OrchestraThanks to Amazon’s France website, we now have the track list for Howard Shore’s score for the third and final Hobbit film The Battle of the Five Armies. We don’t yet know which of the tracks will be extended on the Special Edition Album, but there are definitely two bonus tracks at the end of disc two, as well as some reordering of the final tracks. Continue reading “‘The Battle of the Five Armies’ Soundtrack Album track list revealed!”

ShadowofMordor_LordoftheHunt_BeastHunterWarner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Monolith Productions today revealed new details about Lord of the Hunt, the first DLC expansion pack for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, available for purchase and to Season Pass holders later this year. In Lord of the Hunt, Sauron has dispatched lethal Beastmaster Warchiefs to exterminate the monsters of Mordor. Talion will join Torvin the Dwarven Hunter and use his powers of Domination to turn these menacing new beasts against the Warchiefs, proving that Mordor cannot be tamed.

Continue reading “Shadow of Mordor Lord of the Hunt DLC Details Revealed”

BotFA shirtsWith the announcement yesterday that The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies will have its World Premiere in London on December 1st, the final part in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy seems just around the corner! Our friends at the official Hobbit Shop will release an ‘Opening Date’ T-shirt for this third movie, but they want YOU to help decide what the design should be:

Help HobbitShop.com choose this year’s official Opening Date T-Shirt for #TheHobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies! Take this quick survey to select your favorite design: click here.

There are five designs to choose from – one might even call it the Battle of the Five Shirts…  I know which one is my favourite! Which gets your vote?

[click here to take part in the survey]

the-hobbit-GOLD-METALLIC-SMAUG-POP-VINYL-FIGURECalling all fans of Funko’s Pop figurines, the adorable Golden Smaug POP! Vinyl Figure is available for pre-order now.

From popvinyl.net:

Golden Smaug Incoming

Looks like Funko have got plans to release yet another addition to the new Hobbit POP Vinyl series. This time round Funko is shifting their focus on the Smaug POP Vinyl figurine, giving the dragon a golden metallic finish which is depicted from a scene in the new addition to the The Hobbit movie series, The Battle of Five Armies.

 Pre-order your one here 🙂

the-hobbit-DOS-extended-edition-blu-ray Warner Bros has a 30-second TV Spot (#1 of how many?) for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition. Lots of Smaug and fire, as you’d expect. Check it out below.

If you’re still trying to decide on the EE version for you, check out our buyer’s guide here. and if you’re interested in knowing what all the extra scenes in those 25 minutes of additional footage are, have a look at our extended edition scene guide.

Thanks to Ringer IncognitoBogey for the heads-up. Continue reading “Watch TV Spot #1 for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition”

The final Lego sets for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies have been out for a little while now, so I thought it might be a good time to put them all in one place for folks to look over. Plus I wanted to indulge in a little speculation.

 

Lego Battle of the Five Armies set

Lego Battle of the Five Armies set
Pieces: 472 | Minifigs: 7 | Packaging: Box | Instructions: Yes
Included minifigs: Dain II Ironfoot, Azog the Defiler, Thorin Oakenshield, 2 x Gundabad Orcs, Bard the Bowman, Gwaihir the Windlord, Legolas Greenleaf.
Order on Amazon.com

Spoiler analysis (highlight below to read)


Two stand-outs in this set, I think. The first is, of course, the Dain mini-fig, which TORn staffer MrCere discussed just the other week. The second is the actual location: it’s the titular battle, yet it’s sited firmly within Dale in this playset.

Yet, Peter Jackson’s draft battlemap depicts a much more widespread conflict that encompasses not just Dale, but the entire mountain of Erebor and its surrounds, with forces approaching from all directions. I continue to wonder whether the ruins of Dale will form some early, yet significant, skirmish, with a larger, climactic battle involving Beorn and Bolg on the plains in front of the front gate of Erebor itself. Also, despite the inclusion of the ballista, it doesn’t contain any of the large troll-like monsters we’ve seen in recent artwork.

Lego The Lonely Mountain set

Lego The Lonely Mountain set
Pieces: 866 | Minifigs 5 | Packaging: Box | Instructions: Yes
Included minifigs: Smaug the Dragon, Dwalin, Balin, Bilbo Baggins, Kili, Fili.
Order on Amazon.com

Spoiler analysis (highlight below to read)


This is a strange one: it really feels like a leftover from The Desolation of Smaug. I mean, Smaug is there and it features the mine/rail car set that was a big set-piece toward the climax of the film. Yet Fili and Kili — who stayed in Lake-town — are there. Maybe the Fili and Kili plotline came after Lego locked in this set? I dunno, it seems to defy logic that Smaug would re-enter Erebor in the final film: he’s off to a hot date with Bard and the Black Arrow (ballista bolt?)

Lego Witch-king Battle set

Lego Witch-king Battle
Pieces: 101 | Minifigs: 3 | Packaging: Box | Instructions: Yes
Included minifigs: Elrond, Galadriel, The Witch-king of Angmar.
Order on Amazon.com

Spoiler analysis (highlight below to read)


Official artwork has thus far paired Galadriel and Gandalf, and Elrond and Saruman. This set suggests something different.

I wonder whether this playset is an indication that there’s going to be a confrontation between Galadriel, Elrond and the Witch-king as a prelude to freeing Gandalf. Will the two elves arrive first, and take care of the Witch-king and free Gandalf before running into trouble against Sauron? Will Saruman then catch up with the trio and save the day?

The other thing to note is Galadriel’s possession of the Phial — also absent from the official artwork. Its light (that of the Silmaril the Earendil carries) could be potent in repelling the Witch-king.

Lego Attack on Lake-town set

Lego Attack on Lake-town set
Pieces: 313 | Minifigs: 5 | Packaging: Box | Instructions: Yes
Included minifigs: Bard the Bowman, Bain son of Bard, Tauriel, 2 x Gundabad Orcs.
Order on Amazon.com

Spoiler analysis (highlight below to read)


Finally, there’s the Attack on Lake-town playset. This features a couple of Gundabad Orcs as the antagonists. In the film, Bolg lead the previous attack on Lake-town, searching specifically for Thorin Oakenshield. He called the infiltration off when the orcs discovered he had gone. So, why would they attack it again? What, or whom, do they seek?

Does it have some relevance to Thrain’s revelation in the DOS: EE that “They are in league — the dragon and the one!”? If so, will Bolg’s underlings act at Smaug’s behest to attack Lake-town in tandem with his own assault? That could be why we see the Windlance in this set. Definitely raises lots of questions.

End spoiler analysis!