‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ Trailer Released
Lord of the Rings fans will be excited to hear that a trailer for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has finally been released. The final film in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy will premiere on December 17, and the new trailer promises that it will deliver the epic conclusion we’ve all been waiting for.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSzeFFsKEt4]
Don’t be fooled by the slow, atmospheric start – it’s quickly interrupted by an amazing shot of Smaug swooping down over Lake-Town, burning everything in his wake. For those who thought that The Desolation of Smaug was lacking in fiery dragon destruction, we can expect to see Smaug unleashed and raining down vengeance in the upcoming film. The trailer proves that the film will live up to its title and deliver an epic battle in the style of Jackson’s original Lord of the Rings trilogy. We get to see some of the dwarves donning battle armor and marching out to face their foes, and the legions of elf warriors look amazing.
Speaking of elves, the trailer features several shots of Legolas and Tauriel which imply that Orlando Bloom will once again have a prominent role in the film. Perhaps The Battle of the Five Armies will further develop the possibility of a romance between the two elves, continuing the love triangle between Legolas, Tauriel, and Kili. While many feel that the romance plotline is an unnecessary addition to Tolkien’s story which the movies might be better without, it will undoubtedly appeal to certain viewers. In any case, the inclusion of Legolas will certainly allow for some of the acrobatic battle scenes we can’t help but love.
The trailer also shows us that Radagast the Brown will once again have a role to play, as well as some intriguing glimpses of Gandalf and Galadriel which pique our curiosity as to how much we will see of the battle with the Necromancer. Will Gandalf and Galadriel be joining forces to confront the enemy lurking in his fortress? It might be wishful thinking to expect a fighting Galadriel in warrior armor, but we can always hope.
Possibly the most interesting feature of the new trailer is the choice to use Pippin’s song from The Return of the King as the background music. For those who need their memory refreshed, the song is sung by Pippin (actor Billy Boyd) when he is entertaining the steward of Gondor, creating a beautiful contrast between Denethor’s indifference and his son’s suicidal charge against the orcs. The decision to use this song in the new Hobbit trailer is ingenious, as it speaks to the similarly hopeless situation of the Battle of Five Armies while creating a haunting background to the characters’ heroic acts.
The inclusion of this song about leaving home behind, sung by a hobbit, also works as a subtle reminder that Bilbo remains the focus of this story. The release of the trailer was accompanied by the poster above, which features Bilbo in a heroic pose that demonstrates how much he has changed over the course of the trilogy.