History Film / TheHobbit

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: When The Hobbit was first put into production, Guillermo Del Toro was originally attached as the director. He even got so far as concept art and casting before production stalled. Guillermo eventually had to move on to other projects, and Peter Jackson took over. Unfortunately to make a 'clean slate', all Guillermo's concept art was destroyed. Judging from his visually stunning style seen in films like ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' or Hellboy, we can only be left to imagine what an elaborate and fantastical world Guillermo's Middle Earth would have been.

* DropTheHammer:
** Dwalin wields a big 'un.
** Fíli carries a smaller one.
** Bofur has a mattock with the same function.
** Dáin has a particularly impressive one.

'''Goblin King:''' That'll do it.

The film trilogy primarily covers the events from ''The Hobbit'', but also features various elements derived from or inspired by ''Literature/UnfinishedTales'' and the Appendices of ''The Lord of the Rings''. Such examples respectively include Gandalf's true motivations for helping the Dwarves retake Erebor from Smaug, and a sub-plot involving the White Council taking action against the Necromancer in Dol Guldur, which is hinted at in the book, but expanded upon in the aforementioned Appendices. All three films were filmed in [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDMovie stereoscopic 3D]], and in a cinematic first, at 48 frames-per-second.

* CanonDiscontinuity: Much of this can be blamed on ExecutiveMeddling, as Tolkien's estate refused to sell the rights to ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' and ''The Unfinished Tales'' to Jackson.

* AdaptationalConsent: In the original novel, Bilbo Baggins is pretty much forced to go on an adventure with the Dwarves. Although he does get a longing feeling when he listens to the Dwarves singing, he might have stayed home if Gandalf didn't kick him out his own door the next morning. In the film, Gandalf and the Dwarves leave him behind, and he runs after them, thus joining the adventure one-hundred percent voluntarily.

--> '''Thorin:''' Indeed, he made no mention of you.

* LargeHam: Many, but perhaps best demonstrated in the first film by Barry Humphries as [[AdiposeRex the Great Goblin]].

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Bilbo and Galadriel. Bilbo's case is justified as he's a Hobbit, a race with naturally large and heavily-padded feet.

** And Creator/OrlandoBloom (as the Duke of Buckingham) and Creator/LukeEvans (as Aramis) were in the ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers2011'' together.

** Gollum (performed once again by the TropeNamer himself) and Smaug as well by Creator/BenedictCumberbatch. Jackson must be really impressed by Serkis, because he also appointed him Second Unit Director.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Thorin for the Dwarves, Azog for the Orcs, and Elrond, and especially Galadriel for the Elves.

* FiveManBand: The Council of the Wise
** TheLeader – Saruman. The most powerful of the Wizards and their designated leader. These films show him as a well-intentioned if abrasive AntiHero, before his fall from grace into the straight villain of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''.
** TheLancer – Gandalf. The most active member of the Council, and the polar opposite of Saruman. Where Saruman is aloof and believes that great power is the only way to defeat evil, Gandalf directly influences many events in Middle-Earth and believes that even small folk and small deeds can have great impact.
** TheSmartGuy – Radagast. While Gandalf and Saruman use flashier magics, Radagast uses potions and incantations and is far more knowledgeable about the nature of the darkness they face, as he lives right near it. He also is the first one to figure out the true identity of the Necromancer.
** TheBigGuy – Elrond. By far the most physically able of the Council, he possesses less raw magical power than the others. Notably he is the only one to wear armor, as he is the only warrior by trade of the group.
** TheChick – Galadriel. Acts as a stabilizing influence between Gandalf and Saruman, and [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings later]] as a mellowing influence on Elrond. She also does the least actual fighting, even though she is implied to be possibly the most powerful (in Middle-Earth at least).

[[folder:A -- D]]

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Some of the dwarves, a race described in the books as stocky and heavy-set with long beards have been given a haircut and slimmed down significantly for the films -- notably Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli.

* AdaptationalConsent: In the original novel, Bilbo Baggins is pretty much forced to go on an adventure with the Dwarves. Although he does get a longing feeling when he listens to the dwarves singing, he might have stayed home if Gandalf didn't kick him out his own door the next morning. In the film, Gandalf and the Dwarves leave him behind, and he runs after them, thus joining the adventure one-hundred percent voluntarily.

** Exaggerated. The original book ''Literature/TheHobbit'' is shorter than any of the three parts of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', but was made into another trilogy of films. Many of the additions are taken from the Appendices of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', which was not strictly in ''The Hobbit'' but alluded to. In particular, it explains what Gandalf is up to while not with Thorin's company, the entire history of the loss of Erebor and Battle of Moria are detailed and more characterization is given to Bard. Others were original additions created explicitly for the films, such as the entirety of the subplot of Azog's pursuit of Thorin's company (in the books' backstory, Azog had already been slain by Dáin Ironfoot at the Battle of Azanulbizar), separating the company at Esgaroth, and the addition of the female Elf, Tauriel, and her LoveTriangle with Legolas and Kíli.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Thranduil. In the book, he's relatively isolationist, but he doesn't restrict his people's movements, he keeps ties to the nearby men, and he willingly comes to their aid. In the movie, he's [[EstablishingCharacterMoment first seen]] abandoning Erebor at Smaug's initial attack, and in ''The Desolation of Smaug'', he orders his people not to leave the keep once the forest becomes dangerous. In the novel, he is reluctant to fight the Dwarves ("Long may I tarry, ere I begin a war for gold,"), while in the movie, he is eager to fight.
* AdaptedOut: An odd case. While Celeborn didn't appear in the original book, the fact that he doesn't appear, or is even mentioned here, is very notable despite the rest of the White Council (Elrond, Saruman, Gandalf, and Galadriel) all appearing. It's especially notable given that there's a bit of ShipTease between Gandalf and Galadriel.

* AndManGrewProud: As explained in the extended Prologue to the first film, as the dwarf kingdom at Erebor grew ever richer and more powerful, King Thror grew increasingly prideful and haughty with neighboring kingdoms such as Thranduil's elves, alienating his former allies to the point that when the dragon came, they weren't eager to risk certain death to help the dwarf refugees. This is a big running theme in Tolkien's works.

* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: Parodied. When the dwarf party is captured by the Wood-Elves, this exchange between Tauriel (a female elf) and the tallest of the party:

** Most of the dwarves in the book had very few defining characteristics, but they all have their own quirks in the film. Bofur in particular has a much larger role compared to the novel.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Thorin for the dwarves, Azog for the orcs, and Elrond, and especially Galadriel for the elves.

'''Gandalf:''' These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you!\\

* BaldHeadOfToughness: Dwalin is bald, but one of the company's most capable fighters.

** Azog, an orc dead set on finishing off the Durin line.

** Played with: the Elves are all impossibly beautiful, and most are kind and friendly people like Elrond, Galadriel, and their kin. However, Thranduil is shown to be callous and uncaring when he abandons his Dwarf allies to Smaug. Likewise, the orcs/goblins are all disgusting in appearance and thoroughly evil, yet the Dwarves are genuinely good-natured despite being ([[AdaptationalAttractiveness for the most part]]) rather ugly looking compared to Elves, Men, and even Hobbits.
** The special case of Thranduil gets an explanation in the extended edition: [[spoiler:during one of their meetings, Thrór taunts Thranduil with a chest full of precious gems before denying the Elvenking this very chest, offending him to a great degree (especially because the gems in the chest belonged to the Elvenking's late wife). From the off, Bilbo explains this as being one possible origin of the distrust between Elves and Dwarves]].

** For book fans, this is round n+1 of an ongoing series of conflicts between dwarves and elves over jewels. It started several thousand years earlier when Thingol was murdered by some Dwarven jewelers over a Silmaril, his bodyguard killed the Dwarves, their avenging kinfolk sacked Menegroth, and Dior's army caught them on the road and massacred the lot. Thranduil is a relative of Thingol (although Thrór is from another tribe than the dwarves of Nogrod), and once you've had two genocides, it doesn't take a lot to set up mistrust.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In what is generally a non-magic or low magic world, Galadriel keeps a lot of mage firepower up her sleeve. Unlike the wizards, she isn't restricted from using it either. [[spoiler: While Sauron manhandles Gandalf and can wave off the Nazgul getting beaten down by Elrond and Saruman as little more than taunt directed at them, Galadriel blasts them and ''him'' back to Mordor.]]
* BewareTheSillyOnes: With the exception of Thorin, who's simply an all-around badass, the dwarves in the company range from mildly goofy to downright madcap, but they're ''all'' a force to be reckoned with in a fight (even Ori, who manages to land a few good hits with his slingshot).

* BigBadEnsemble: Smaug is the final obstacle for the dwarves in their retaking of Erebor, while Azog serves as a more direct villainous pursuer who has unfinished business with Thorin. Lurking in Dol Guldur is the Necromancer, better known as Sauron. [[spoiler: The others are aware of his existence and coming power, and Azog serves him directly]].
* BigDamnHeroes: Repeatedly, such as when the Company saves Bilbo from the trolls, when the Company comes to help Bilbo with Smaug, when the Company joins the Battle of the Five Armies, etc.
* BigEater: Pretty much the only trait hobbits share with dwarves, as shown when they raid Bilbo's pantry. Averted with Thorin, who was seen eating only from a small bowl and plate, and possibly Bilbo himself, as the dinner he was planning to have the night the dwarves showed up was rather modest.

** For those that know Khuzdul (which is possible to learn, courtesy of Tolkien being a linguist), the Khuzdul that the dwarves speak at various parts, and any time Bifur talks. And the Elvish that isn't subtitled.

** The subtitles for the elves and orcs is only the gist of what they're saying. This especially stands out when they use place names that are same in all languages that don't show up in the subtitles. For instance, "Erebor" frequently becomes "the mountain".
* BittersweetEnding: At the end of the trilogy: [[spoiler:Smaug is dead; Erebor now belongs to the Dwarves again with Dain as the new King; the people of Laketown resettle in Dale with Bard as their new leader; Azog and his son Bolg are dead and their armies scattered and defeated; Sauron loses Dol Guldur; and Bilbo returns to the Shire with a small collection of treasure. However... Laketown is destroyed and hundreds have perished; many more also died during the attack on Dale and the Lonely Mountain, with thousands more that follow during the Battle of the Five Armies; Thorin, Kíli, and Fíli are dead (and Tauriel is left mourning for Kíli after realizing that she truly loved him); Thranduil and Legolas are estranged; Sauron is merely banished back to Mordor where he is explicitly stated to start rebuilding his army; and finally, Bilbo discovers that his fellow Hobbits in the Shire not only did not miss him, but even tried to take his home and belongings. Bilbo is alive, rich and with many stories to tell, but no one will believe them, he mourns the deaths of his friends, especially Thorin, and as Gandalf warned him at the beginning, the journey changed him forever. And of course, there's the question of his ring, but that's another story...]]
* BlackSpeech: The Gundabad orcs speak their own language in this movie. The denizens of Goblin-town seem to be speakers of the Common Tongue, however.

** The goblins of the Misty Mountains were specifically designed to embody this, since they've lived underground so long.

** Some of the trolls in ''The Battle of the Five Armies'' have been "modified" by the goblins/orcs/Sauron, with varying levels of horror. Legolas comes across one that is pale, fat, has had its eyes removed, has chains hanging from its eyelids which are pulled by a rider like reins to steer it, has had its feet amputated and replaced with maces that it walks on, and its hands amputated and replaced with flails. The poor thing had a hell of a sad existence.

* CallThatAFormation: Subverted at the Battle of the Five Armies where the Orc attack is coordinated with a complex system of signal flags. Further subverted by Dáin's troops. They utilise Roman style Phalanx tactics and are armed with long spears. Dáin's own helmet resembles that of a Centurion. The Elves play with this, since they march and maneuver in perfect formation but instantly break into individual warriors once combat is joined.

** At one point during his song (in the extended edition?), the Goblin King stabs one of the crowding goblins with his spear, twirls him around and hurls him away. The goblin jostles the camera as it flies past.
** While Radagast is leading the wargs away from the Company, one of the wargs gets knocked toward the screen and hits the camera.

** [[spoiler:The Witch-King of Angmar's backstory is changed so that he and the other Nazgûl were [[SealedEvilInACan locked away in an enchanted tomb]] following the fall of Angmar, rather than going to Gondor and taking over Minas Ithil like they did in the books.]] Although that ''does'' fit in with movie canonicity: Minas Ithil is briefly shown being [[SpikesOfVillainy redecorated]] in ''The Fellowship'', meaning the Ringwraiths must have been preoccupied in the time leading up to conquering that city.

* ComicallyWordyContract: When Bilbo joins the band of dwarves traveling to the Lonely Mountain, he is presented with a ridiculously long contract explicitly spelling out all the accidents that can happen and for which he shall NOT hold the dwarves responsible. In the book the contract merely states that he is hired in return for a 1/14th share of the treasure Smaug is hoarding.

* DemotedToDragon: Bolg becomes this, since his father Azog was SparedByTheAdaptation. Azog himself is subjected to this trope in ''The Desolation of Smaug'' when he is sent back to Dol Guldur to lead the Necromancer's army.

** [[spoiler:Balin will be killed by orcs between scripts, as he's the one buried in the Moria crypt from ''Fellowship''. The same goes for Ori and Óin.]]

** The fate of [[spoiler: the three trolls]] is also assured, as Bilbo recounted that story to the young hobbits at his birthday party in ''Fellowship''. We even '''see''' [[spoiler: their petrified statues]] when Frodo's party make camp (in the director's cut of ''Fellowship'').

** The mere possibility of the return of [[spoiler: the Witch-King of Angmar]] scares [[spoiler:Elrond]].

[[folder:E -- M]]

* ExtendedDisarming: ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'' when the dwarves are briefly locked up by the elves in Mirkwood. Amongst other things, Fili carries a lot of knives. To the point where the guards are about to shove him in a cell and still find another one. Then when they make their escape, Fili produces a weapon they've missed.

** It's hinted that there's some going on against dwarves, mirroring real-life Antisemitism and Antiziganism. Even Bilbo snaps a very insensitive comment about dwarves "not belonging anywhere", at one point, though he has the sense to feel very ashamed afterwards.
** Thorin ''really'' doesn't like Elves or anything made by Elvish hands, to the point where he passes up a chance to make a deal with Thranduil in favor of bringing up past grievances and insulting him. He can warm up to Elf-crafted things if they're proficient killing implements, though, as with Orcrist.

** Thrór's {{greed}} led to the fall of Erebor. This is strongly linked to his ownership of one of the Seven Rings; his Ring was passed on to Thráin before the Battle of Azanulbizar and recovered by Sauron before Gandalf got the key from him. Greed is mentioned as the only effect the Rings seemed to have on the Dwarves.
* AFatherToHisMen: Thorin cares very much for his twelve companions and eventually comes to count Bilbo as one of them. He believes this group of dwarves -- many of whom are not warriors -- are worth more than an army, as they all answered the call to reclaim their homeland, proving that they had loyalty, honour and willing hearts, something that Thorin admires. Likewise, the respect goes both ways and the dwarves are fiercely loyal to Thorin and would follow him anywhere.

** [[spoiler:Sméagol]] qualifies, as no matter how cheerful and enthusiastic he is, he still intends to [[spoiler:eat Bilbo.]]
** Also Smaug, as he matches wits with Bilbo almost pleasantly (if creepily), but is still a completely sadistic son of a bitch who later leaves to burn Laketown and revels in the idea that doing so [[WatchingTroyBurn will]] [[AndYourLittleDogToo hurt]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Bilbo]].

* FireAndIceLoveTriangle: The trilogy features a love triangle (that wasn't in the book) involving Kíli and Legolas, who are rivals for [[CanonForeigner Tauriel's]] affections. Legolas is Ice: a cool, level-headed and mostly stoic elf prince who tends to keep his feelings for Tauriel to himself. Kíli is Fire: a brash, outspoken and hot-blooded dwarf prince who is very open about his affection for Tauriel. [[spoiler:It ultimately doesn't end happily for anyone; Tauriel quickly turns her affections to Kíli because she thinks she has no chance with Legolas but Kíli [[DoomedByCanon dies during the Battle of the Five Armies]], much to her sorrow, while a disillusioned Legolas leaves to find his own destiny]].

** TheLeader – Saruman. The most powerful of the Wizards, and their designated leader. These films show him as a well-intentioned if abrasive AntiHero, before his fall from grace into the straight villain of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''.

* ForTheEvulz: Smaug heads off to burn Laketown, not because the denizens are any threat to him, but because Bilbo will be hurt by it. [[spoiler:Those who've read the book know this doesn't work out so well for him.]]

* GoldFever: Thrór, the king of Erebor and Thorin's grandfather, is shown in flashbacks to be so [[MoneyFetish obsessed with gold]] that it's described as a "sickness," and his obsession with filling his treasure rooms with enough gold to build a decent sized castle out of it is implied to have attracted Smaug to Erebor in the first place. Those who are familiar with Tolkien's expanded writings will understand that this is due to [[spoiler: his possession of one of the Dwarven Rings of Power -- Tolkien's text notes that the greatest effect of these Rings on the dwarves was to inflame their lust for wealth]].
** [[spoiler: This happens to Thorin once he recaptures the Lonely Mountain, becoming obsessed with finding the Arkenstone and going back on his word to Bard that he'd give him a share of the treasure.]]

* GoodIsNotSoft: Against their mortal enemies, the Orcs, both dwarves and elves are unforgiving killers.

* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: In all of the flashbacks, neither Thorin, nor Balin or Dwalin wear helmets when fighting Smaug or the orcs at the gates of Moria, while the common soldiers are helmeted.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Probably all the elves to some extent, as well as a number of other characters. Kíli is a distinctive Dwarf example. At one point, Tauriel [[ShootTheBullet shoots another arrow fired by an orc right out of the air]].

** Bilbo's friendships with the dwarves, especially Balin and Thorin, also count since dwarves age more slowly than hobbits, technically making him the youngest member of the Company.

** Bilbo (hobbit) and Gandalf (Maia). Gandalf with Galadriel and Elrond (elves). And over the course of the film, Bilbo and the dwarves.

* KarmaHoudini: Averted. As far as the theatrical version tells us, [[spoiler:Alfrid]] seemingly escapes with gold, but in the extended edition, his true fate is revealed.
* KarmicDeath: Both [[spoiler:The Master of Lake-Town, who is crushed by Smaug's falling body when Bard kills him in mid-air]], and [[spoiler:Alfrid, who hides on a catapult but a gold coin falls off him onto the catapult's trigger, sending him flying into the mouth of a troll where he dies of asphyxiation.]]

** The dwarves' motif is an orchestral rendition of "Misty Mountains Cold", and strikes up whenever they journey through the landscapes of Middle-Earth or start kicking ass. There are also multiple motifs from ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', including the Shire theme, the choral music heard when Rivendell is first seen, and Gollum's theme.
** Early on, choirs from the "journey in the dark" segment of the Moria are heard illustrating Thrór's money sickness. This can count as a Foreshadowing CallBack: the downfall of Erebor was because the dwarves became too greedy, exactly the reason why Moria fell by awakening the Balrog. The musical cue when the Fellowship enters Moria is therefore retroactively referencing the Erebor incident. Both of these occur in or near a dwarvish mine intended for digging up valuable metals.
** The One Ring's leitmotif is heard when Bilbo first finds the ring and when he fingers it in his pocket later.
** Very briefly, the Lothlórien theme from ''The Two Towers'' plays [[spoiler:when Elrond and the other elves appear to fend off a warg attack.]]

%%* LightningBruiser: Thorin is a lot faster and more agile than you'd expect a dwarf to be, and doesn't seem to have sacrificed any strength for it.

* LodgedBladeRemoval: The dwarf Bifur had an axe-head lodged on his forehead off-screen and it cut through his brain deep enough to make him unable to speak the Common Tongue (all his quotes are in Khuzdul, which make him unintelligible to the audience). The blade is eventually removed in the [[Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies third movie]] courtesy of an orc headbutting him right before falling to his death. Amusingly, Bifur instantly regains the ability to speak Westron and lets out his frustration with the following quote:

* MadeOfIron: Tolkien dwarves in general, but especially Thorin. In the first film alone, Thorin is trampled underfoot by Smaug and has an encounter with a warg that should have punctured any number of vital organs; but he comes away from both incidents seemingly with no permanent damage.

* MagicKnight: Although Gandalf is a wizard, he is most certainly not of the [[SquishyWizard squishy]] variety. Especially when escaping the goblin town, he combines his [[DualWielding sword and staff]] into a veritable whirlwind of death.

** Thorin vs. Smaug has shades of this. Unlike most examples, however, the dwarves have something to gain from Smaug's death besides vengeance and personal gratification: their former home, Erebor.

* MonsterIsAMommy: According to WordOfGod, the albino warg that Azog rides on in the films is the Warg Matriarch, and (as her title should suggest) happens to be the mother of most of the wargs used as mounts by Azog's hunting party.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Though he never outright says it, you can tell from his facial expressions that Bilbo immediately regrets it when he tells Bofur that the dwarves should be used to living on the road and having "nowhere to belong", briefly forgetting that they lost their home to Smaug.
** Again when Bilbo [[spoiler: kills the giant sow bug thing in Mirkwood in a frenzy over losing the Ring. He's obviously disturbed, since killing a creature over jewelry is quite different to killing one that's trying to eat your friends.]]

[[folder:N -- Z]]

** For the goblins, the two elvish blades of Gondolin count as this. They even added their own terms of fear onto the names of the swords: Glamdring, the "Foe Hammer" -- ''Beater''; and Orcrist, the "Goblin Cleaver" -- ''Biter''.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: When he encounters Gollum in the cave, Bilbo says he's Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. [[spoiler: 60 years later, this information will be tortured out of Gollum by Sauron's soldiers, alerting Mordor to the One Ring's location and forcing Frodo to flee the Shire.]]

* NoodleIncident: How that necklace of white gems [[spoiler:that belonged to Legolas's mom]] that Thranduil wants ended up in the Mountain is never explained.

** The narrow bridge the dwarves take into Rivendell has no railings despite crossing a deep gorge with a river at the bottom. The elves even ride horses across it.

* NoseNuggets: The troll scene, in which poor Bilbo gets used as an impromptu handkerchief.
* NoSocialSkills: Set up, but then subverted at Bilbo's expense. The dwarves do seem fairly rude when invading his home from Bilbo's point of view (though they are under the impression that they are welcome), lack his air of politeness, are messily rough and cavalier, and clash with his fragile sense of comfort. When they start tossing about his heirloom dishes, he finally starts shouting... and in response they simply launch into a song making fun of his indignation. But then the song ends, and it's revealed that the whole time they were actually cleaning up after themselves in their own unique way--to Bilbo's surprise and Gandalf's amusement. It serves as an early lesson that there's more to the world than what Bilbo wants to see.
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Played straight in the goblin caves when Bilbo and another goblin fell a long distance. Bilbo survived with only a few cuts and bruises thanks to a cluster of giant mushrooms that absorbed his fall when he should have been in a much worse condition. The goblin was barely alive since he landed onto the hard ground, leaving him easy prey for [[spoiler: Gollum]].

** You barely catch a glimpse of Smaug for the entirety of the first movie. During the scene of him attacking Erebor, we only see his feet, tail, and teeth. [[spoiler:In the final scene, we see only a nostril and one eye]]. But it's plenty enough to judge his enormous size and strength.

* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: While Tolkien's works provided the foundation for many standard dwarf characteristics, the film partially bucks many of the trends. The dwarves have a variety of accents in addition to Scottish, two of them do not have beards, and they use a variety of weapons in addition to axes. Female dwarves also have more feminine characteristics than usual. And in ''The Battle of Five Armies'', the dwarves of the Iron Hills have Roman-influenced aesthetics and tactics rather than the usual Norse.

* PeltsOfTheBarbarian: Used in a symbolic way. The dwarves wear rough furs while in exile, and they find finer robes once they retake the Lonely Mountain, but they return to their rough clothing after being disillusioned with Thorin's behavior.
* PerilousOldFool: Thrór in his attempt to retake Moria from Azog's horde after the loss of Erebor. [[spoiler:He paid for it dearly.]]
* PinnedToTheWall: Or the tree, or the cliff, or the big rock... This happens to the orcs and goblins enough to make them the new Trope Codifiers.
* PlotArmor: The sheer amount of mortal danger every single dwarf of the group keeps surviving, without as much as a scratch, is astonishing, especially since there are ''15'' members in the group (13 dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo).
* PortalStatuePairs: The dwarven kingdom of Erebor is depicted as having two giant statues of dwarves standing on either side of its entrance.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Only a few of the dwarves are actually warriors; the others range from miners to toymakers. In combat, they range in ability from cutting a bloody swath through tough foes to ineffectually plunking at them with a slingshot. This is fully lampshaded by Balin as to why the quest is a bad idea. Thorin, however, prizes their loyalty over their ability (or lack thereof); these dwarves answered the call when it came to them. The actual army he tried for did not.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Thorin. The dragon sickness turns him into a JerkAss after retaking Erebor. It gets so bad that [[spoiler:he attempts to kill Bilbo after finding out he took the Arkenstone, and refuses to assist in battle, (even leaving his cousin Dáin to die, trying to justify it by saying that all life is cheap in comparison to the massive treasure hoard of Erebor). Thorin eventually shakes off the dragon sickness and leads his company of dwarves into battle, but he dies shortly after killing Azog. Before he dies, he and Bilbo make peace with each other.]]
* RedHerring: The Dwarven windlance in Lake-town. [[spoiler: ''The Desolation of Smaug'' makes dedicated focus to this lone weapon on the tower, with Balin stating that it's the only thing that can make the Black Arrows pierce Smaug's hide. Bard, when he hears the rumblings from the mountain, decides to take the last remaining Black Arrow to the windlance, but he is stopped by the Laketown authorities and thrown in a jail cell before he can do so. Ultimately, Bard never makes it to the windlance when Smaug lays waste on the town, and Bard has to fire the Black Arrow with a makeshift long-bow made of his son's shoulder and his bow's drawstring on top of the bell tower.]]
* RedIsHeroic: Bilbo wears a red jacket. Balin, one of the most outwardly virtuous and heroic of the dwarves, also wears red robes.

** Even for an orc, Azog has a distinctive appearance. He is unusually tall and pale, and has a series of barbed hooks for a hand. His skin is unusually smooth for an orc and covered in bizarrely symmetrical scars.

* StoutStrength: The dwarves are short and stocky, but all quite strong. During the escape from the goblins Bombur can be seen barely slowing down as several goblins climb on him. He may not be very fast, but clearly it takes a lot to stop him once he gets moving. The second film shows that, in actual fact, he IS very fast.

** You can see the very similar facial features and hair between Legolas and his father, Thranduil.
** Not to mention Gimli and his father, Glóin.

** As with ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' films referring to Weathertop by its Elvish name Amon Sûl, this film only uses the name "The Lonely Mountain" once and otherwise uses the Elvish name Erebor (which was never mentioned in the book and only cropped up in later supplementary material). FridgeLogic can set in here about why Thorin's dwarves would use the Elvish name for their lost kingdom when they have a grudge against Elves...

** Bilbo gradually develops this to Thorin and the Company as a whole. When he gives the [[spoiler:Arkenstone]] to Thranduil and Bard as a bargaining chip for peace, he makes it abundantly clear that he's only doing this in order to protect Thorin from further madness and ensure the safety of his Dwarven friends. He also risks his life on numerous occasions to protect or warn them of coming danger, such as when he spends weeks breaking the Company out of Thranduil's dungeons and then later scales an orc-infested Ravenhill to reach Thorin and his nephews, the latter of which Gandalf believed was a suicide mission.

* TheVillainWins: ZigZagged. [[spoiler:Azog achieves his personal goal of killing Thorin and his nephews, but not only do he and his son die, he fails his master's objective of seizing the Lonely Mountain and opening passage to Angmar. And he doesn't even manage to wipe out the line of Durin properly; Dáin Ironfoot is closely related to Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli, and becomes King under the Mountain after their deaths, as shown in the extended edition.]]

** The main characters' task is to kill Smaug. On the way to his lair, they deal with trolls, warg-riding orcs, stone giants and goblins, none of which are in cahoots with Smaug (that we know of). [[spoiler: In fact, the first film ends with the party not yet reaching the Lonely Mountain or seeing Smaug even once.]]
** Then there are Beorn, the spiders of Mirkwood, wood-elves and Laketown.

* WeHaveBecomeComplacent: The dwarves of Erebor felt very secure in their position as rulers of the mightiest kingdom in Middle-Earth before Smaug arrived.

** Applied by any orc towards every other orc. While they do show a modicum of self-preservation (retreating from a hopeless battle or aiding a competent leader) they don't bat an eyelid if a comrade is shot/stabbed/devoured, and are perfectly happy to do the honors themselves.
** The goblins (subterranean orcs) apply this with even ''greater'' zeal. Dozens of them die in droves, and the (temporary) survivors are still totally willing to leap into the fray. You have to give the little buggers credit for their sheer enthusiasm.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: When the Hobbit was first put into production, Guillermo Del Toro was originally attached as the director. He even got so far as concept art and casting before production stalled. Guillermo eventually had to move on to other projects, and Peter Jackson took over. Unfortunately to make a ‘clean slate’, all Guillermo’s concept art was destroyed. Judging from his visually stunning style seen in films like ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' or Hellboy, we can only be left to imagine what an elaborate and fantastical world Guillermo's Middle Earth would have been.

* AnAxeToGrind: Several dwarves, particularly Dwalin, who [[DualWielding dual wields them]], and Glóin, whose axe will be passed on to his son, Gimli, in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy.

** Creator/MartinFreeman's costar Creator/BenedictCumberbatch from the acclaimed show ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' is the voice behind Smaug the dragon. One can already imagine Smaug and Bilbo [[TheyFightCrime solving crimes in Middle Earth]].

* ColorCodedCharacters: Averted for the film in lieu of very distinguishable beard- and hairstyles, and different [[WeaponOfChoice weapons of choice]] for the dwarves. One costume designer mentioned that their change in dress from brightly-colored cloaks was because "no one dresses like that" and that they would look like "garden gnomes". However, close attention to the color of the dwarves' outfits will reveal that the dwarves' hood colors from the book (see the entry [[Characters/TheHobbit here]]) may have influenced the costume design for the film. Viewing the Lego minifigures of each dwarf will also help you see this.

* LodgedBladeRemoval: The dwarf Bifur had an axe-head lodged on his forehead off-screen and it cut through his brain deep enough to make him unable to speak the Common Tongue (all his quotes are in Khuzdul, which make him unintelligible to the audience). The blade is eventually removed in the [[Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies third movie]] courtesy of an orc headbutting him right before falling to his death. Amusingly, Bofur instantly regains the ability to speak Westron and lets out his frustration with the following quote:

** The original book ''Literature/TheHobbit'' is shorter than any of the three parts of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', but was made into another trilogy of films. Many of the additions are taken from the Appendices of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', which was not strictly in ''The Hobbit'' but alluded to. In particular, it explains what Gandalf is up to while not with Thorin's company, the entire history of the loss of Erebor and Battle of Moria are detailed and more characterization is given to Bard. Others were original additions created explicitly for the films, such as the entirety of the subplot of Azog's pursuit of Thorin's company (in the books' backstory, Azog had already been slain by Dáin Ironfoot at the Battle of Azanulbizar), separating the company at Esgaroth, and the addition of the female Elf, Tauriel, and her LoveTriangle with Legolas and Kíli.

* EnchantedForest: Greenwood becomes the dark and foreboding Mirkwood full of decay and death and {{Giant Spider}}s, due to the Necromancer's foul presence.* EnchantedForest: Greenwood becomes the dark and foreboding Mirkwood full of decay and death and {{Giant Spider}}s, due to the Necromancer's foul presence.

* TheLostWoods: Greenwood becomes the dark and foreboding Mirkwood full of decay and death and {{Giant Spider}}s, due to the Necromancer's foul presence.