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Elves are central to the grand finale of the Hobbit trilogy, as the standoff between Thranduil with his army of elves from Mirkwood and Thorin threatens to doom them all as dark forces head toward the mountain. With stylish combat one of the strong points of the movie, there is plenty of reason why the Battle of the Five Armies ranks the best of the Hobbit trilogy. The world of the Hobbit and the fantastic action/adventure storyline is the real reason people love the movies so much. The Chronicles of Narnia and the Hobbit are both full of fantasy and adventure with mythical creatures with a real focus on a close family group. The Hobbit has Smaug as a major threat that the characters are all afraid of and have to work together to take down. The Hobbit trilogy did hold up to the magical storytelling that fans came to expect from Peter Jackson's adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's work. With incredible special effects and a world of imagination, the Hobbit was one of the best trilogies the 2010s had to offer. Battling against ugly creatures to survive, with the Hobbit working with orcs and goblins. This Peter Jackson's prequel trilogy brings a group together, most of which are not skilled fighters, and there are great elements of comedy and lighthearted moments which helps each film not be overly serious. The Hobbit trilogy has great action, well-developed characters and some enjoyable humor. The Hobbit trilogy offers up that same level of fantasy epic as the Lord of the Rings but with a decidedly more whimsical approach. The Hobbit feels more tonally correct with J.R.R. Tolkien's voice. The Battle of the Five Armies is the climax of the Hobbit trilogy, bringing things to an end for Bilbo's story and leading onto the beginnings of Frodo's journey as the ring bearer in the Lord of the Rings movies. The Battle of the Five Armies is the Hobbit movie with the most action as there is, a major battle at the end as all the plot threads, heroes and villains converge at Erebor. The Hobbit trilogy features many familiar faces whom fans recognized from their work in Marvel movies: Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace. Peter Jackson returned to J.R.R. Tolkien's world to tell the opening story of that was explored in the Hobbit. Peter Jackson extended the storylines of the book into three movies as well: An Unexpected Journey (2012), the Desolation of Smaug (2013), and the Battle of the Five Armies (2014). The Hobbit trilogy may have taken one relatively short book and expanded it to three feature-length films, but the care that went into this franchise speaks for itself. Peter Jackson gave audiences a much-needed nostalgia trip to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's the Hobbit.

Few other groups in the DC Universe can match the Bat-Family's tenacity, versatility and bond. Though he often plays the brooding loner, Batman has an extended roster of friends, family members and allies who are always willing to have his back. In every way that counts, the Bat-Family is an extremely tight-knit group who have endured countless tragedies and hardships but always make it through together. They may not always get along, but they are in it together till the bitter end. Batman: Bad Blood introduced Batwoman and Batwing after the Dark Knight's apparent death. Batman: Bad Blood acts as an ensemble introduction of the Bat-Family, focusing on Robin (Damian Wayne), Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and the introduction of Batwoman (Katherine Kane) and Batwing (Luke Fox) as they seek to discover what happened to Batman (Bruce Wayne), who mysteriously disappeared in an explosion while dealing with a group of criminals. With their main Bat out of the lineup, it is up to the rest of the family to put their training and experiences to the test to work together, because this time, Gotham is going to need more than Batman to save it. Batman: Bad Blood is a great film to introduce viewers to members of the Bat-Family who are unfamiliar with them, while comic readers will love seeing fan-favorites like Batwoman and Batwing faithfully adapted from their source material. Like their mentor, the Bat-Family are often complex and multi-faceted individuals who operate within a lot of gray areas and face their own share of internal struggles. Any and all fans of Batman need to give this film a shot.

Adam Baldwin voices a marvelous Superman and James Marsters is an absolutely impeccable Lex Luthor. Superman's iconic status has rarely been demonstrated to better effect on film. Superman: Doomsday has great callbacks to its adapted material, and comics fans will enjoy the various nods and Easter eggs within the film. Superman: Doomsday set the trend for mature animated DC content and illustrated the potential these films have. Superman: Doomsday utilizes the vast history and tradition of DC Universe's classic comic book series along with a provocative and action-packed storyline for avid comic fans as well as kids and their parents. Inspired by the best-selling graphic novel of all time, DC Comics' the Death of Superman, this feature-length animated adventure boasts exciting action sequences that rival anything you have ever seen starring the Man of Steel.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox rewrote the animated DC Comics world and launched the DC Animated Movie Universe. Seeing Flashpoint adapted as a film is a DC lover's dream come true, and its engaging plot makes it a must-see for any superhero fan. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is one of the darkest films DC has ever made. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox presents a bleaker version of the DC Universe, but its jaw-dropping ultimate confrontation goes down in history for its intense visuals. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox has all the elements of another great film: dynamic forceful villains, treacherous twists and turns and internal tensions amongst heroes. Before Michael B. Jordan was taking on Black Panther as Killmonger, he was trying to prevent World War III in an alternate animated universe of DC. The cybernetically enhanced hero has had many different voice actors over his time in animation, but even before Michael B. Jordan became a household name, his performance as Cyborg stood out, providing a darker and layered look at a conflicted, post-apocalyptic version of the character. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox reset the DC Animated Movies into a continuous continuity known as the DC Animated Movie Universe. While most of the film takes place in an alternate timeline where there is no Justice League, the beginning of the film features an impressive lineup consisting of usual league members with the addition of Captain Atom, Cyborg and Aquaman. The team does not long as the movie resets the timeline and their new origin is told in the following film, Justice League: War.

2019's The Lion King features an incredible cast and stunning technological achievements. 2019's The Lion King is a CGI and photorealistic remake of the original 1994 movie with director Jon Favreau. This 2019 remake was praised for its excellent voice cast and was elevated by its excellent soundtrack. The advancements in visual effects allowed the film to capture the beauty of Africa. Donald Glover nails the lighthearted tone of Simba's young adult voice and provides some delightful pipes to the soundtrack. Billy Eichner tops Nathan Lane's original voice acting thanks to his irreverent sense of humor and riffing with Seth Rogen. The look of the film gives 2019's The Lion King a National Geographic documentary quality, which allows the audiences to feel for the animals more since they appear to be real. Jon Favreau updates certain elements from the original movie while incorporating some elements from the successful Broadway musical of the same name as well. 2019's The Lion King used special photorealism imagery first in 2016's The Jungle Book on a more massive scale, making it one of the most expansive movies to ever be made. Mufasa: While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give. Mufasa wants Simba to understand that being a ruler is about giving to his subjects. Mufasa explains that life is a delicate balance, and every living creature must maintain the balance to keep order. The 1994 film encompasses a similar give and take lesson, focusing more on the predators eventually becoming sustenance for the prey, but the 2019 remake foreshadows how Simba matures into a leader. Simba's return to the Pride Lands was a moment to reclaim his identity, which he abandoned when he ran off after witnessing his father's murder. The young lion learned through his conversations with Rafiki and Nala, his father's spirit, and his life with Timon and Pumbaa that he needed to accept who he was and honor the kingdom his father left behind. This realization is a decisive turning point in the movie. Fans could feel themselves cheering Simba on. Rafiki: Everybody is somebody, even a nobody. Anyone feeling low could use Rafiki's words to bring themselves back up because everybody matters.

TRON: Legacy is one of most fascinating artifacts in the modern Disney library so the sleek, glassy look and pulsing Daft Punk soundtrack making the film an amazingly cohesive visual feast. TRON: Legacy still stands apart as its own unique, thoroughly entertaining entity. Spider-Man: No Way Home is the meeting of multiple generations, in that fans of the earlier two Spider-Man movies were appealed by the return of the previous heroes' stories. TRON: Legacy similarly follows up with the original 1982 plotline, with Jeff Bridges returning as Kevin Flynn as well. The film sees Sam Flynn enter the virtual reality known as the Grid to try and find his dad, ultimately becoming a worthy successor. Tom Holland's Spider-Man essentially had a passing the torch moment with earlier Spider-Men in No Way Home, and TRON: Legacy comes across as something similar.

One of the strongest stories in the entire DC Animated Universe was the opening three-part episode to the Justice League animated series. The story brings together the seven members of the Justice League as a mysterious alien race attacks Earth. This episode have all the action any fan could want and features one of the most emotional and poignant storylines in the DC Animated Universe, with the tragic past of Martian Manhunter being explored. The limited cast size of the original Justice League animated series allowed for far more exploration than was possible in Justice League Unlimited. Several episodes were dedicated to exploring the character of a Justice League member. The most notable examples of these character explorations were Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter. This showed us their origin stories, their motivations and their values. The Justice League animated series focussed on telling longer stories over several episodes, allowing for more complicated and drawn-out stories. Some certainly prefer this style of storytelling as it allows for more time for character development and universe building. Having fewer characters allowed for the Justice League animated series to be far more focused and grounded than Justice League Unlimited, focussing on the relationship of the seven members and how the group connected and bonded with one another. The biggest strength of the Justice League animated series was its focus on the seven main heroes, which allows for a dynamic and bond to grow and mature between the characters during the show's run. The audience got to see a group of relatively unrelated heroes decide to work together to overcome an invasion, before then ultimately forming the Justice League and becoming friends in the process. The Justice League animated series features many episodes focusing on each individually along with the titular team together and all the variations of groupings in between. By uniting all these characters together, the Justice League animated series allowed for the introduction of numerous iconic villains. Across the two seasons, each main character is given ample individual time and arcs, all while also showcasing all the different intricate relationships and groupings. The villains too served an important purpose and some even served as protagonists periodically. The Justice League animated series was a special treat for viewers of all ages. For fans who grew up watching Super Friends in the 1970s, they were able to see their favorite characters on the screen once again, but this time with deeper and continuing storylines. Newer fans were introduced to heroes like the Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl. The Justice League animated series helped make John Stewart's Green Lantern a hugely popular character and brought Hawkgirl to the forefront. The show was extremely popular and made the Justice League of America a hot commodity again before giving way to an even better show two years later. This 2D animation style lent the Justice League animated series a retro feel that supported the characters' long comic book histories, and the series flourished in showing the many dynamics of the team as they faced off against iconic villains, honing their abilities all the while.

2012's The Avengers received praise for Joss Whedon's direction and screenplay, visual effects, action sequences, acting and musical score. Thanks to a script that emphasizes its heroes' humanity and a wealth of superpowered set pieces, the Avengers lives up to its hype and raises the bar for Marvel at the movies. Joss Whedon is, first and foremost, a filmmaker, and his action scenes in the first two Avengers movies are mind-blowing. From the iconic panning shot at the outbreak of the Battle of New York in the Avengers to the heroes bursting onto the screen in the Sokovia set opening of Age of Ultron, Joss Whedon created the Avengers' most iconic action sequences. Joss Whedon is a master of plotting, keeping each of his Avengers movies as tight as possible. He did this by only including as many scenes as were absolutely necessary, finding ways for each scene to serve every character's arc. These characters had never been on-screen together before, so bringing them together took some work. Joss Whedon has better to understood and depicted the complicated Jekyll and Hyde internal conflict that the Incredible Hulk lives with. This was partly down to the casting of Mark Ruffalo, but also down to how Joss Whedon wrote the character. Bruce Banner has a darkness inside him that he constantly struggles to keep under control. Joss Whedon articulated it beautifully with one line: "I'm always angry." Joss Whedon had the possibly equally monumental task of creating those expectations in the first place. His job was essentially to turn the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a cinematic universe by bringing Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow together on the big screen, which is actually astounding, how successful it turned out. Joss Whedon had better quips in his Avengers films.