The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies parents guide

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Parent Guide

Fans will also appreciated the detailed settings and fantastic creatures, even if the story doesn't quite meet the standard set by the previous productions of this franchise.

Overall B

In this final chapter of the trilogy, the adventurers, Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the Dwarves have found their way to Smaug's lair. But it is going to take a concerted effort to reclaim the treasure.

Release date December 17, 2014

Violence D+
Sexual Content A
Profanity B+
Substance Use B

Why is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies rated PG? The MPAA rated The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies PG for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images.

Run Time: 145 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Bilbo Baggins, (Martin Freeman), survived the first two installments in the Hobbit trilogy (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), and has finally made it to film number three. This timid little hobbit, who once preferred books and an armchair to the dangers of the outside world, surprised everyone when he decided to embark on an adventure with Thorin Oakenshield, (Richard Armitage), and his band of dwarves.

Fortunately, with the help of Gandalf the wizard, (Ian McKellan), the group has successfully battled trolls, orcs and giant spiders. They have trekked through mountains and forests. They have even outwitted a whole kingdom of elves. And now, it looks as though their journey is about to pay off in a big way. The dwarves have reached their ancestral home—a mountain kingdom literally piled with gold—and all that remains is to wrest it from the clutches of the greedy dragon, Smaug (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch). The end is in sight.

Or so they thought. In fact, Smaug the Magnificent only graces the film for a few minutes before being dispatched by a resourceful human (Luke Evans). But the dragon goes out with a bang, leaving the local town ablaze. What’s more, the death of the scaly beast means that the dwarves’ kingdom, along with its priceless contents, are free for the taking. It’s not long before hundreds of homeless humans are camped out on the doorstep, expecting monetary compensation for dragon damages. The situation becomes even more complicated when an army of elves also arrives, bringing with them a keenness for riches, and some motives of their own.

Of course the dwarves, and the filmmakers, aren’t in the mood for boring negotiations. As well, Thorin the dwarf king has developed a dangerous obsession with his newly recovered treasures, and not even a very helpful hobbit can reason with him. It’s apparent pretty quickly that the conflict will only end in bloodshed, and for Bilbo Baggins, the mounting tension means he will be faced with some tough decisions.

As the title of the movie suggests, action sequences and special effects hoard screen time in this film like a dragon hoards gold. As one foe after another join the fray, the fighting scenes stretch to tedious proportions. Grotesque creatures, like goblins, orcs and their various minions, are slaughtered en masse, and even the more human-like species of Middle Earth take some heavy losses. This style of violence will come as no surprise to fans of the series: It’s the usual fare of decapitations, maimings and impalings that dominated the first two movies in the trilogy.

With five battling armies hogging most of the run time, there’s not much room for meaningful character development. Yet despite the thin feel of the plot, the film does present some important themes for those willing to look hard enough. Characters who struggle to balance the needs of others with their own ambitions offer an interesting case study in the challenges of leadership. The script makes some strong statements about the hazards of wealth and power, a topic very in keeping its companion films in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. These complex problems lead to some moving moments of friendship and reconciliation. Fans will also appreciated the detailed settings and fantastic creatures, even if the story doesn’t quite meet the standard set by the previous productions of this franchise. Regardless of its shortcomings, the end of this unexpected journey is a fun foray into the world of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagination.

Directed by Peter Jackson. Starring Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Christopher Lee. Running time: 145 minutes. Theatrical release December 17, 2014. Updated

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies rated PG? The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is rated PG by the MPAA for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images.

Violence: This film contains epic battle scenes throughout. During these confrontations we see widespread killing with many medieval weapons and implements. Other huge fantastical characters trample and toss their opponents. Some shots show the altercations in more detail with characters (ranging from human and human-like to more fantastical monsters) impaling, decapitating, stabbing, slicing, throwing, pounding and drowning their foes. Considering the scope of the violence, there is little gore, but some of the close-ups do include blood covered faces and bodies, with some blood on the ground. Another sequence depicts a dragon spewing flames across a village, resulting in almost total destruction. While we don’t see details of people burning, it is implied that many have perished and many others are shown without food or shelter.

Sexual Content: A male and female character show affection for each other, and kiss.

Language: We hear the words “bugger” and “bastards”.

Drugs/Alcohol: A character smokes a pipe.

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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Parents' Guide

The title for the third installment of the Hobbit Trilogy has been renamed. Instead of There and Back Again it will now be called, The Battle of the Five Armies. (I must confess, the new moniker sounds more exciting to me too!)

This movie is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Hobbit.

Talk about the movie with your family…
Greed plays a major role in this movie. How does it motivate people to act differently? Why do you think Thorin was reluctant to share the dwarves’ treasure? Why might we struggle with the feeling we will never have enough wealth?

Greed also works as a distraction from the real problem (in this case the onslaught of the Orc army). In what ways are we distracted from our greatest priorities?

When Gandalf warns of the oncoming attack, others choose to ignore him. What warnings do we receive in our society that we choose to ignore? Who usually gets the most attention? What aspects of Gandalf’s personality would make him less likely to be heard?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies movie is November 17, 2015. Here are some details…

October 11, 2016
Warner Brothers studios has announced the combined release of all six of Peter Jackson’s films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. This compilation is available in two packages: The Middle Earth Theatrical Collection (A 6-disc set (Blu-ray or DVD) featuring the theatrical versions of each movie) and The Middle Earth Limited Collector’s Edition (a box set of 30 discs featuring the extended editions of each movie plus extras).

Home Video Notes: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Extended Edition)
Releases Date: 17 November 2015
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies releases to home video (Blu-ray/ DVD Copy/UltraViolet Digital Copy) in an Extended Edition with the following extras:
- Featurettes
- Music Video
- Trailers
- Commentary with Peter Jackson, Director/Producer/Screenwriter and Philippa Boyens, Co-Producer/Screenwriter.
- The Appendices – The Appendices Parts XI and XII showcase a chronological history of the filming of The Battle of the Five Armies, documenting the work done on set chronologically through the three shooting blocks and in the world of its digital effects.
- New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth – Part 3.

Also Releasing on November 17, 2015: The Hobbit Trilogy Extended Edition
This box set includes extended editions of all three movies:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Home Video Notes: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Releases Date: 24 March 2015
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy or Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) with the following special features:
- New Zealand: Home of Middle Earth - Part 3
- Recruiting the Five Armies
- Completing Middle-earth
- The Last Goodbye Music Video
- Theatrical and “Legacy” Trailers

Note: Warner Brothers is also releasing this movie as part of The Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy.
The Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy, or Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy). The boxed set includes the following:
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Related home video titles:

J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Hobbit has been turned into a three-part saga.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

He followed up this novel with a trilogy of his own (The Lord of the Rings) that has also been adapted for the big screen:
Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of The Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

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