his father, but he refuses to go because Tauriel has been banished. He tells Tauriel that he recognized the mark of Gundabad on Bolg. Gundabad is an Orc stronghold in the north and the two Elves set off to investigate.
Everyone knows that Bard killed Smaug and, with their lord dead, they look to him for direction. They have no home and need to rebuild, so Bard suggests they head for the mountain to collect the money Thorin promised he’d give them.
Obsession
From the Lonely Mountain, the Dwarves and Bilbo Baggins watch Smaug fall. Bilbo is there to greet the four Dwarves from Lake-town when they arrive, but he warns them to leave. In a short period of time, Thorin has become obsessed with the treasure and finding the Arkenstone. They don’t heed his warning and happily reunite.
The Dwarves continue their hunt for the precious stone. Bilbo goes off alone and pulls the Arkenstone from his pocket. He recalls picking it up while running from Smaug. He’s chosen to keep it hidden from Thorin because of Smaug's warning that it would drive the Dwarf mad.
To the Rescue
Galadriel, Elrond, Radagast, and Saruman go to Dol Guldur to save Gandalf. They battle the nine Ringwraiths and come face to face with Sauron. Galadriel uses her powers and banishes Sauron, sending him far away. Radagast uses his sled to retrieve Gandalf and flee, but Gandalf has other ideas. Now knowing the threat they face, he is determined to get to the Lonely Mountain and warn them.
Suspicions
Thorin sees Bilbo reaching for something in his pocket. Thinking Bilbo has stolen the Arkenstone, Thorin confronts him, but Bilbo reveals he was only reaching for an acorn. Soon after, Bilbo talks to Balin about the power that the Arkenstone has over Thorin’s mind. Balin admits that he secretly hopes the stone isn’t found, because it would only make Thorin worse.
Preparing for War
The humans of Lake-town make it to Dale and take shelter. Winter has set in and they don’t have many supplies. An Elf army, led by King Thranduil, arrives with food and supplies for the humans, but there's a catch. Thranduil wants the precious jewels that he gave to the previous Dwarf King back and he’s willing to go to war for them.
Thorin sees this from the mountain and orders the Dwarves to barricade the entrance. Bard doesn’t want a war, so he tries to negotiate with Thorin. However, the king’s mind is too far gone. He leaves the humans with no choice but to join the Elves in battle. Thranduil and Bard prepare for war.
Bilbo and the dwarves are making their own preparations. Thorin gives Bilbo the Mithril armor before pulling the Hobbit to the side and making a confession. He suspects one of his own has betrayed him and taken the Arkenstone for themselves. Bilbo, secretly guilt-ridden, tries to convince Thorin to honor his word and give the people of Lake-town what he promised. Thorin refuses, stating that he plans to hold on to every piece of gold, even if it means death.
Bilbo’s Plan
Legolas and Tauriel finally made it to Gandabad. They witness an army of Orcs making their way from the stronghold, heading towards the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf arrives at Dale to warn Bard and Thranduil about a greater threat, but they are too busy preparing for battle against the Dwarves.
Bilbo sneaks out of the mountain. He meets the Elven King, Gandalf, and Bard in their tent. He hands over the Arkenstone, hoping that a negotiation will save his friends from death. Gandalf demands that Bilbo stay in Dale for his own safety, afraid of what Thorin will do to him once he learns the truth.
The Battle Begins
Bilbo sneaks back to the mountain and is there when the army arrives. They present the Arkenstone to Thorin, who doesn’t understand how they got the stone. Bilbo admits that he was behind it, but his intentions were good. Thorin commands the other Dwarves to throw him over the edge, but they refuse, so he tries to kill Bilbo himself.
Gandalf steps forward, convincing Thorin to release his burglar. The Hobbit promptly escapes and joins Gandalf with the Elven and human army. Thorin’s cousin, Dain Ironfoot, arrives with an army. The Elves turn their attention to him. Before they battle, Azog’s army arrives. The Elves and Dwarves temporarily join forces to fight them.
Thorin Breaks Free
At first, Thorin refuses to join the battle and help his cousin. Alone, he slowly spirals as the Dragon Sickness distorts his mind. Just when he thinks he has been overwhelmed by it, he breaks free of its control. He puts on his armor and rallies his men. They join the fight, their sights set on Azog.
Thorin, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin go to the tower Azog was commanding his people from, but he is nowhere to be seen. Legolas and Tauriel arrive in time to warn Gandalf about the second Orc army. Bilbo uses the ring to cross the battlefield unseen in hopes of reaching Thorin in time to warn him. However, they are too late. Fili is killed by the Orcs.
A Great Loss
Tauriel is determined to reach Kili and Legolas isn’t far behind. She nearly makes it to him but is stabbed while fighting an Orc. He dies in Tauriel’s arms. Nearby, Legolas kills Bolg and Thorin fights Azog. Thorin momentarily believes he has killed the Orc, but he surprises him.
The two enemies are evenly matched. Thorin allows Azog to fatally wound him so he can land a killing blow on the Orc. Bilbo finds Thorin as he is dying and they say their heartfelt farewells.
Bilbo and the Ring
The battle ends and the Elves, Dwarves, and humans are victorious. Bilbo says goodbye to the Dwarves and returns to the Shire. As Bilbo and Gandalf say goodbye, Gandalf confronts him about the ring. Bilbo claims to have lost it in battle.
Bilbo returns to Bag End to find his belongings being auctioned off because the town thought he was dead. His own is empty and he begins tidying up. He checks his pocket and smiles when he sees the ring. The movie ends right where Lord of the Rings began. Sixty years later, Gandalf knocks on Bilbo’s front door to celebrate his 111th birthday.
The Battle of the Five Armies | Review
CGI and Visuals | 8/10
They went all out with CGI for the epic finale. The whole sequence with Smaug at the beginning was amazing and terrifying. The CGI with the Orcs definitely improved in this film compared to the last one, although it still wasn’t perfect.
The one thing, or should I say person, that drove me a little crazy was Dalin. I could definitely tell that he was CGI the entire time and he looked very out of place. It was very noticeable when he and Thorin hugged on the battlefield. The producers managed to make the other Dwarves and Bilbo look natural, so it leaves one to wonder: what went wrong with Dalin?
Storyline and Plot Development | 7/10
The second movie ended on a high. Smaug was a formidable foe that had been alluded to since the start of the series… Only to be killed within the first ten minutes of the final film.
The rest of the movie didn’t feel nearly as intense as it did at the beginning, and that’s not good when this is the end of the trilogy. The standoff between the armies, for me, didn’t even come close to the anticipation I felt when Smaug was staring down Bard. Not to mention, the battle scenes weren't nearly as epic as the ones from LOTR or as entertaining as the fight scenes from the first Hobbit.
Also, can we talk about the fact that Kili was killed right after he narrowly survived the Morgul arrow in the last movie? I didn’t know whether to be angry or heartbroken by this move.
Character Development | 7/10
I thought the character development wasn’t bad, but there wasn’t really anything outstanding about it either. Thorin’s mind was over by Dragon Sickness, but we didn’t get to see his descent into madness. He’s already lost it by the time we see him and then it gets worse from there. However, we do get to see him fight off this sickness and return to his normal self, which is a relief.
Bilbo gets braver and braver in each movie, but I feel like they missed an opportunity here. Showing the ring’s hold over Bilbo’s mind, like they did with Thorin and the Arkenstone, would have been intriguing. They started doing it in the last film but the ring takes a backseat for most of this movie.
Bard has some great character development. After destroying the dragon, the townsfolk begin looking to him for direction. Without shelter or food, he has a huge responsibility to keep them alive and he humbly accepts the role. He also doesn’t abuse his power by getting rid of Alfrid, who treated him terribly before, which proves how great of a man he is.
Sound and Music | 9/10
The soundtrack is great, something common across all the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. It sets the tone for the movie really well. Besides the music, Smaug's voice (Benedict Cumberbatch) was perfect. You could feel the power and intimidation radiating from him with every word. Another moment that I liked happened with Thorin. While speaking to Bilbo, his voice becomes distorted as he talks about the gold, and it's a great way to put the audience in the character’s mind for a moment.
Reception and Impact | 8/10
The ratings across all three movies and the audience’s praises and criticisms remain the same. A lot of people really enjoyed the action-packed ending, while others felt it was forced. Negative reviews also stated that there was too much CGI for their liking.
Final Score | 7/10
The Battle of the Five Armies | Book and Movie Differences
The Talking Birds
In the Hobbit book, there are multiple instances where a talking bird plays a small role. Bard speaks to one of these birds and they also inform the dwarves that Smaug is dead. The Dwarves actually see Smaug fall from the sky in the film. While a very minor detail, these birds do not talk in the movie but are still present.
For example, a bird appears next to Thorin when the Elven and human army are at his front door and he gives it his undivided attention. This possibly hints at the talking birds and it's a cool detail only book readers would understand.
Bilbo’s Use of the Ring
In the book, Bilbo uses the ring for most of the battle to stay out of sight, which is a smart move since he isn’t a warrior. In the movie, he only uses the ring once. He puts it on to get across the battlefield to reach Thorin.
Fili and Kili
Fili and Kili’s deaths, while tragic in both forms of media, are a little different. In the film, Fili is killed while scouting for Orcs and Kili is killed while fighting an Orc. The Orcs are not present in the books and the two brothers die while defending Thorin.
Thorin’s Death
The highly anticipated showdown between Thorin and Azog in the last Hobbit movie never happened in the books because Azog isn’t alive during this time period. Rather than Thorin sacrificing himself to destroy a great evil, he is fatally injured on the battlefield. The reader doesn’t see the moment Thorin was injured. Much like the film, Bilbo is knocked unconscious, but instead of waking up to find Thorin, he is taken to Thorin’s tent. There, they say goodbye to each other and Thorin’s last line is still the same.
Bittersweet Ending
However small this detail may be, it would have been a very satisfying addition to the movie. When Gandalf visits Bilbo for this birthday, Balin is also with him. Since Bilbo and Balin were close for most of the series, this ending makes sense. In the movie, Gandalf visits him alone.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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