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SME104: Does epic scale guarantee epic storytelling?

Jeff Haecker, Patrick Mason, and Rob Leonardi tackle the final installment of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The discussion begins where fire falls from the sky. Smaug’s destruction of Lake-town and Bard’s fateful arrow set the stage—but does shifting this climax into a third film strengthen the story or stretch it thin? The panel weighs whether the trilogy structure served Tolkien’s tale—or diluted it.

At the heart of the conversation is Thorin Oakenshield. His descent into dragon-sickness becomes a powerful reflection on greed as a capital sin. The hosts highlight how Thorin’s paranoia, isolation, and eventual repentance form the emotional core of the film. What does it mean to be a true friend when someone you love is consumed by pride? Bilbo’s decision to surrender the Arkenstone becomes the moral hinge of the story.

The White Council’s confrontation at Dol Guldur sparks debate. Seeing Galadriel, Elrond, and Saruman in action is visually striking—but does the spectacle align with Tolkien’s legendarium? The hosts consider how lore deviations and over-stylized combat affect the film’s authenticity.

Then comes the battle itself. Massive, chaotic, and CGI-heavy, it delivers spectacle in abundance. Yet the panel questions whether excess undermines meaning. When action becomes physics-defying spectacle, does it elevate the drama—or erode it? Comparisons to The Lord of the Rings films sharpen the critique.

The controversial elf-dwarf romance also gets attention. Did it add emotional depth—or distract from the story’s central themes? Meanwhile, Bilbo’s role is examined closely: was he sidelined, or does his quiet moral courage ultimately define the film?

The episode closes with Thorin’s final words and Tolkien’s enduring truth: If more people valued home above gold, the world would be a merrier place. Through praise and critique alike, the hosts ask whether this final chapter captures that spirit—or loses it in the noise of war.

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