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Q-Sample Statements and Scores by Viewpoints – The Battle of the Five Armies

Statement

ViewpointFulfilled Hobbit Fans

Angry Hobbit Critics

Unhappy Tolkien

Adherents

Ambivalent Middle-earth Enthusiasts

Appreciative Film Critics

Frustrated Middle-earth

Fans

1 I was genuinely on the edge of my seat, and felt a great deal of tension at times.

+1 -1 -2 -1 -3 -3

2 This film gets bogged down with additional material that takes us away from the main plotline, disrupting the story’s momentum.

-1 +1 +3 0 0 0

3 The film was funny, romantic, sad, and action-packed. I felt thrilled watching it.

+2 -2 -2 0 -2 -2

4 Five Armies is a circus of freaks, marvels, and high-flying pageantry. Like any circus, we’re there to gasp and to laugh, but not to feel.

-3 +3 0 -3 -1 0

5 Jackson’s team made the necessary technical adjustments to smooth out the visuals, creating a robust and seamless CGI-dominant film.

+1 -1 -2 0 +3 -3

6 The script took a bit of a dive, with some laughable clichés and a rather cheesy love scene.

-1 +1 +3 +3 -1 +2

7 Tauriel has been a fine addition to the series. I’m happy they added her.

0 0 -4 -4 +4 +2

8 The filmmakers invented battles, minor storylines, and a love triangle simply to attract the widest possible audience.

0 0 +3 +3 0 +1

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9 The images were very sharp and clear, and when the camera moved you could actually see what was going on.

+1 -1 0 +2 +2 +1

10 Jackson seems confused about who his main character is: taciturn, gold-obsessed dwarf Thorin, or the surprisingly cunning, homebody hobbit Bilbo.

-2 +2 0 +1 -2 -1

11 Few directors can mount such a massive war and keep us interested throughout.

+1 -1 -1 +1 +3 -1

12 We’ve seen it all before in the far superior LotR trilogy. Five Armies is just an action flick in the LotR world.

-3 +3 0 +2 +1 -1

13 I felt completely engrossed in the story and barely noticed time passing.

+3 -3 -3 -1 -3 -2

14 Jackson has gutted the quieter, character-driven moments in the story and filled them with non-stop bad action and battle scenes.

-2 +2 +4 -2 +2 +1

15 I liked the movie and thought it was a good way to introduce the world of Middle-earth to new people.

0 0 -4 0 0 -2

16 I felt bored by this film, and wanted to leave before it ended.

-4 +4 0 -4 -3 -4

17 This was the film I had been hoping for. It was an emotionally powerful, spectacle-filled ending to one of the greatest fantasy series of all time.

+3 -3 -4 -3 -4 -4

18 This film is predictable, poorly plotted and directed, and the editing

-3 +3 +1 -3 -2 -2

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creates holes where there needn’t have been.

19 Despite my reservations, I still appreciate this huge achievement by Peter Jackson and his talented cohorts.

0 0 -1 +4 +4 +3

20 Peter Jackson has destroyed a piece of my childhood soul with his poor adaptation of an epic book.

-4 +4 0 -4 -4 -4

21 It’s no classic but it’s still worth seeing, if just to get a sense of closure with Tolkien’s universe.

-1 +1 -2 +3 +4 +3

22 This film is inflated with superfluous, self-indulgent stuff, losing the concentrated brilliance and wonder of Tolkien’s novel.

-3 +3 +4 -1 +1 +1

23 Jackson plays to his strengths, creating dynamic action sequences that excite in their level of detail, but also dazzle in their aesthetic design.

+2 -2 -3 +1 0 -3

24 The film often ignores the laws of physics (e.g. Legolas’s acrobatics). This made it hard to suspend disbelief and took me out of the movie.

-1 +1 +2 -1 -1 +4

25 Thorin’s struggle to overcome gold-fever suggests that the desire for wealth is complex and layered with meanings.

+2 -2 0 +1 +1 -1

26 Alfrid’s character seemed pointless, and out of kilter with the rest of the film. He was inserted for comic relief, and that decision fell flat.

0 0 +3 +1 +1 +3

27 With this film, The Hobbit trilogy truly becomes part

+3 -3 -3 0 0 0

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of the Middle-earth saga. It provides a conclusion and a beginning to what follows.

28 The characters are given no real depth and I found it hard to connect with any of them, so when major characters were brought to an end I felt no remorse.

-4 +4 +2 -3 0 -1

29 This film is about finding home, fighting for it, and learning the value of the journey. It reflects timeless themes of honour, love and self-sacrifice.

+4 -4 -1 +2 +2 +1

30 I felt a certain sadness when the film ended and the credits rolled.

+4 -4 -1 0 -1 +4

31 The love story between Kili and Tauriel detracts from the movie, rather than adding any value to it.

0 0 +4 +4 -3 0

32 The acting was top notch from nearly everyone. +4 -4 +1 0 +3 0

33 The ideal screen adaptation of The Hobbit would have been a two-part venture. Turning it into a 3 part 9-hour long movie seems like a cash grab.

-1 +1 +2 +3 +3 0

34 The soundtrack is moving and elegant, and among Howard Shore’s best Middle-earth work.

+3 -3 +1 -2 +2 0

35 The over-reliance on poorly executed CGI left the action feeling weightless and disjointed, and so the bad guys felt unconvincing as a serious threat.

-2 +2 +2 -2 -2 +3

36 An emotional rollercoaster from start to finish, Five Armies left me an

+1 -1 -3 -2 -4 -3

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emotional wreck by the end.

37 While Five Armies was an entertaining action fantasy, it strayed too far away from Tolkien’s strong spirituality, which helped make the LotR films so exceptional.

-2 +2 +1 +4 +1 +2

38 It was a joy to share the experience of watching this film with others who are important to me.

+2 -2 -1 +2 0 +2

39 I would have preferred a more comprehensive ending that tied up all the loose plot points. I was left wanting more.

0 0 +1 -1 -1 +4