'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies' Movie Review: Best And Worst Moments Of The Film [WATCH VIDEO]

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" which is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures was shown in the U.S. and Canadian theatres on Dec. 17, 2014. It was also shown in New Zealand on Dec. 11, 2014, in the UK on Dec. 12, 2014 and in Australia on Dec. 26, 2014. It stars Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins), Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield II), Ian McKellen (Gandalf the Grey), Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug the Magnificent/Sauron the Necromancer), Orlando Bloom (Legolas Greenleaf), Luke Evans (Bard the Bowman), Lee Pace (Thranduil), Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel), Aidan Turner (Kíli), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Christopher Lee (Saruman the White) and Hugo Weaving (Elrond). Here is "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" movie review including the best and worst moments of the film.

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" was directed by Peter Jackson. Its screenplay was also written by Peter Jackson, along with Guillermo del Toro, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh. The film was produced by Jackson and Walsh with Carolynne Cunningham and Zane Weiner. Its running time is 144 minutes/ 2 hours and 24 minutes.

Its plot is about Bilbo and the Dwarves, led by Thorin. They are in the Lonely Mountain, but Smaug has been freed and is destroying Laketown with his flames. Thankfully, Bard the Bowman and his son were able to kill Smaug using a black arrow sharp enough to pierce the dragon's scales.

Thorin is getting obsessed with the treasure hoard in the Lonely Mountain and is still searching for the Arkenstone, which Bilbo is hiding from him. Meanwhile, Gandalf is trapped in Dol Guldur, unable to advise Bilbo and the Dwarves.

Galadriel, Saruman and Elrond team up against Sauron, the Necromancer to help free Gandalf and battle the Ringwraiths. Radagast the Brown picks up a weakened Gandalf and takes him away from the battle against Sauron.

While all this is happening, two Orc armies led by Azog and Bolg are preparing for a huge battle headed for Erebor, where Bilbo and the Dwarves are staying. Plus, an army of elves led by Thranduil forms an alliance with Bard and the Laketown survivors to obtain a necklace from the Lonely Mountain and get some share of the treasure for the men. To complete the armies, Dáin Ironfoot II arrives with his own army of Dwarves to assist his cousin Thorin.

An epic battle among elves, dwarves, men, orcs, and even goblins, giant bats, Great Eagles, a hobitt, wizard and a skin-changer happens. Unfortunately, not all heroes can be saved and in the end, Thorin, Kili and Fili died. Bilbo goes home to the Shire after saying goodbye to the other Dwarves that survived. As for Gandalf, he warned Bilbo about using his magic ring and that he will be watching him. An older Bilbo played by Ian Holm is shown sixty years later in his house and Gandalf visits him.

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" is more action-packed than the previous "The Hobbit" films ("An Unexpected Journey" in 2012 and "The Desolation of Smaug" in 2013). It is more engaging to watch even if there are a lot of characters to keep up with. Despite all the battle scenes, some light humour and a love story were still inserted to balance it out. The cast of actors gave outstanding performances including Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Luke Evans and Lee Pace. Also, Ryan Gage as Alfrid was memorable because he was featured in quite a number of hilarious scenes as the film's comic relief. Of course, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving and Ian McKellen were amazing as ever.

Best Moments:

When...

1. Smaug was defeated by Bard the Bowman and his son using a single black arrow.

2. Dáin Ironfoot II arrived to help his cousin Thorin to defend the Lonely Mountain.

3. The elves as well as the men decided to help the dwarves against the orcs.

4. Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman joined forces against Sauron and his Ringwraiths.

5. The Great Eagles arrived with Radagast and Beorn to help out the others against the orcs.

6. Legolas battled Bolg at Ravenhill and threw Orcrist to Thorin to help him fight Azog.

Worst Moments:

When...

1. Thorin got obsessed with the treasure and the Arkenstone that he couldn't be reasoned with anymore.

2. Kili, Fili and Thorin died.

Box Office Information:

According to Box Office Mojo, as of Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" has already earned $573,622,000 worldwide (Domestic: $168,522,000 + Foreign: $405,100,000).

IMDb Ratings:

The Internet Movie Database, or IMDb rating for "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" is 7.8/10 from 110,120 users as of this writing. It garnered a Metascore of 59/100 from 45 critics including Tom Huddleston of Time Out London, who gave the film a score of 60 and Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter who gave the film an 80.

Rotten Tomatoes Ratings:

According to the Tomatometer, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" deserves a 60% score. It scored a 6.3/10 average rating, with 116 considering it fresh and 76 considering it rotten out of 192 reviews. It also got a 78% score and a 4/5 average rating from the audience as of this writing.

Critics' Reviews:

"Luckily, Jackson's singular talent for massive-scale mayhem hasn't deserted him, and the hour-long smackdown that crowns the film gives him ample opportunities to indulge it," Tom Huddleston wrote on Time Out London.

Meanwhile, Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter thinks that the third installment of "The Hobbit" movie franchise has a warm mood that highlights the good, instead of the bad in the trilogy.

Audience Reviews:

"After 5 hours of chase scenes we end with what is essentially a 3 hour long battle scene. Typical Peter Jackson style. However, it's a good bookend to the story that is an enjoyable excuse to return to Middle Earth and segues nicely into The Lord of the Rings," Ross Collins wrote in a review posted on the Rotten Tomatoes website. He gave the film four stars.

On the other hand, Mark Hobin thinks that the film is not deep or meaningful and is not well-executed. Hobin gave "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" two stars.

This movie review of "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" provides insights and an overview of the said film, including its best and worst moments, box office records, audience and critics' reviews and ratings from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. For more movie reviews and news about entertainment, finance, health, economics, technology, science, sports, politics and business, keep reading International Business Times.

Watch "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" - Official Main Trailer [HD Below:

READ MORE IBTIMES ARTICLES:

Stephen Colbert Interviews The Dragon Smaug From 'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies'

'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies': Martin Freeman Answers Fans' Questions

'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies' New Video Of Bard Fighting Smaug Released [Spoilers]