Watch the gloomy first trailer for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

For a franchise that kicked off its first installment with a wacky dwarf dinner party, Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy has taken a rather dark turn.

The new trailer for the third and final installment, The Battle of the Five Armies, finds Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) reflecting on the struggles of his journey so far. "One day I'll remember. Remember everything that happened," he says, as the trailer cuts to a montage of armies that include men, elves, and orcs. "The good, the bad. Those who survived, and those that did not."

This trailer promises "the defining chapter of the Middle-Earth saga" — a high bar for a franchise with an installment that earned no less than 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Can the final entry in the Hobbit trilogy live up to the hype? We'll find out when The Battle of the Five Armies hits theaters in December. --Scott Meslow

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up