The sixth and final film of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s beautiful world is best described as a whirlwind of emotions.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies had much to live up to, and I think it succeeded in a way that the previous two Hobbit films failed to do. It captured the epic scope of the world in a way that wasn’t possible in the previous two films, but was completely mandatory for The Lord of the Rings.

Being the third part of a one-part novel, the film was obviously going to be the entire climax without any of the exposition that made up the other two parts.

The departures from the book were fair when adding new side-stories, but detracted from the grandeur when replacing Tolkien’s vision with Jackson’s.

The cast was as exceptional as ever; Martin Freeman brings an undeniable charm to Bilbo that few could pull off, Sir Ian Mckellen is of course the perfect man for Gandalf, and Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett turn their characters’ one scene into one of the film’s highlights.

New to this film, however, were the dynamic performances of Lee Pace, who plays the elf king Thranduil, and Richard Armitage, who plays Thorin Oakenshield.

Being named after a huge battle, the film was sure to deliver quite a bit of violence. It definitely delivered on that, but with less gore than expected, and mixed with scenes that drew fits of laughter out of sheer ridiculousness.

For all the fanservice in the film, there was an egregious lack of Beorn. Even still, the battle was worthy of its place in Middle Earth’s history.

As sad as it is to come to terms with the ending of Middle Earth’s time on the screen, this final film was a satisfying way to take it out. While it could never live up to Return of the King, it certainly will live as the greatest of the Hobbit films.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is rated PG-13, and is in theaters Wednesday, December 17.