Disclaimer: What follows are specific plot details of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”. The review contains spoilers regarding the movie. Do not read this review if you have not watched the movie yet, and wish to in the future.

Fire, destruction, blood and tears. Sound like a guy movie? Think again. “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is the type of movie for any audience, 13 and up. There’s a love triangle, ladies–plus a super cute elf, just saying. Now, It wasn’t as suspenseful as the second installment, but it brought all of the characters together with nail-biting suspense. It was more exciting than the first Hobbit, that’s for sure, during which I fell asleep my first time watching.

At the end of the sequel, there was so much going on: betrayal, incarceration, love and Smaug the darling dragon, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Smaug had been dormant inside the Lonely Mountain, protecting a room overflowing with gold and jewels. One jewel in particular was the Arkenstone, which deemed anyone who kept it the king of the Lonely Mountain. But of course, when Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf friends got there, Smaug woke up, angry and breathing fire everywhere, until he escaped the mountain and headed straight for the Kingdom of Men.

A year later, The Battle of the Five Armies came out into theatres, reminding fans of the dangers that still awaited. Coming into the theatre was like picking up a mostly finished book and saying, Okay, where was I? That’s right: Smaug was about to burn down the kingdom and the dwarves are in mad search for the Arkenstone…

The acting and the cinematography, like always, was incredible. Richard Armitage plays the wannabe dwarf king, Thorin, and is the movie’s standout, from his uncontrollable rage to his desperation for righteousness towards the end.

However, Alfred, the kingdom’s thief, played by Ryan Gage, was a sad attempt at comic relief. I found myself rolling my eyes whenever he spoke, as everything he said was rude, and all he cared about was himself. He was a waste of space and didn’t even bother to help fight. They should’ve killed him off in the beginning. I guess I should give it up to Gage for his portrayal of a filthy, frenzied kleptomaniac.

What’s more, the computer-generated battle scenes were unbelievable–and not in a good way. I really had to suspend my disbelief at times, such as when Legolas the elf, played by Orlando Bloom, did a back-flip off of a crumbling piece of a bridge onto the rocky cliff above him. It was actually comical how unrealistic that jump would have been, but hey–maybe elves have secret jumping powers.

Other than those little imperfections, this movie was a whimsical yet tense, captivating story of falling action (literally and metaphorically)–especially in 3D. In 3D, I felt as if I were really there experiencing the rocks shattering and Smaug’s fiery breath in my face. All of the people who put their time and effort into animation for this movie, including Weta Digital and Weta Workshop, put their heart and soul into it, particularly with Smaug, whose gigantic heavy scales looked like real pieces of armor and his flying looked horrifyingly realistic. Other marvels of theirs were their many “bigatures,” Weta’s nickname for very large miniature models. Many of the Weta Workshop builders would use Lord of the Rings artist Alan Lee’s sketches to construct a believable, detailed work of art.

Even if you haven’t seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies, you can still enjoy this movie. It summarizes everything from the story with one major battle in an easy to follow dialogue, thanks to the screenwriters. I liked this movie so much, I could watch it a couple more times. It’s an adventure that you won’t regret.

Parkway West Pathfinder gives “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” 7.5/10.