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

The first trailer for the final instalment of The Hobbit trilogy, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has been revealed, watch it below. 

The trailer, which clocks in at just under two minutes, begins with the dragon Smaug laying siege to Lake Town and has a sombre tone, with a number of key characters shown walking among piles of dead bodies. 

The preview also gives a glimpse of the huge battle that the film takes its name from, with a number of frames showing thousands of orcs on the march as well as hundreds of elves and men ready for battle. 

Speaking to hmv.com earlier this year, Richard Armitage who plays Thorin Oakenshield, said that people could expect to see "the battle of all battles" in the forthcoming film. 

The film will be released into cinemas on December 12th this year and will come out on DVD in 2015.