The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

"Opening with a hiss and a roar, The Battle of the Five Armies wastes no time getting stuck into some serious dragon destruction. This spectacular and chilling sequence could serve as a climax to plenty of other films, but in commencing proceedings here there's something immediate and confronting about it. This drops the audience in at the deep end with no build up, let alone meandering prologue (unless you count the preceding pics)."

"If none of the Hobbit films resonate with "Rings'" mythic grandeur, it’s hard not to marvel at Jackson’s facility with these characters and this world..."

"Even at its most talky, it's compelling stuff, reaping the rewards of characters built-up over two-and-a-bit movies..."

"Jackson’s singular talent for massive-scale mayhem hasn’t deserted him, and the hour-long smackdown that crowns the film gives him ample opportunities to indulge it."

"Having set the tone so definitively at the outset, each film delivered exactly what it promised."

"The final stretch possesses a warm, amiable, sometimes rueful mood that proves ingratiating and manages to magnify the good and minimize the bad of the trilogy."

"A fitting conclusion to Jackson’s prequel trilogy and a triumphant adieu to Middle-earth."