The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies fan reviews... SPOILERS

[Necromancer Rising]

I am going for a second viewing soon,probably on Sunday. Now that i am fresh after a good night sleep, i can safely state that the 2/3's of the film- with the exception of the distracting Alfrid- and the ending are probably pieces of Jackson's most mature work.Everything worked out so fine. Some of the best character moments and acting performances of the whole series can be found in there. The main battle itself consisted of some spectacular sequences but it was more than obvious that a pretty heavy editing was done there.I honestly expect 7-8 minutes more to feel more complete. Ravenhill sequence was definitely a highlight as a whole but as i previously stated,the overproduced duels diminished the power of it and i honestly cannot think of a good reason for doing so since the build up of tension after Fili's tragic and shocking death was appropriate. Kili's death was probably one of the most heart breaking moment of this film if not the most. Even if i was expecting it, it came across as a very poignant scene with Turner and Lily truly nailing the expression of their mute pain plus the single tear coming down from Turner's eye made my eyes water very much.

I am sure i will notice some things better during my second viewing. Right now, i am starving for the Extended Edition. Very emotional film diminished by -"really trying to be more spectacular than anything else"- some individual scenes.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

NR, I'm glad you mostly liked it. I'll be seeing it in about five and a half hours.

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[Necromancer Rising]

I think i made clear which parts i found distracting from an overall very satisfying experience and i am really looking forward to your opinion V.

[Alatar]

I look forward to hearing your opinion too Voronwë, but I predict you'll love it!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I'm trying to keep an open mind, despite having read so many different other opinions. I don't want to prejudge in either direction. That having been said, if my experience with the previous five films is any guide, I probably will like some of it a lot, and roll my eyes at some of it. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I am little bit nervous at how I will react to some of the more intense parts, sensitive soul that I can sometimes be.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Strangely, I was far more affected by Fili's death (and on the second viewing, teared up a bit)! Its suddenness worked far better for me than what I felt was an "overproduced," to use Necromancer Rising's apt term, buildup to (and context of) Kili's death.

And though I loved the post-battle scenes in this film (barring the Tauriel-Thranduil stuff) I absolutely cannot wait to see the funeral scene.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

That's the one I'm worried about.

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[Necromancer Rising]

In my opinion,the overproduced parts affected Thorin's death,not Kili's. Kili's assassination was very poignant and happened before the over the top parts if i recall correctly.

[Passdagas the Brown]

In my opinion,the overproduced parts affected Thorin's death,not Kili's. Kili's assassination was very poignant and happened before the over the top parts if i recall correctly.

Kili's death did occur before the Legolas-Bolg confrontation, yes (as up to that point, it was a Tauriel-Kili-Bolg confrontation). IMO, a glaring narrative problem is that immediately after Kili dies, we get 10 minutes of Legolas-Bolg ridiculousness. Any possible sense of grief is obliterated by the cartoon, IMO.

ETA: Though I kind of loved the design of that massive troll with the prosthetic limbs that Legolas takes down (minus the prosthetic legs, which were just a bit too much...).

[Teremia]

Saw it last night, and I did like two things very much:

--Bilbo and Gandalf sitting together, while Gandalf fiddles with his pipe;
--the broken merry-go-round in Dale. They remembered about the toys of Dale! SOMEONE read the BOOKS!

Also the dwarves getting into battle formation do pretty cool things with their shields. But the battles themselves, left me cold. I cared about the ROTK battles because they were for a noble cause, were necessary, and were truly desperate. Not the case here. (May I ask what happened to the second huge orc army?)

All this ho-hum response from me despite my feeling that Martin Freeman is the best hobbit ever! And Ian McK the best possible wizard! Mysterious.

If the lighting were better, I'd be less grumpy. Whoever does the lighting for these films has never seen a flickering flame or actual moonlight or been in an actually dark place in her or his life.

[Necromancer Rising]

I liked Tauriel/Bolg and Bolg/Kili confrontations,very much to be honest. I felt really sorry for both. It did not prevent me from eye-watering. But what happened afterwards, affected my reaction towards Thorin's death,undoubtedly.

[Passdagas the Brown]

(May I ask what happened to the second huge orc army?)

It's wiped out in seconds by the eagles, Radagast and Beorn. It's easy to miss, but the eagle army attacks Bolg's forces alone.

Agreed on the lighting (an aesthetic element that can have a huge impact on my enjoyment of a film...).

As for "whoever does it," that would be Andrew Lesnie's responsibility (the director of photography). And going back to his work on Babe, he's very fond of artificial lighting, the "bloom" effect, and well-lit nighttime scenes. I also believe PJ wanted to try to replicate Alan Lee's washed out "watercolor" look, though if that's the case, they were pretty unsuccessful.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

5 minutes

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[Beutlin]

5 minutes

Have fun, Voronwë!

[Necromancer Rising]

5 minutes

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Enjoy V.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Good luck, V!

[Teremia]

Have fun! focus on that merry-go-round!

[Smaug's voice]

It'll be pretty nice for you, I bet!

[Smaug's voice]

I thought the lighting in DOS (barring Mirkwood) was excellent.
But it was equally bad in AUJ.

[Inanna]

So, V is watching it right now? Have fun!