Remember back in July when Peter Jackson promised us a full trailer for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies? He said it would be released “around October,” so if you’re like us, that means that basically since Hobbit Day (September 22), you’ve been keeping alert for any and all trailer news.

At long last, your patience has paid off! Here it is!

The trailer opens with everyone disappointed in Thorin. Laketown is burning and he has barricaded himself, Bilbo, and the dwarves in the mountain. Thranduil’s moose (or whatever it is) makes a reappearance as Mirkwood elves and men from Laketown hold Erebor under siege.

Oh yeah, and there are bats, “bred for one purpose,” according to Legolas, who likes to keep up his reputation for stating the obvious. “For war.” I guess it’s not fair that only the good guys have air support. And then it’s time to get excited about all of the characters who are going to be in this film. Galadriel! Elrond! Saruman! In that way that only Christopher Lee can, he says, “Leave Sauron to me.” C’mon, is no one on the White Council tuning into the fact that he doesn’t seem entirely genuine about their goal?

Back in the Lonely Mountain, Dwalin is finally chastising Thorin. “Bilbo is right,” he says. “You cannot see what you have become.” But then Thorin turns it around. “Everything I did, I did for them,” he says, meaning his nephews, Fili (though, did anyone even spot him in this trailer?) and Kili. Let the heart clutching commence!

The mountain is being assaulted by some impressive artillery and elves who really look like they know what they’re doing. Standing amidst fire and gloom, Bilbo asks, “When faced with death, what can anyone do?” Oh there’s Fili! I caught the back of his head just there. Kili is livid with his uncle, shouting, “I will not hide while others fight our battles for us!” Good for him for standing up to his uncle, though, I imagine he’s only doing it because one of those others is a pretty red-headed elf.

At some point, Kili and Tauriel share a special moment on a riverbank, and Kili presses something into her hand. Is it the token from his mother? Thranduil is not happy with Tauriel, and he flips her hair dramatically. And now it’s time for a second round of “Hey, I know that guy.” The Eagles! Azog! Bolg!

A lot of dramatic shots fly by, but the one I think we all want to know about is Tauriel’s. Exactly whose seemingly-lifeless body is she standing over? And is her body going to be lifeless after being thrown against that very sturdy looking wall?

“You have but one question to answer,” Gandalf says, serving as the voice of the viewers. “How shall this movie day end?” Bilbo puts on the ring, and he and the trailer, disappear!

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Synopsis

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the third in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and the Company of Dwarves. The Dwarves of Erebor have reclaimed the vast wealth of their homeland, but now must face the consequences of having unleashed the terrifying Dragon, Smaug, upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town.

As he succumbs to dragon-sickness, the King Under the Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield, sacrifices friendship and honor in his search for the legendary Arkenstone. Unable to help Thorin see reason, Bilbo is driven to make a desperate and dangerous choice, not knowing that even greater perils lie ahead. An ancient enemy has returned to Middle-earth. Sauron, the Dark Lord, 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 as five great armies go to war.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens nationwide across the UK on December 12 and in the US on December 17, 2014.

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Author: Lily Milos Lily’s first experience with Tolkien was when the eccentric Mrs. H performed all of the characters from The Hobbit in her seventh grade class. In high school, she felt obliged to decline a second date with a boy who said he had no interest in reading The Lord of the Rings. In college, she unwisely decided to reread her beloved copy of The Hobbit during finals week, with only semi-disastrous results. When not writing for Middle-earth News, Lily tries not to unnerve her coworkers and family with her extreme geekery, but somehow, Star Wars, Star Trek, Sherlock, Merlin, Doctor Who, The Princess Bride, Back to the Future, superheroes, Disney movies, and of course, Tolkien, seem to have relevance in EVERY conversation.