Review: Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies'

The decision by Peter Jackson to expand JRR Tolkien's slim, trim novel The Hobbit into three movies was met with derision, and for very good reason. They all but guaranteed an extensive amount of filler and more of this new fellowship walking through grassy plains than ever. The first film was a crashing bore, the second film a marked improvement, and now with The Battle of the Five Armies we are treated to the final chapter of the trilogy and the first to meet the high quality standards of The Lord of the Rings. While the series as a whole doesn't quite measure up, Jackson deserves credit for wrapping up this massive fantasy epic on an incredibly high note.

Easily the best of the trilogy, Battle of the Five Armies is exactly what it promises to be: one mammoth war fought between every faction in Middle Earth. Picking up right where the last film left off with Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) setting Laketown ablaze, the heroic Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) races to find a way to ground the armored dragon.  If there was too much drag on the first two movies, 'Armies' is all gorgeously detailed action. Would it have been cool to see what another director could do with this world visually? Absolutely, but there's a comfort in the beautiful familiarity he brings to Middle Earth, and his ability to choreograph multiple battle sequences at a time is stunning.

While Laketown burns, what seems like a dozen other plots are playing out at elsewhere. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) has discovered the dooming arrival of a darker evil threatening the land; while Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), and the company of dwarves are holed up in the Lonely Mountain reclaiming their lost treasure. True character arcs are few but Oakenshield gets the best one as he's torn between greed and leading his people. Bilbo's arc was completed mostly in the second film as he became more than just burglar, but he's important here as Oakenshield's conscience. With so many characters wrapped in prosthetics and make-up it's easy to take the acting for granted, but Armitage and Freeman are both excellent. Meanwhile, the other dwarves remain mostly interchangeable and indistinguishable, with the exception of Kili (Aidan Turner) who is memorable only for his romance with the elf, Turiel (Evangeline Lilly). Even that is handled with efficiency and a little bit of sweetness which shines through in the midst of the raging war surrounding it.

And let's talk about that war because it encompasses almost 60% of the movie, if not more. Jackson has never spared any expense in crafting his special effects budget but he really outdid himself this time.  Again pushing the limits of CGI technology, every disgusting orc, mountain range, and glittery elf looks exquisite. Tolkien himself would be in awe of what Jackson has been able to accomplish. With so many characters and plot threads weaving in and out of the fighting, there's also the need to connect with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. While that connection is definitely forced on occasion, we don't see a bunch of characters from the other films shoe-horned in where they don't belong, a problem faced by predecessors. Running at only 2 hours and about 20 minutes, this is the shortest and briskly-packed film of the bunch. There's simply not a lot of standing around this time, and even if the final battle stretches on a bit too long it never gets boring.  The humor doesn't always work, like with the aggravatingly duplicitous "Alfrid" character, but it's a welcome presence in what is basically a fantastical war movie.  That we care so much about these characters and their connections to one another speaks to the richness of Tolkien's vision but also Jackson's ability to fully realize it.

Now that it's all said and done, The Hobbit will certainly go down as inferior to The Lord of the Rings by comparison, but so what? They should be taken as a complete whole, one that reaches incredible heights of imagination and technical precision. Jackson will probably never do anything as big as this again (although we've said that before!), but he's left a mark with these films that can never be erased.

 Rating: 4 out of 5

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One Final Trailer for Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies'

With just under a week until the massive, epic return to Middle Earth now is a pretty good time for one final trailer. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies wraps up the second trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's books, and the title pretty much says it all. This one is basically one gigantic fight between the men, orcs, dwarves, wizards, and others vying for ultimate power in the land. Who will come out on top? Well, since this one's a prequel we pretty much know how things will turn out, don't we?

Starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, and Orlando Bloom, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens December 17th.

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War Erupts in New Clips from 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies'

In case the hashtag #OneLastTime on all of the promos didn't tip you off, Peter Jackson's second epic trilogy set in Middle Earth is coming to a close. Last night the world premiere of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies was held in London, and to coincide with the event two new clips have been released. In keeping with the title, these are all about the massive war that erupts after the defeat of Smaug, when Thorin and his dwarf colleagues must defend their reclaimed homeland from an army of Orcs sent by Sauron.

Here's hoping the third and final movie is nothing but all-out action because there's really nothing else left for them to do. There's nowhere else to walk to. Check out the two clips followed by the full synopsis below. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens December 17th.





“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town. Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo’s frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead. Unseen by any but the Wizard Gandalf, the great enemy Sauron has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain. As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide – unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends in the epic Battle of the Five Armies, as the future of Middle-earth hangs in the balance.

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Matt Smith Joins 'Patient Zero'; Bryce Dallas Howard Eyes 'Pete's Dragon'; Martin Freeman does 'The Taliban Shuffle'

 Ex-Doctor Who star Matt Smith, who will be seen next year in Terminator: Genisys, is in talks to join Natalie Dormer in Patient Zero. Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky (Deadfall), the film takes place after a global pandemic creates a new species driven by violence. One human survivor immune to the disease and able to communicate with the infected must locate patient zero and find a cure to save his wife and all of humanity. [Deadline]

Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help) may join the Pete's Dragon remake written and directed by David Lowery (Ain't them Bodies Saints). The non-musical live-action/animated hybrid centers on an abused orphan who befriends an invisible dragon. Robert Redford, Oona Lawrence, and Oakes Fegley star, with Howard in talks to play a skeptical forest ranger. [THR]

Bilbo Baggins...er, Martin Freeman, will do The Taliban Shuffle with Tina Fey. Margot Robbie is also aboard the comedy film based on Kim Barker's memoir about her stint "as a fish-out-of-water in Kabul, filing stories about militants, being a woman in wartime Iraq and Pakistan, dealing with boredom interspersed with dashes of violence and the promiscuous war correspondent culture." Freeman would play Fey's love interest, a Scottish photojournalist. John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (Crazy Stupid Love) are directing.

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New Epic Trailer for Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies'

When Peter Jackson first agreed to return to Middle Earth for The Hobbit after Guillermo Del Toro had backed out, it was envisioned as merely a two-parter. Already that was a bit of a stretch considering the thin nature of J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, and yet somehow Jackson found a way to get three massive movies out of it. With the third and "final" film (I'll believe it when I don't see any more) The Battle of the Five Armies coming in just a few weeks, a new trailer gives us one more advanced look at what will probably be another massive 3-hour+ spectacle.

This trailer focuses heavily on the choices made by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) as he tries to reclaim the dwarf homeland from the dragon Smaug. It's just one of a few storylines Jackson has to juggle, as we also see the emergence of Sauron and glimpses of the massive "battle of the five armies" that follows.  So yeah, you might want to pack a lunch for this one.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens December 17th. Check out the trailer and synopsis below.



SYNOPSIS: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town.

Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo's frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead. Unseen by any but the Wizard Gandalf, the great enemy Sauron has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain.

As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide - unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends in the epic Battle of the Five Armies, as the future of Middle-earth hangs in the balance.

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Seven Character Posters for 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies'

Not that a franchise like The Hobbit  needs a huge marketing push or anything like that but that hasn't stopped Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema from flooding us with promo material for each and every film. That continues with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, which has released a new character poster every day for the past week. The images feature Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans), Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and the latest with Evangeline Lily's Tauriel.

SYNOPSIS:  “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town. Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo’s frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead. Unseen by any but the Wizard Gandalf, the great enemy Sauron has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain. As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide – unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends in the epic Battle of the Five Armies, as the future of Middle-earth hangs in the balance.

Directed by Peter Jackson, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens December 17th. 

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Prepare for War with 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' Teaser Trailer; Plus Watch the Comic-Con Panel

This past weekend Peter Jackson was on hand at Comic-Con to unveil The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the sixth film in the franchise that he has been the steward of for more than fifteen years. To introduce it he began with a reel that showed everything that had happened in war-torn Middle Earth in the prior movies, and seeing everything unfold it's hard to deny this is probably the most epic cinematic series we've ever seen. They've retained such a visual consistency and general quality (even the maligned first 'Hobbit' movie is very well-made) that it's easy to take a film like The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies for granted, but now the first trailer is here to remind you why that may be a mistake.

Reuniting Martin Freeman as young Bilbo Baggins, Luke Evans as the heroic Bard the Bowman, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, and of course Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug, this film wraps up Jackson's epic run (for now, anyway) with one gigantic war. And this trailer would be sewing the sides for that battle, showing the colorful faces involved and hinting at the conflicts that will erupt amongst them when honor and treasure are the spoils. There will be orcs, goblins, dwarves, and everything else Jackson can throw into the mix for his final blow out, and yes it looks incredible. This is the same footage he unveiled to an awed crowd at Comic-Con, leading to one fan who pondered if The Silmarillion is next.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens December 17th. Check it out below and also the full Comic-Con panel where Jackson and much of the cast field questions from the audience. An even longer cut of the Lord of the Rings on Blu-Ray? Yeah....probably.


The Hobbit 3 Battle of the Five Armies - Official Movie Trailer (2014) (HD). by Newest Trailer

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Review: Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'

I count myself as one of the apparent few who liked The Hobbit: AnUnexpected Journey well enough and certainly doesn’t think it deserving of the venom some were all-too-happy to spit at it. Certainly the film had its share of problems, with far too many dwarfs singing dull songs, and Peter Jackson not doing a very good job of getting things moving. But as the film neared its end, and a miraculous transformation occurs within its unlikely hero Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), the franchise underwent a similar evolution, one that continues with the far-superior and highly enjoyable The Desolation of Smaug.

Picking up where the last film left off and thus moving at a snappier pace, we’re thrust right in the middle of the barrel-riding adventure, one that is lighter, funnier, and makes the most of a wide array of colorful characters. That's something we couldn't say about the prior movie, which mostly relegated Bilbo's dwarven companions to background characters recognizable only by the lengths of their beards. A part of that could have had to do with Jackson seeming to spend more time laying the foundations for his already-completed Lordof the Rings trilogy rather than focusing on giving The Hobbit a narrative to call its own. 'Desolation of Smaug', while still very episodic in nature befitting its place as the trilogy's middle chapter, feels like it has a purpose all its own.

A big part of that purpose is to up the action significantly. There are more orcs, more elves, more giant spiders, a shape-shifter the size of Manute Bol, more of everything than before, making for a grand swashbuckling time. Bilbo and his fellowship crash (sometimes literally) into one sticky situation after another, beginning with an evil forest in Mirkwood and a nest of nasty arachnids. J.R.R. Tolkien's novel is a slim read but pulls deeply from every appendix he can get his hands on, and still finds room to invent some things out of whole cloth. One conjured up aspect that works extremely well is a greater focus on the woodland elves, with Lee Pace as their arrogant king Thranduil. His son Legolas (Orlando Bloom) has yet to become the fun-loving orc killer we come to know later on, but he's got a thing for the hot female elf Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), who may be falling for the brave (and surprisingly tall) dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner). Did The Hobbit really need another love story at the center of it? Yeah, it kind of does because there sure aren't any females to be found anywhere else. Besides, it serves as a reminder that Jackson has a few tricks up his sleeve that aren't just totally cribbed from Tolkien.

Between the daring escapes and sword-clanging clashes with orcs and goblins, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) has a quest of his own to the gloomy, desolate castle Dol Guldur to confront a growing evil known as the Necromancer. A lot of fierce magic gets thrown around and the true enemy is revealed, not that it was ever much of a mystery. It's all just foreshadowing, which is kind of odd to be dropping hints for movies we've already seen, but they work a little like DVD Easter eggs. Those who know Tolkien's world inside and out will get every obscure reference and oddly-named locale. The rest will wonder what the difference is between a Beorn and a Bofur. They're both dwarves, right?

Jackson shoots the action with a greater sense of urgency, and has fun indulging in the visual flourishes in a way he didn't before. In particular the sweeping, thrilling barrel-riding escape sequence is much bigger than Tolkien ever imagined it. Elves, orcs, worgs and other creatures are bounding around everywhere, not to mention a good number of flying arrows. There is scarcely a dull moment over the course of the first couple of hours, so much so that it one might feel exhausted once the dwarfs make it to Laketown, smuggled in reluctantly by eventual hero Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans), who they might as well call Aragorn Jr. Laketown is in itself an impressive feat of construction; a town that resembles the waterways of Venice by way Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. Also dazzling, but considerably more ominous, is the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), who lies beneath a room full of gold at the heart of the Lonely Mountain.  The greatest set piece is reserved for him, as well it should be, and Smaug makes for a menacing villain and imposing presence. Taking up nearly every inch of the screen with every appearance, Smaug is easily the scariest Cumberbatch has been on screen this year. Sorry, StarTrek fans but you know it's true.

And at the heart of all this is Bilbo Baggins, and a large part of the reason this film works so well is how Martin Freeman has grown into the role, similar to Bilbo's growth into a hero. He still hasn't quite earned the respect of his cantankerous companions, but it's a treat to watch him take on Smaug basically alone, and stand up for himself when called upon. He's also begun to use that mysterious ring, his "precious", and is starting to feel its addicting effects. Richard Armitage continues to be appropriately brave and stern, but he's hardly a sympathetic figure yet. Tauriel is perhaps the one character other than Bilbo who gets an emotional arc worth investing in as she challenges her clan's isolationist attitude. 

An abrupt cliffhanger reminds us that these movies are meant to be enjoyed as a whole rather than separate, and the simple truth is that The Desolation of Smaug is a vast improvement over An Unexpected Journey. It deserves to be championed in the way Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies are, and sets this latest journey through Middle Earth back on the right track.

 

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Seven Character Posters for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'

Other than Marvel movies, The Hobbit films are the last ones to need an overabundance of hype. And yet the marketing machine is always going, and with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug right around the corner, the film's official Facebook page has dropped a number of new character posters.

The images feature Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield,  Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman, and the elves Thranduil played by Lee Pace, the returning Legolas portrayed by Orlando Bloom, and new character Tauriel played by Evangeline Lilly.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens December 13th.

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New Trailer and Banners for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'

Expectations were rightfully high for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, coming off the Lord of the Rings' massive critical and box office success. Reaction to the film was mixed, however, with complaints ranging from the familiarity of the story to Jackson's use of a high frame rate projection system some found distracting. Even though the response wasn't what Warner Bros. would have hoped for, it still cleared over $1B worldwide, and hopes are that this fall's sequel will top it.

The new trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has arrived, along with a couple of new banners to go along with the ones released yesterday. The footage sells the film's grande spectacle, while also putting an emphasis on the relationship between elves Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel. We also see glimpses of the Mirkwood spiders; Bilbo finding the One Ring and lying about it; Luke Evans as heroic Bard the Bowman; and the dragon Smaug making a fiery entrance.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug arrives in 3D and IMAX December 13th. 


THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - Trailer 2 by dmagianet

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Review: Edgar Wright's 'The World's End' Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

In a recent interview with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright, the comedy trio and longtime friends compared themselves to R&B group, Destiny's Child. It may not seem to make much sense, but it's true in the sense that the members are more than capable of doing great work on their own; however the true magic really happens when they come back together. Doesn't seem so crazy now, does it? The World's End marks the conclusion (maybe??) of their beloved, pop culture-infused "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy, and like its predecessors Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, it's an entertaining, imminently quotable genre mash-up with surprising layers of depth.

If the first film used George Romero-esque zombies as a riff on middle-aged complacency, and Hot Fuzz a vehicle to literally blow up notions of civility, The World's End tackles another long-running theme: the dangers of living in the past. It's a darker, more adult film than the rest, and in it we see the continued evolution and growth of all involved. Pegg takes on his most mature role to date as Gary King, and as we see him reliving in glorious, hazy detail the greatest night of his youth in an epic pub crawl with his buddies, he appears to be just another in a long line of irresponsible louts. But as the flashback comes to a screeching, sudden halt, we see that there's something sad lurking behind the bravado. With little to live for and only his memories to cling to, Gary decides to round up the old gang and take another crack at the "Golden Mile"; one night, 12 pubs, 12 pints.

There's just one problem, and it's that all of his friends are fully-formed adults with lives and responsibilities, something Gary simply can't fathom. Peter (Eddie Marsan), Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman), and Andrew (Nick Frost) all have their doubts about Gary, along with an unhealthy amount of pent up childhood angst, but they agree to return to their sleepy little hometown for one last night of drinking, jokes, women, and as it turns out, an extraterrestrial threat.

What the boys discover in quite brutal fashion, is that time continues to soldier on without you. That you can never truly go back to the way things were, and even worse, that much of the people who populated your life in those nostalgic glory days don't care that you left. The message hits home early as the guys venture to one of their favorite haunts, only to discover that it's now some sanitized "Starbucked" pseudo-pub where the bartender doesn't remember their names. The opening half of the film is funny but mostly played straight for poignancy as Gary struggles with the realization that he's not all that important. Or that everybody in town has changed for the worse while he remains the same. It's the height of self-delusion, and everybody seems to recognize it but Gary, whose obnoxious attitude only makes his friends, in particular Andrew, want to leave him behind for good.

Wright has improved tremendously as a filmmaker since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, a film which perhaps reveled too much in its comic book/video game adoration to connect on any emotional level. The World's End is practically the polar opposite, and like the other "Cornetto" films it uses the chosen genre to enhance and underline the core themes and reveal aspects of each character's personality. It's become one of the trilogy's defining attributes, one Wright and Pegg perfected before with the short-lived but brilliant sitcom, Spaced. But whereas the action was always fairly simple in the prior movies, Wright dreams up some truly complicated set pieces as the real menace emerges in the film. The highlight by far is a terrific bathroom brawl between the gang and their enemies, with Wright's free-flowing camera tracking every crunching blow, brutal decapitation (it's more violent than you'd think), and People's Elbow. Pegg and Frost have also grown in physicality, and they have fun with their stage fighting by utilizing a number of moves pulled right from the WWE. What had been up to this point a dramatic affair turns on a dime to special effects comedic spectacle, and the transition isn't quite as smooth as in the earlier films. At the same time, Wright is better at using the framework to set up major themes, best exemplified by the opening flashback that forecasts the future insanity. He's also better at keeping up the pace despite the story being broken up into twelve parts, or pubs, and with so many characters needing their moment to shine.

The dynamic between Frost and Pegg has always been the glue that kept these films together, and while we get moments of their impeccable chemistry here and there, it's muddled due to the significantly larger cast. We're told about rather than experience the rift between Gary and Andrew, while the feud between Gary and Steven for the attention of Pam (Rosamund Pike) is given considerably more weight. Yes, it's a lot of fun watching Gary blow this rivalry beyond proportion but there's no substitute for seeing more of Pegg and Frost. Pegg gets the juiciest role, of course, and he really has become a seasoned actor capable of more than just pratfalls and goofy accents. His Gary is similar in some respects to Shaun, an irresponsible man child incapable of moving forward, but we also see some of the darker edges to him; the alcohol, the loneliness, and the bitterness that make the character unique. He's also a total prick, and he's never really taken to task for it, even as his friends seem to forget and forgive all too easily. It's also nice to see Frost do something other than play Pegg's slob pal. He's considerably more restrained and buttoned up here, at least for a while until he goes into full on Hulk rage.

Critic screenings for the film were preceded by a personal plea to not give away any of the film's biggest secrets. That includes plot twists (of which there are many) and cameos (of which there are some notable ones). While that isn't so shocking, it was the source of the plea that makes it so interesting: Edgar Wright himself. There will be plenty of critics who will ignore his "Be a mate?" request and spoil much of what the film has to offer, but it's sad that Wright has to ask this in the first place. Fortunately, The World's End has so much going on that it rewards repeat viewings, and if something gets spoiled along the way there will be something new to take its place. It's rare that a conclusion as anticipated as this ever meets expectations, but fans of Frost, Pegg, and Wright will be more than pleased and dying for a reunion.

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Apocalyptic Spoilers In the New 'The World's End' Trailer

The long-awaited conclusion to Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy arrives this summer with The World's End, and unlike Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, there are elements of the story needing to be kept under wraps. We know the basic gist, that it follows five old friends attempting to recreate an epic pub crawl from their youth, only to discover that the fate of the world is at stake. But any attempt to keep further details secret just flew out the window with the latest trailer, which gives away the full nature of the threat they face. There's a nice nostalgic touch by revisiting the first two films, and clearly there are going to be plenty of call backs to some of the old gags, but for those who want to go in as clear as possible this may be a trailer to avoid.

Also starring Rosamund Pike, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, and Eddie Marsan, The World's End opens on August 23rd.

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Watch the Exciting First Trailer for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'

It's hard to believe that nearly a decade passed between The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, because it never really felt like they went away. A lot of that has to do with the legendary critical and box office success they achieved, keeping them firmly in our minds until audiences were brought back to Middle Earth last winter. With Jackson stretching the two-part story into a trilogy, and introducing new 48fps technology, 'An Unexpected Journey' was considered a disappointment by many, putting the sequel 'The Desolation of Smaug' in the unusual position of underdog.

As expected, the first trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has arrived, a few days before it's attached to showing of Man of Steel. There are no solemn dwarf songs in this footage, instead it's about introducing us to the characters fans have been waiting anxiously for. We get a glimpse of the returning Orlando Bloom as the elf archer Legolas; Evangeline Lilly as his lover, Tauriel; Lee Pace as Thranduil the Elven King, and Luke Evans as the heroic Bard the Bowman. We finally get our best look at the dragon Smaug, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, the reason behind the journey undertaken by Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and his companions. It remains to be seen exactly how far Jackson is going to take this middle chapter in the story. Will the fight with Smaug carry over into the third film as a means of padding out a relatively slim story?

Overall the trailer gives the impression this one will have a great deal more action than before, but we'll have to wait until December 13th to see if that's really the case.


The Hobbit - Desolation of Smaug (Trailer) by cinemur

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Six New Character Posters for 'The World's End'

Humanity is going to be in dire straits this summer, with both This Is the End and Edgar Wright's The World's End centered on the ruination of pretty much everything. While Seth Rogen's film hits theaters in just a couple of days (review will be up soon), Wright has been nice enough to give us a few more weeks of relative safety, but not without releasing a handful of new character posters.

The images feature stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, and Martin Freeman. Some of the pubs they'll be crawling seem to be used as a descriptor for a few of the characters, with Pegg as "The Famous Cock" and Freeman as "The Trusty Servant". Poor Marsan gets the short end of the stick as "The Pickled Newt", while faring much better is Pike as "The Intrepid Fox" and Considine as "The Lion Heart".

Following Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, The World's End will wrap up the "Three Flavours" trilogy on August 23rd. [Empire]

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First Poster for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'

The teaser trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will hit the web on Tuesday June 11th, and will appear in front of Man of Steel when it opens on the 14th, but before that Warner Bros. has unveiled the first official poster. The image appears to show Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) at the entrance to The Lonely Mountain, which houses the dragon Smaug, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.

It remains to be seen how Peter Jackson intends to fill out the final two chapters of the trilogy. The title of this film pretty much gives away what to expect, but J.R.R. Tolkien's novel is fairly thin up to that point and beyond. It's expected that the final chapter, There and Back Again, will be made up mostly of the appendices to The Lord of the Rings, chronicling the rise of the Necromancer and expanding on some of Gandalf's mysterious side quests.

Also starring Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Richard Armitage, Lee Pace, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, and more, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens in 3D on December 13th.

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New U.S. trailer for Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's 'The World's End'

Together again, "just like The Five Musketeers". It's been a long five-year wait for Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fans, but the end of the Cornetto (or Blood and Ice Cream) trilogy is finally upon us with Edgar Wright's The World's End, and after dropping a pair of posters on us yesterday a new trailer aimed at U.S. audiences has been released.

This cut of the trailer gives the impression that buddies Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Paddy Considine, and Martin "Bilbo Baggins" Freeman will be doing just as much fighting aliens as downing pints. They play five friends looking to conquer an epic pub crawl from their youth: "12 pubs, 12 pints". Along the way they discover the town has been taken over by robots, in much the same way zombies and corrupt cops ran roughshod through the last two films. The humor appears to be sharp and on point, with Rosamund Pike having a ton of fun as an old flame. Frost isn't as interesting to me when he's playing the stiff, buttoned-up type, but when he finally "hulks out" in the bar it's pretty hilarious.

The World's End arrives on August 23rd. Between this and Seth Rogen's This Is the End, which apocalyptic comedy are you most looking forward to?

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Have a pint and enjoy two new posters for 'The World's End'

"Prepare to be annihilated". Is that by aliens or by copious amounts of ale? Two new posters for Edgar Wright's The World's End, which essentially sport the same image, have been released and they seem to suggest that the only way to survive the coming extraterrestrial invasion is to get really hammered, or to grab the nearest bar stool. The third leg of the beloved "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy reunites Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, joined by Eddie Marsan, Paddy Considine, and Martin Freeman in the story of five friends who attempt to recreate an epic pub crawl from their youth, only to discover that the fate of humanity may be on the line.  It's good to see the gorgeous Rosamund Pike brought into the mix, and frankly she looks more formidable than the whole bunch of them. She does have that whole Wrath of the Titans experience to draw upon, right?

The World's End arrives on August 23rd.

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