The R-rated cut of 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' allows Peter Jackson to show off his horror skills.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is arriving shortly, making now a great time to look back on one of the weaker entries into the Middle earth saga. Turning J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic children’s novel into an epic film trilogy was never going to be an easy feat. Although it is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is not an “epic” in the same sense, nor is it a particularly dense piece of literature.
The Third Movie We Didn't Really Need As a result of the botched production schedule, The Hobbit was turned from a two-part storyline into a trilogy shortly before the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in December 2012. This decision ended up benefiting the first two installments; An Unexpected Journey mirrors the story of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Desolation of Smaug functions as a darker, more epic sequel.
The R-Rated Version One of the things that distinguished Jackson as a filmmaker early on in his career is his gleeful use of practical effects. Bad Taste and Braindead are the products of a filmmaker who is just having fun with what they can get away with. Even with all the resources at his disposal, Jackson brought back some of that energy in The Battle of the Five Armies. The extra 20 minutes of footage add extended shots detailing the different creatures that make up the “five armies.