Christian Clemmensen ofFilmtracks reviewed: "Middle Earth scores are so superior simply by their basic nature that even the diminished prowess of a work likeThe Battle of the Five Armies is, like its predecessors, a lock for any serious top-five list of scores from the year. This is the last goodbye for Shore and Middle Earth, and anyone who denigrates these scores due to high expectations needs to be reminded that, in the wake of greatness inThe Lord of the Rings, we are extraordinarily lucky to have these subsequent works of art at all."[4] Jonathan Broxton ofMovie Music UK wrote "With the conclusion of the Hobbit trilogy it is quite likely that we will never visit Middle Earth again, at least in the company of Jackson or Shore. This is it. We will never again have the anticipation of a new Tolkien-inspired work from the unassuming Canadian, and while I’m more than thankful for the 18 hours or so we do have, I can’t help but consider this to be a bittersweet moment, the end of an era. Looking at the direction film music is going, especially in mainstream films, I doubt we will ever hear a score like this again, and so my advice to you all is to savor this. Drink it in. Go there, and go back again, and again, and again."[5]
John Suchet ofClassic FM wrote "This album is dominated by the battle music which is necessarily missing the ethereal and haunting qualities of Shore's best music. There's little that's surprising or new about this final instalment, but it's inspiring to revisit the themes and there's much to please the fans. At the end, the Hobbit, Shire and Ring themes all merge together to give a foretaste of what's to come in theLord of the Rings trilogy, which is chronologically set afterThe Hobbit."[6] Matt Collar ofAllMusic wrote "Once again showcasing his knack for delivering a soundtrack of lyrical mysticism and epic bombast, Shore delves into a layered orchestral sound. As befitting the ever-increasing darkness and danger of The Hobbit storyline, Shore's score for The Battle of Five Armies is full of dramatic, nail-biting moments of rising tension. There are also lyrical, vocal, choral-based sections that recall his Academy Award-winning score to Jackson's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This is thrilling widescreen film orchestration."[7]
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