13 Problems That Almost Ruin The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

By Simon Gallagher /

1. The Elephant In The Room

It was perhaps foolish to expect much of an appearance by Sauron, but the Hobbit as an extended film experience was sold as a bridge between Tolkien€™s original text and the Lord Of The Rings films. Even when the idea of a single bridge film to fill in the 60 years after the Battle Of The Five Armies was scrapped, Jackson still seemed to promise a prequel to The Fellowship Of The Ring. In some respects he delivered - Legolas being sent to see the €œyoung ranger€ was a nice touch - and so too was the lead in to Bilbo€™s 111th birthday party, but the single most intriguing element was brushed aside all too quickly. With Christopher Lee brought in as Sarumon there was always a hint that we might get to see the white wizard€™s temptation by Sauron, but ultimately that only amounted to a mysterious twinkle in his eye and a promise that he should be the one to deal with the rising threat. There was no build to it, and little more than a flash of that now iconic flaming eye, and then that was it done. That still feels like a missed opportunity to tell a part of the story that genuinely deserved to be told, and while a lot of loose ends were tied, that barely hinted at question hangs heavy in the air at the end. Have you seen The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread and read our full review of the film here.