Movie Sneak Peek: ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’

Yesterday, we got to attend a special screening of the latest Peter Jackson flick to hit theaters, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. And boy was it a pleaser of epic proportions. But a few things you should know before you decide to watch this flick (or not. But you’re absolutely going to, aren’t you?)

Trust me, this movie is not for the uninitiated. You don’t necessarily need to have read JRR Tolkien’s original work, but you need to have at least watched the two prequels to this flick, An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug. The movie leaps in right where the previous one left off, with the dragon Smaug looming over Lake-town. Spectacular effects ensue from start to finish, and action-packed fight sequences are thrown at you left right and center. 

And yet, you never get lost in all this. This movie differs from the LOTR finale The Return of the King in the way that, while it clearly shows massive battle ensuing, the camera largely focuses on leading characters and their combat, or an intimate shot of a single platoon of elves or dwarves at a time. And the choreography is bang on; dwarves march in step only to kneel and form a phalanx shield wall, elves glide through formations effortlessly, archers pirouetting behind spearmen, and the civilians of Lake-town, being an untrained bunch, just throwing everything they have at the enemy, with the desperation of those with nothing to lose.

And while there are a few light moments in the movie, it’s the deaths that cut to the quick. Bring a tissue (or a box full); you’ve been warned. What is nice to see is the occasional nuance that’s been slipped in as homage to the original trilogy. When Legolas is told he should look for one of the Dunedain named “Strider”, you hear the faint melody given to the One Ring in the trilogy, when the Shire comes into view, that old flute undertone is clearly heard. And all in all, the movie does its best to tie up all loose ends and reconnect to the Lord of the Rings. 

As far as the 3D in the movie goes, it’s good, but not necessarily great. Frankly, it would be good without it, because the CGI effects put in are very believeable and aesthetically on the mark. 3D just seems like unnecessary overkill. Also, the movie screening was part of a demonstration for Dolby Atmos, the best technology the sound company has to offer. Atmos utilizes a high number of speaker and channels to allow filmmakers to input a superior directional quality to the sound in their movie. This particular movie hall was fitted with a total of 50 speakers, with the maximum number compatible with Atmos being 64 and supporting upto 128 discrete audio tracks. 

And while this sounds all fine and dandy, to be honest, I couldn’t pinpoint much of a difference from your standard Dolby Digital cinema sound. Granted, there were points when the directional quality did seep through, the cry of the Great Eagles as they make an entrance seemed to emanate from the far, rear end of the hall. But, for the most part, when the camera places you in the thick of battle, too much would be happening for you to comprehend so many different sounds, and concentrate on the movie as well. Maybe not the best movie to demonstrate this technology with, so I’ll reserve a firm judgement for a movie that more aptly capitalizes on this multi-channel technology. 

However, if you’re a fan of the Tolkien’s movie adaptations, you need to see this movie with no exception. It’s the final climax to the Hobbit series we’ve been waiting for and it is definitely worth the watch. Take the plunge when this comes out in theaters here on Friday. 

Full Disclosure: dna was invited to this special premiere of the The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies on Wednesday, December 10, at PVR Cinema in Juhu.