After thirteen years of movies, the Lord of the Rings/ Hobbit series is coming to an end. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, ends an era, the age of Middle Earth.

The theatre was filled with teary eyes as the credits rolled, Billy Boyd, who played Pippin in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, singing “The Last Goodbye.”

We followed Bilbo Baggins as he teamed up with the thirteen dwarves of Thorin’s company. We watched as Smaug made his way to Laketown to get his revenge on the dwarves. In this final movie, we watch as the five armies (dwarves, elves, orcs, men, and eagles) clash over their share of the gold found in the kingdom of Erabor.

Those who read the book may actually be pretty pleased with this movie, as it sticks fairly close to the storyline, doing J.R.R Tolkein’s novel justice. While new characters have been added as well as some plot twists, they don’t bring down the movie, possibly even helping it stick to the original storyline in a way.

The movie flows fairly smoothly but can be a bit slow at times but I think it gives the film a more eerie feel, which suits the plot very well. The character development throughout the film is wonderful, giving them all a very dynamic storyline.

Chills will run down your back while tears stream down your face as you are taken through this emotional journey that viewers have been awaiting for a long time.

The film runs two hours and twenty-four minutes and is rated PG-13. It stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo, who also plays John Watson in BBC’s Sherlock, and was directed by Peter Jackson, who also directed all of the Lord Of The Rings movies. The film opened on December 17 but some were able to see it on the 16th.

This finale gives us the big finish we’ve all been hoping for, allowing us to have closure on the fate of Middle Earth and all of its habitants. If you’ve been following the whole Lord of the Rings/ Hobbit series, I suggest you bring a box of tissues. As Boyd sings in “The Last Goodbye,” I bid you all a very fond farewell.