History Film / TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney

* AdaptationalContextChange: Gandalf's delivery of the line "I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means... me!" Unlike the original book and [[https://youtu.be/OWTgcgEqQoo prior adaptations]], Gandalf [[{{Beat}} pauses]] before finishing his sentence, as though he forgot what his name actually meant before settling with "[[CaptainObvious me]]". This gives him a more fallible image that isn't usually this apparent.

** The film opens with Frodo leaving to surprise Gandalf, which he does at the beginning of ''Fellowship of the Ring''.
** Bilbo and Frodo are shown setting up for the birthday party later that night, seen in ''Fellowship of the Ring''.
** The Ring pops onto Bilbo's finger exactly as it did (or will) onto Frodo's.
** Gandalf has trouble with the chandelier, exactly as he has in ''Fellowship of the Ring''.
** Gandalf calls on the eagles through the help of a moth/butterfly... again.
** Gandalf splitting the boulder into two to defeat the trolls is a call back to what he did with the Balrog in the ''Fellowship of the Ring''. Not to mention that he does so just as the sun rises. "At dawn, look to the east" ring a bell?
** The elven cavalry's trumpet sounds the same as the one Haldir's reinforcements use at the Battle of Helm's Deep.
** Saruman comments disparagingly on Radagast's fondness for mushrooms, much like his comment in ''Fellowship of the Ring'' about Gandalf's "love of the halflings' leaf".
** During the same conversation, Saruman's comment to Gandalf - "Always you must meddle" - has a strong ring of familiarity towards Grí­ma Wormtongue, who refers to Gandalf as a meddler.
** When Gandalf is explaining to Bilbo about true courage being knowing when to spare a life, the music is a rendition of the music played in Moria when Gandalf and Frodo are discussing the incident where Bilbo spares [[spoiler:Gollum's life]], which is where Bilbo applied Gandalf's advice, and it appears again for that moment in ''An Unexpected Journey''. From ''The Fellowship Of The Ring'':
--->'''Frodo:''' It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance.\\
'''Gandalf:''' Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand.
** Bilbo's [[spoiler:sparing of Gollum's life]] is of course Calling Forward to when Frodo does the same at Emyn Muil. This is a critical part of the story as it sets in motion a chain of events that allows for the destruction of the One Ring.
** The three trolls turn to stone in the exact same positions we see them in during ''Fellowship''. Funny because they are visibly arguing, with one pointing down (at what was evidently the dwarves they were discussing eating). This made sense as it's how the scene happened in the book. Here, the scene is played differently (as Gandalf doesn't pit them against one another), but yet as they turn to stone their postures shift to have them face one another and for one to point downwards with his index finger.
** Gandalf catches a glimpse of Bilbo pocketing the ring, setting up his knowing that Bilbo has it in ''The Lord of the Rings''. Similarly, Bilbo keeps the ring in the same pocket as he does in ''Fellowship of the Ring'' (the front left pocket of his waistcoat).

** The original trilogy is the TropeNamer for KneelBeforeFrodo - Bilbo earns a big hug from [[spoiler:Thorin, rightful king of the greatest dwarf civilization after Moria]], acknowledging this.
** Dwarven women do in fact have beards, as described by Gimli in ''The Two Towers''. They're just [[http://i.stack.imgur.com/DLKgz.png softer and wispier]]. (However, they could hardly be mistaken for Dwarf men.)
** The warg riders' meeting place with Azog to tell him that they've lost Thorin's Company is Weathertop.
** When Radagast goes to investigate Dol Guldur, [[spoiler:he is attacked by the Witch-King of Angmar's ghostly human form,]] using a similar knife to the one which stabbed Frodo in ''Fellowship''. According to the director's commentary, [[spoiler:that blade is in fact the very same Morgul blade that the Witch-King stabs Frodo with later, although how it comes back into his possession has yet to be elaborated upon.]]

** Thranduil's actions in the prologue establish the reason why dwarves still harbor a deep distrust of elves many decades later in ''Fellowship of the Ring''. In particular, it explains Gimli's immediate dislike of Legolas at the Council of Elrond in ''Fellowship'', since Legolas is Thranduil's son and Gimli is Glóin's son.
** The Extended Edition offers a reason why the elves don't trust the dwarves: before Smaug came, Thranduil paid Thrór homage in Erebor. During this visit, Thrór dangled a necklace belonging to Thranduil's late wife in front of him, and then refused to give it back to him. Thranduil's expression at this makes it clear that this was the beginning of their rift, from ''his'' side.
** Thranduil's reluctance to aid the dwarves in fighting Smaug shows that he is no lover of hopeless battles; a trait that may have rubbed off on his son Legolas, judging by his own despair at the seeming hopelessness of defending Helm's Deep against Saruman's army.
** In ''Fellowship'', Bilbo offers Gandalf some wine, but Gandalf would prefer to have "just tea". During the unexpected party, Dori offers Gandalf camomile tea, but Gandalf prefers wine!
** Kíli deflecting Goblin arrows with his sword (and looking surprised it worked) echoes Aragorn's ThrowItIn moment in ''Fellowship'' where he deflects Lurtz's thrown knife.[[invoked]]
** When Radagast spots the Necromancer's shadowy form, the camera employs the VertigoEffect, which was previously done early in the first LOTR film when the Nazgûl are approaching the Hobbits on the Shire road, and again in the third one when Frodo gazes into Shelob's Lair. All three times are linked to an evil presence.
** Even the movie posters have gotten in on this. [[http://corecanvas.s3.amazonaws.com/theonering-0188db0e/media/original/505e34959ae13_hobbit_poster.jpg This]] poster is a callback to [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VWuCsLbfvlI/UF4CXXTZECI/AAAAAAAAB3Q/lpCpGKzm9pg/s640/The+Fellowship+Of+The+Ring+%282001%29+4.jpg a Frodo poster]] for ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', which is also referenced in [[http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/the-hobbit-poster1.jpg this Japanese poster]].
** Glóin notably carries an axe that Gimli will later inherit.

** Gandalf tells Bilbo (basically) "Home is behind, the world is ahead"; In ''The Return of the King'' Pippin sings a song that starts with that phrase to Denethor.
** When they fall into the hidden passage to Rivendell, Thorin pulls an arrow from the dead Orc that has fallen after them, looks at it, and says "Elves". Much in the same way, when the Fellowship enters Moria, Legolas pulls an arrow from a Dwarven corpse, scrutinizes it, and announces "Orcs".
** In the extended addition, there's a scene of Bilbo quietly exploring Rivendell. Aside from a moment when he sees a painting of the battle against Sauron (in particular his Ring), it's very clear from his body language and expression that he finds the place delightful. When Elrond comes upon him admiring the view, he promises the Hobbit that he's welcome to stay there if he wants. Many years later, Bilbo would wind up spending the last years of his life in Rivendell after leaving The Shire behind.

** Bilbo considers the rumors that he has "tunnels full of gold" silly, as he only has a single chest that "still smells of Troll". Glóin, Nori and Bofur are shown burying a box of treasure taken from the troll hoard.

** Gandalf lights his pipe with a FingerSnapLighter and later uses the same effect to set pine cones on fire, throwing them at the Wargs.
** The musical cue for the Ring Bilbo finds. Though even Gandalf doesn't know its true nature yet, he senses something sinister.
** The odd way that The Ring behaves when dropped -- it seems far heavier than it ought to be (an effect memorable in the ''LOTR'' films which was achieved using magnets).

** A subtle one: the rock the eagles leave the dwarves on at the end is shaped like a bear's head. It's called Carrock and is where they will meet the skin-changer Beorn.

** [[spoiler: The rock the aforementioned thrush lands on is almost definitely the secret entrance, and the thrush itself plays a role in helping Bilbo find the keyhole and also Bard slay Smaug.]]
** Radagast's home is attacked by giant spiders. Guess what's waiting for the Company when they arrive in Mirkwood.
** Thorin's father Thráin went missing but was never confirmed dead, and Azog mentions having encountered him. [[spoiler: Gandalf found Thráin in Dol Guldur, where he had been captured, tortured, and driven mad.]]
** In the extended edition, Kíli takes an interest in the elves at Rivendell. [[spoiler: He later develops a crush on Tauriel after arriving in Mirkwood.]]

** Óin's EarTrumpet is stomped on and crushed flat when The Company [[spoiler: is captured in Goblin-Town]]. Later, after [[spoiler: they escape]], he's shown using it, anyway.

** Gandalf can't quite remember the names of the blue wizards. They're Alatar and Pallando, or perhaps Morinehtar ("Darkness-slayer") and Rómestámo ("East-helper"). The names are given in ''Literature/{{Unfinished Tales|of Númenor and MiddleEarth}}'' and ''Literature/TheHistoryOfMiddleEarth'', but Christopher Tolkien has refused to sell the movie rights to those. However, the film ''actually gets away with naming them'' the Blue Wizards since their colour was only revealed in ''Unfinished Tales''.

** Material is added that was inspired by "The Quest of Erebor" in ''Literature/{{Unfinished Tales|of Numenor and MiddleEarth}}'', where Gandalf lays out much of the story's behind-the-scenes action to the rest of the Fellowship.

** After the Dwarves survive unscathed their fall into the depths of the Goblin Kingdom, one of them points out "It could've been worse"... [[spoiler: and then the Goblin King's huge corpse falls on top]].

** The flashback of Azog's defeat bears strong resemblance to Sauron's defeat in the battle of the Last Alliance: the good forces are almost overrun and their king is struck with fear upon seeing the EvilOverlord's literal FoeTossingCharge (also, both Sauron and Azog are using a mace). The evil leader then kills the king effortlessly. The king's heir (Isildur and Thorin, respectively) first has a HeroicBSOD and then steps up to avenge his father/grandfather, is almost defeated himself and with one last desperate attack cuts his opponent's hand. This seals the EvilOverlord's defeat and turns the tide of the battle.

** When they fall into the hidden passage to Rivendell, Thorin pulls an arrow from the dead orc that has fallen after them, looks at it and says "Elves". Much in the same way, when the Fellowship enters Moria, Legolas pulls an arrow from a Dwarven corpse, scrutinizes it and announces "Orcs".
** In the extended addition, there's a scene of Bilbo quietly exploring Rivendell. Aside from a moment when he sees a painting of the battle against Sauron (in paticular his Ring) it's very clear from his body language and expression that he finds the place delightful. When Elrond comes upon him admiring the view, he promises the hobbit that he's welcome to stay there if he wants. Many years later, Bilbo would wind up spending the last years of his life in Rivendell, after leaving the Shire behind.

* CassandraTruth: Both Gandalf and Radagast are convinced the Necromancer is Sauron, or somebody as dangerous as him. However, some members of the White Council are either not convinced (Saruman) or don't see a threat (Elrond) to do anything about it. Averted with Galadriel who senses that something genuinely sinister is going on and puts her faith in Gandalf. [[AllThereInTheManual The books let us know]] that by this time Saruman was actively looking for the Ring himself, which is why he is pushing the Ring-went-down-to-the-Sea hypothesis.
* TheCavalry: The elven cavalry party, and a less literal one in the eagles.

** In the flashbacks, the elves refused to help the dwarves, both against Smaug in Erebor and against the orcs in Moria. This led to the grudge of the dwarves towards elves. The White Council was about to be a third one, but the dwarves (for good reason) left before they could refuse to help.
** Thorin states that the dwarves of the Iron Hills have refused to aid the company in retaking Erebor.

* ChangedMyMindKid: Bilbo attempts to leave the Company while in the goblin cave, feeling he doesn't belong among them on this adventure. After his adventures in the mountain, he forgoes the chance to escape with the Ring and returns to the Company.

--->'''Gandalf:''' Those are Gundabad wargs. They'll outpace you.\\
'''Radagast:''' These are ''Rhosgobel rabbits''! I'd like to see them ''try''!
** Also, later in Goblin Town when Gandalf and the dwarves run to escape the [[ZergRush goblin horde]].

* ColdOpen: Kind of a tradition now. Like the others Jackson movies set in Middle-Earth, this one begins this way, providing very useful {{Backstory}} about [[DoomedHometown Erebor]], [[SupportingLeader Thorin]], his grudge towards the Elves and last but not least, the scale of Smaug's destructive power.

* CookingTheLiveMeal: After the Company are captured by a party of three [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Trolls]], half of them are tied to a spit without being killed first, which means they end up shouting and complaining about the flames whilst the Trolls turn them over. That said, the Trolls are very divided on how exactly they should prepare their dinner.
* CoolCar: Radagast's rabbit-drawn sleigh.

* CreatorCameo: With Peter Jackson at the helm, it's a matter of ''where'' in the movies he'll be, not ''if'' he'll be in it. Turns out it is a very difficult cameo to spot in [=AUJ=], where he is a dwarf fleeing Smaug in the prologue.

* DemandingTheirHead: Azog the Defiler ([[SparedByTheAdaptation who survived the Battle of Azanulbizar that killed him in the book]]) has put a price on the heads of the entire company of Thorin Oakenshield--but [[ItsPersonal especially with Thorin himself]], who [[AnArmAndALeg cut off Azog's left arm]] in the Battle. In addition to the Goblins of Goblintown trying to collect it, Azog happily sends one of his own Orcs to bring him Thorin's head [[CombatPragmatist after he's already worn Thorin down with his mace and his Warg]]. The Great Goblin himself lampshades it when confronting Thorin and [[VillainRevealsTheSecret revealing Azog's still alive to him]].

** Saruman's appearance plays this for all it's worth, since he declares that Sauron couldn't possibly be coming back... even though he himself has suspected it and at the time of ''The Hobbit'' was trying to locate the One Ring so he could usurp Sauron.
** Furthermore, when Bilbo asserts that "I really believe that the worst is behind us." at the end of the film, we are then privvy to a shot of Smaug briefly awakening from his slumber (due to a thrush knocking an acorn on the side of Erebor, said thrush being said to be a good omen, no less).

* DynamicEntry: Gandalf appears out of nowhere in the goblin caves to give the dwarves the distraction they needed to grab their weapons to make their escape.

** Radagast the Brown is an odd case: he was in the book of ''The Lord of the Rings'', but his role in the film version of ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' was filled by a moth Gandalf used to summon Gwaihir, Lord of Eagles.

** There's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it instant when we catch a glimpse of Girion, firing ballast bolts at Smaug when the dragon's attacking Dale.
** Both Bolg and the bearded jailer Orc from Dul Guldur (himself an early design of Bolg) show up for blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos at the Battle of Azanulbizar. Dwalin beats them up just after Thorin cuts off Azog's arms. Bolg is lacking the scars and metal plates in his head, suggesting that he got those because of Dwalin's attack.

** Saruman comes to the aid of Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel in their fight against the Necromancer.
** Galadriel is in Rivendell when the Company arrives, and manages to fend off the Necromancer at the cost of a great deal of energy.
%%** [[spoiler:Sauron (at least in voice).]]
* {{Elfeminate}}: {{Lampshaded}} in the extended edition, where Kíli mistakes a male elf for an elven maiden.

** When Thorin first enters Bilbo's home, he doesn't introduce himself, bow or offer his services to Bilbo unlike the other dwarves, showing how [[FatalFlaw proud]] and dignified he is.

** All the riddles played between Bilbo and Gollum rely on this. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as riddles by their very definition rely on the ExactWords of their formulation. It took a bit further in the last one. Impatient that Bilbo was taking so long, Gollum demands that Bilbo quickly ask him a question. While thinking, Bilbo muses to himself "What have I got in my pocket?". Gollum mistook it for a riddle and complains before Bilbo, using Gollum's earlier words, retorts he ''is'' asking a question and decided to use that as his riddle.

'''Gandalf:''' Ooh. Not for an age. Not sense a [[Characters/MiddleEarthFilmSauronsEvilForces darker power]] ruled these lands.\\

* FakeShemp: Creator/IanHolm's scenes as elderly Bilbo were filmed in the UK as he was unable to travel to New Zealand due to his advanced age. For the scene of Bilbo and Frodo speaking outside Bag End (which was filmed on location) the crew put Martin Freeman in old-age prosthetics and filmed him from a distance with Holm's voice added in later.
* FatBastard: The Great Goblin. He is grotesquely fat, with an underchin nearly as big as the entire rest of this head. He's also a torturer, a BadBoss, and cooperating with Azog.
* FireForgedFriends: [[spoiler: Thorin and Bilbo after Bilbo rescues him from being beheaded by one of Azog's mooks.]] Literally in this case, since they were [[BattleAmongstTheFlames battling amongst flames]].
* FireOfComfort: Bilbo's opening narration for his book describes this, and one is also seen during some scenes when he is camping out with the dwarves.
* FoeTossingCharge: Smaug's attack on the dwarven stronghold. He barely seems to notice the dwarves flying through the air as he walks right over the defenders.
* FoodPorn: Quite a bit of it during the party scene in Bag End, complete with lingering pan over all the food on the table.

** Thrór's case of GoldFever serves as this, as Thorin will come down with a similar "ailment" after Lonely Mountain is reclaimed from Smaug, which stops him from negotiating with the men of Laketown and the Wood Elves (although the interracial tension and being a prisoner of the elves earlier probably didn't help).
** Bilbo considers the rumors that he has "tunnels full of gold" silly, as he only has a single chest that "still smells of troll". Glóin, Nori and Bofur are shown burying a box of treasure taken from the troll hoard.
** When Gandalf presents Bilbo with his elvish sword, he tells Bilbo that true courage comes from knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare a life. Bilbo contemplates killing Gollum but decides not to. This is a turning point, as he then shows considerable courage against Azog.
** Thorin and Gandalf have a brief argument over whether or not to go to Rivendell. Later, while fleeing pursuing wargs, Thorin loudly wonders where Gandalf is leading them to.
** After seeing Glamdring and Orcrist, Bilbo wonders if his own elvish sword has a name, and Balin tells him swords gain names depending on their deeds. "Sting" gets its name slaying the spiders in Mirkwood.

** Gandalf lights his pipe with a FingerSnapLighter, and later uses the same effect to set pine cones on fire, throwing them at the wargs.
** The musical cue for the ring Bilbo finds. Though even Gandalf doesn't know its true nature yet, he senses something sinister.
** The odd way that the ring behaves when dropped -- it seems far heavier than it ought to be (an effect memorable in the ''LOTR'' films which was achieved using magnets).
** Annoyed at Thorin's refusal to confide in Elrond, Gandalf mutters that Thorin's pride will be his downfall. [[spoiler:The Battle of the Five Armies, during which Thorin dies, is directly a result of his pride and greed.]]

** As Elrond reads the moon runes on the map, he mentions a door appearing "when the thrush knocks". [[spoiler:In the final scene the camera follows a thrush as it flies towards Erebor, then starts knocking snails against a rock. The noise wakes Smaug.]]
** [[spoiler:The rock the aforementioned thrush lands on is almost definitely the secret entrance, and the thrush itself plays a role in helping Bilbo find the keyhole and also Bard slay Smaug.]]

** Thorin's father Thráin went missing but was never confirmed dead, and Azog mentions having encountered him. [[spoiler:Gandalf found Thráin in Dol Guldur, where he had been captured, tortured, and driven mad.]]

* ForkFencing: The dwarves do this when eating at Bilbo's house, much to his chagrin. It leads to the "Blunt the Knives" song being performed.
* FourthWallPsych: Gandalf, when Galadriel asks why he chose Bilbo to accompany the dwarves. He gives her a speech about how small, everyday acts of kindness and love are what he's found most effective as a bulwark against evil. He delivers this speech while facing the camera and staring contemplatively, almost (but not ''quite'') looking directly at the audience.

** Óin's EarTrumpet is stomped on and crushed flat when the Company [[spoiler:is captured in Goblin Town]]. Later, after [[spoiler:they escape]], he's shown using it, anyway.

** When Bilbo suggests that the trolls skin the dwarves, [[TheStoic Thorin]] is yelling and flailing around in anger, along with the others (who are all lying on their backs aside from Fíli, who is desperately trying to turn over).

* GoldFever: Thrór, king of Erebor and Thorin's grandfather, is shown in flashbacks to be so obsessed with gold that it's even described to be a "sickness" and his obsession with filling his treasure rooms with enough gold to build a castle out of it is implied to have attracted Smaug to Erebor in the first place.
* GoryDiscretionShot: When Sméagol is preparing to eat a goblin he dragged onto his rocky outcropping, the goblin is shown to be hit several times, but then camera cuts to Bilbo and the fading of Sting's blue glow (a sign there are live goblins about) shows he dies. When Bilbo looks up, the rock in the lake is bare.
* GoThroughMe: Bilbo does this after [[spoiler:tackling Azog's mook and standing between Azog and the semi-conscious Thorin]].

* GroundShatteringLanding: Bombur does this in Goblin Town, punching through two layers of goblin scaffolding and dislodging the goblins that had been swarming over him.
* HeadbuttOfLove: How Dwalin and Balin greet each other--although, since they are dwarves, it's more like a full contact headbutting. There's also a more weary version in Balin's flashback, when they discover they've both survived the Battle of Azanulbizar, surrounded by a field of dead dwarves.

-->'''Bilbo:''' I know you doubt me, I know you always have, and you're right. [[HomeSweetHome I often think of Bag End]]. I miss my books, and my arm chair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong; that's home, and that's why I came, 'cause you don't have one...a home. It was taken from you, but I will help you take it back if I can.
* HesDeadJim: While Gollum drags a wounded goblin away and starts bashing its head in with a rock, Bilbo sees Sting's glow begin to flicker and then finally go out.
* HitAndRunTactics: The Company's method of dealing with the trolls they encounter, due to the heights of both parties.

* HollywoodDarkness: In the Misty Mountains. When the dwarves are camping on the goblins' front porch, it's night, there are clouds outside, no fires are allowed, they're not in direct sight of the entrance, and there isn't an opening above them. However, it's as light as any normal cloudy day -- brighter even than the mountainside was minutes before. Gollum's cave is also surprisingly well-lit, although we do see a streak of light shining on to the spot where he plays the riddle game with Bilbo.

** The elf-king rides a stag in the flashback to Smaug's original attack.
** Radagast's sledge is drawn by large rabbits.

* InfoDump: The first half hour of the movie is basically exposition. But made fun.

* JerkassHasAPoint: A lot of people have criticized Saruman for being a bigoted jerk (not to mention a hypocrite given TheReveal [[HypocriticalHumor of his own smoking habit in]] ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'') in dismissing Radagast's information about Dol Guldur, but he's actually pretty justified in pointing out that Radagast's mushroom eating compromises his intel, since the context makes it quite clear that the said mushrooms are hallucinogens of some sort.

** [[spoiler:Elvish Archer Cavalry led by Elrond vs. Warg Riders]]

** [[spoiler: Azog vs. Thorin, who is smacked with a mace multiple times, bitten by a warg, and rendered incapable of even moving the two inches he needs to reach his sword, all without getting in a single blow.]]
* KevLard: Completely {{averted}} with the Great Goblin, who is done in by a single slash across the gut by Gandalf wielding Glamdring. While is isn't GuttedLikeAFish, even he quips in his own PreMortemOneLiner that the slash did the job.

** As the goblins confiscate the dwarves' weapons, one of them snatches Óin's ear horn and stomps it flat.
** One from the extended edition: when Thranduil comes to pay homage to Thrór, King Under the Mountain, the latter holds out a box containing the White Gems of Lasgalen, a memento of Thranduil's late wife. Before Thranduil can touch the gems, the box snaps shut. The look on Thranduil's face strongly suggests that this could have been the real cause of his later rift with the dwarves.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Even with an almost fully armed company of 15, with many capable fighters, they are not going to win when the odds are either something like 5-to-1 plus the disadvantages of BeastOfBattle (against orcs) or 1000-to-1 (against goblins). Thus rather than continue fighting against large enemies and overwhelming numbers, they are forced to retreat more than once.

* LineInTheSand: Invoked by Balin towards Thorin at the beginning. He tells Thorin that they don't have to go on the quest, and can continue the life of peace and plenty they have built in the Blue Mountains.
* LiteralMinded:
** Balin, a bit. When Bilbo greeted him with "Good evening," Balin agreed, though he predicted it would rain later. Later, when Bilbo interrupts Balin and Dwalin going through his larder with an irritable "I'm sorry," Balin mildly accepts his apology.

* MeaningfulEcho: When the dwarves first arrive at Bilbo's home, Gandalf is seen ticking off his fingers when counting how many dwarves are present. Later on, Gandalf does the same thing [[spoiler:when escaping from the goblin caves]] but realizes someone is missing: [[spoiler:Bilbo]].

* MotivationalLie: Subverted. Gandalf tries to give Bilbo a motivational speech by talking about a famous ancestor of Bilbo's, "Bullroarer" Took. At the end Bilbo says that he thinks Gandalf made most of that up, and Gandalf shamelessly says that good stories can use a little embellishing every now and then. Ironically, while Gandalf's line can be seen as the filmmakers lampshading the AdaptationExpansion of the book, the story about Bullroarer Took inventing golf is ''[[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness not]]'' [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness one of their additions]].
* MundaneUtility: In the meeting Gandalf discreetly uses a small fire spell to light his pipe. [[spoiler:He uses the same spell at the end to greater effect by turning pine cones into fire bombs.]]

** Gandalf can't quite remember the names of the blue wizards. They're Alatar and Pallando, or perhaps Morinehtar ("Darkness-slayer") and Rómestámo ("East-helper"). The names are given in ''Literature/{{Unfinished Tales|of Numenor and MiddleEarth}}'' and ''Literature/TheHistoryOfMiddleEarth'', but Christopher Tolkien has refused to sell the movie rights to those. However, the film ''actually gets away with naming them'' the Blue Wizards since their colour was only revealed in ''Unfinished Tales''.

** While the sun was clearly rising on its own, the way Galdalf breaks the stone in two to expose the trolls to sunlight gives the impression that he ''summoned'' the sun like in the 1977 animated film.

* NakedPeopleAreFunny: In the extended cut, while the dwarves are staying at Rivendell and generally making a nuisance of themselves, Elrond's aide worriedly asks how long they'll be staying. Elrond replies he isn't sure, and then suddenly both elves react to something offscreen -- cut to the dwarves swimming naked in a big fountain and slapping each other's asses with rolled-up towels.
* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: Azog and Thorin's "rematch" has all the trappings of a standard SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome, intense closeups, UnflinchingWalk, dramatic music, Thorin with an oaken branch as a shield just like their first fight, you name it, only for Azog to [[SingleStrokeBattle knock Thorin down and render him helpless with a single smack of his mace.]]
* NearVillainVictory: Thorin sees Azog in person for the first time since their old battle, and charges him. Powerful elven sword in one hand, a fashioned branch armguard in the other, awesome music in the background along with a BattleAmongstTheFlames theme going on, he prepares to finish the fight they started... and he's laid out in seconds by Azog's warg (who had an advantage in height, powerful legs/jaws, and a big advantage in mobility), allowing Azog a staggering hit just as he's getting back up, then gets bitten by the warg and can only manage a glancing blow that sends him sprawling heavily. Only [[spoiler:Bilbo's intervention]] saves him from himself.

* NobleBirdOfPrey: The giant eagles. [[spoiler:They don't just rescue the dwarves in the movie, but attack Azog's forces directly, killing nearly half of them before finally winging off with their charges.]]

* NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond, Galadriel, the wisest and most powerful wizards and elves of Middle-Earth... who could not even agree that Sauron has returned, much less form a plan to stop him.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Saruman is one to the point where he intends to forbid the dwarves from embarking on their quest, not realising as Gandalf and Galadriel do that the dwarves have already left.

** Thrór is decapitated by Azog in the failed attempt to re-claim Moria from the orcs.

** Gandalf decapitates a goblin via CleanCut.

** The Great Goblin completely freaks out the moment he identifies the elven swords.
** Ori's expression when the Great Goblin orders his cronies to kill the dwarves "starting with the youngest".

** Also, when he realizes that Gollum figured out where his 'precious' is.

* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Azog makes it clear to his mooks that they can kill the other dwarves, just as long as they leave Thorin for him. [[spoiler:When Thorin goes down easily, he seems to lose interest and orders a mook to behead him.]]
* OrcusOnHisThrone: From what we see of The Great Goblin, he sits on his throne and rules Goblin Town, and that's about it.
* OurGiantsAreBigger: The stone giants, briefly mentioned in the book. They are actually made of stone, coming alive and literally wrenching themselves free from the sides of the mountains.
* OutOfTheFryingPan: The party escapes from the goblins of the Misty Mountains, only to get cornered by a worse group of orc warg-riders. Furthermore, they climb trees to escape and use fire to keep the orcs and wargs at bay -- which backfires and leaves most of them dangling from a tree over a cliff's edge. Gandalf and Thorin even {{lampshade|Hanging}} it, saying, "Out of the frying pan ... and into the fire," in a nod to the chapter of the book named after the phrase.

* PickyEater: Played for laughs. The dwarves aren't exactly thrilled to eat elvish vegetables and seem downright confused by the lack of meat.

* PrimalFear: Eating and feasting are important through the story. When enemies are encountered, they often also want to ''eat'' the heroes.

* TheResenter: Implied in the prologue when Thranduil the Elvenking shows deference to Thrór, there is a subtle expression of displeasure on his face. Likewise when he turns away from aiding the dwarves after Smaug invades, his face shows a hint of satisfaction.

** The illustration of Smaug on Gandalf's map of Erebor showed him with four legs and a pair of wings. The glimpses of Smaug in this film's prologue matched this -- until ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'' portraying him with two winged forearms and hindlegs. This later revised in the Extended Edition to mirror his appearance in the later films. However, the illustration of Smaug on the map was not changed.
** When Bilbo told children about his encounter with the trolls, he said that their attempt to cook the dwarves was delayed by them arguing over how to do it. In this film, they only have a minor discussion over it – instead, it's Bilbo who attempts to delay them.

** The prologue showed Bilbo crawling along the ground when he finds the ring, and Gollum yells that his "precious" is lost. Here, Bilbo is standing up when he finds it, and Gollum yells that the goblin he is eating has too many bones. The prologue was narrated by Galadriel, who was not present, so it's justified.
* RevealingHug: Bilbo's face [[spoiler:when Thorin hugs him in gratitude for saving his life]] is rather shocked-looking. No surprise, since by that point he thought that Thorin would never accept him.

* RoboticTortureDevice: The denizens of Goblin Town attempt to use these on the company. One is essentially a giant press with two plates full of nails, the other are two barrels covered in nails where a victim is meant to be pushed in between. Ironically, after seeing one of the dwarves has an elven sword, the Great Goblin simply orders them to be killed without the use of the devices.

* SadisticChoice: The trolls tell the dwarves to surrender or else they will [[spoiler: rip Bilbo apart]]. They surrender.

** The CGI ones deserve a mention -- the sweeping shots of Erebor may be the first time this trope was pulled off ''underground!'' Except for Moria, which was actually BIGGER. If you look closely, you can see similar designs on the pillars. Which makes sense, since the dwarves had to leave Moria because of the Balrog and moved to Erebor.

** Attempted by the dwarves in Goblintown to protect Thorin. The Great Goblin puts the kibosh on that, though.
* ScrewYouElves: Though not without reason. However, Thorin is so disdainful of them that he very nearly refuses to wield one of the finest and mightiest blades ever forged in Middle-Earth, purely because it is of elvish make.

** Gandalf tells Bilbo that elvish blades glow when orcs and goblins are nearby, but Orcrist and Glamdring don't glow at all while Azog's scouts are chasing the dwarves and Gandalf.

** Also ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' with Bombur being similar to Obelix, envisioned with a big belly, no beard, whiskers and long red braids, and for extra points, someone stops him from drinking directly from the cauldron.

** In the extented version, Bilbo and Elrond have a little chat where they used lines that belonged respectively to Frodo and Gildor in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''

* SilenceYouFool: From Thorin when the other twelve dwarves burst into a random blowout over how many dragons Gandalf killed.
* SillySong: "Blunt the Knives", the song the dwarves mock Bilbo with when he complains about their table manners.

* SoMuchForStealth Silencing a potential orc witness is not as easy as it seems, since Kíli hesitates to shoot and his aim is off. Their victim's screams soon alert the rest of the orcs of the dwarves' whereabouts.

** The ponies bolted after the warg-riders attack the Company, so they weren't captured and eaten by goblins as in the book. They also manage to avoid being eaten by trolls earlier on.

* SquashedFlat: Hard to see it, but it happens to a couple goblins when the dwarves are rolling a boulder ahead of them during their escape.

** Galadriel does this after she encourages Gandalf to continue helping the dwarves.
** Gollum pulls this on Bilbo during the game of riddles. Bilbo is distracted by a bat, and when he looks back Gollum has disappeared... and his leering voice is echoing off the walls as he tells his final riddle [[AloneWithThePsycho and menacingly wonders out loud how Hobbits taste]].
* StealthPun: In the extended version, the Great Goblin performs a VillainSong before the captured dwarves, despite them not enjoying it one bit. He has a captive audience.

* TakeMyHand: The dwarves do this when Bilbo is dangling over the edge after [[spoiler:the stone giants' fight.]] Fíli actually yells it to Kíli as the [[spoiler:stone giant Fíli is on starts to move and they're separated.]] Kíli's face when Fíli is pulled just out of reach is ''devastating''.
* TakeThatAudience: In one scene Gandalf recites a story of Bullroarer Took's defeat of the orc-king Golfimbul (in which he knocked the orc's head off and it went down a rabbit hole, inventing the game of golf).[[note]] Gandalf doesn't mention Golfimbul's name in the film, making this moment both less witty and less silly than in book canon.[[/note]] Bilbo mentions that some of that story has to be made up. Gandalf counters that all good stories deserve embellishment. This same claim could be applied to the film adaptation, which embellished the original book to make three films.

** Bilbo does this at Bag End as dwarves keep pouring in.

** After the dwarves survive unscathed their fall into the depths of the goblin kingdom, one of them points out "it could've been worse"... [[spoiler:and then the Goblin King's huge corpse falls on top]].

* ThatsNoMoon: The mountain pass Bilbo and the dwarves must traverse is already precarious, but it gets even worse when it turns out they're actually walking along [[spoiler: the shins of one of the stone giants]].

* TitleDrop: Thorin and Gandalf together say the original chapter title when the Company have [[spoiler:just escaped from the goblin caves]] and are now [[spoiler: being hunted by wargs]].

** During the party, Bilbo angrily says to Gandalf that he doesn't even want to talk about what the dwarves have done to the bathroom, and that they've all but destroyed the plumbing.

* TookALevelInBadass: Bilbo, who goes from an ordinary hobbit who as a responsible adult shows disdain for adventures [[spoiler:to killing a huge orc warrior, a warg and fending off Azog to protect Thorin.]]
* TooPowerfulToLive: Gandalf's justification to Saruman, Galadriel and Elrond for sponsoring Thorin's quest: he believes that while Smaug only cares about Erebor and its treasure, dragons once [[Literature/TheSilmarillion worked for Sauron's master Morgoth]] (whose return is truly impossible) and still might be persuaded to ally himself with Sauron if he were ever to return, and the power Smaug would bring to Sauron's armies would be too horrible to imagine.

* TravelingAtTheSpeedOfPlot: Radagast's arrival to Rhudaur to warn Gandalf and give him the sword is quite jarring for both geographical and chronological matters. Though it's never cleared where he crossed the Misty Mountains by nor how much time it took for him, the only possible option is that he entered by the High Pass (the place where the Company firstly intended to go before being captured by the goblins), which is quite a feat given that it is still very away from Rhosgobel or Dol Guldur. Justified in which he probably made it in time thanks to the speed of his bunny-sled, which had been showed as incredibly fast and reliable.

* UngratefulBastard: The Dwarves in Rivendell. Elrond and his soldiers saves them from an Orc ambush and lets them stay in his house and giving them food (even after Thorin is rude to him and he first sees them as an armed group on his doorstep). In response they ridicule the food he offers, the music, break some of his furniture (Bombur's table scene), make a mess (in the extended edition) and then leave without even a "thank you". When Elrond helps Thorin, Gandalf had to strong-arm him into accepting Elrond's help and Thorin proves stubborn and unwilling every step of the way. Even with Thorin's anti-elf grudge that's petty.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: In the extended edition, Kíli is checking out some elf-maids, to Dwalin's disapproval. Kíli reassures the dwarves that he doesn't fancy them, although "that one there is not bad". The elf then turns around...
* {{Veganopia}}: Rivendell is portrayed as this, with most of their food being fruits and vegetables. Many of the dwarves are perplexed by the elves' diet, wondering where the meat is.
* VertigoEffect: When Radagast sees the Necromancer at Dol Guldur.
* VillainousGlutton: [[WackyWaysideTribe The trolls]] are a problem to the main characters purely because they are hungry. Gollum too, but his emaciated appearance clearly sets him apart.

** The Misty Mountain goblins do a lot of this, though the dwarves seem to pretty much always see them coming.
** And true to his character, Gollum "introduces" himself to Bilbo this way as well.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Kíli appears to want to impress his uncle Thorin and becomes embarrassed when he makes a mistake while Thorin is watching, or gets reprimanded by him.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Radagast disappears from the movie without a comment after distracting a warband of orcs.

** And a small one, when [[spoiler: Bilbo is listening to the dwarves talking about him deserting them, after they all escape the goblins in the mountains. He is wearing The Ring at the time, so he's free to let them believe he's gone for good and go back to Rivendell. Of course, he reveals himself and continues the journey.]]
* WildCard: The reason Gandalf wants Smaug out of the picture; the dragon isn't loyal to anyone, but could be recruited by the forces of evil. See TooPowerfulToLive above.
* TheWorldIsJustAwesome: Especially in the final shot but throughout the film we get nice pullbacks seeing just how awesome Middle-Earth is. Even a bit of ICanSeeMyHouseFromHere: with them looking at the Lonely Mountain which is the dwarves' home.
* WritingAroundTrademarks: When telling Bilbo about the other wizards, Gandalf mentions the two Blue Wizards, but claims to be unable to remember their names. Their names are Alatar and Pallando, but the film makers do not have the rights to ''Literature/UnfinishedTalesOfNumenorAndMiddleEarth'' or ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', and as such they cannot be legally named. This also resulted in the backstory of the Nazgul being rewritten.

* YouHaveFailedMe: Azog does not tolerate failure, feeding one of his soldiers to the wargs for failing to kill Thorin or die in the attempt.

* FatBastard: The Great Goblin. He is grotesquely fat, with an underchin nearly as big as the entire rest of this head. He's also a torturer, a BadBoss, and cooperating with Azog.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Downplayed example with Biblo giving his name . In the context of the rest of the ''Hobbit'' Trilogy, this will have no further repercussions. However, in the larger context of the Middle-Earth narrative, this will come back to haunt Bilbo [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing 60 years later]] and serve as one of the catalysts of the War of the Ring.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Though Thorin's claim to the throne comes from being of the royal line of Durin, the respect he gets from the other dwarfs stems from his victory over Azog at Moria in the battle that gave him the name Oakenshield.

** In the extended edition, Bofur sings part of the "Cow Jumped over the Moon" that Frodo sings in the ''Lord of the Rings'' book at the Prancing Pony.''

* {{Retcon}}: Prior to ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'' portraying him with two winged forearms and hindlegs, the glimpses of Smaug in the prologue possessed four legs and a pair of wings -- which was later revised in the Extended Edition to mirror his appearance in the later films. However, the illustration of Smaug on Gandalf's map of Erebor still shows him with four legs and a pair of wings.

* BerserkButton:
** [[spoiler:When Gollum realizes that Bilbo Baggins took his precious, he flips out.]]
** The Great Goblin completely loses it at the sight of Orcrist and Glamdring. He forgets all about torturing the dwarves and orders their immediate execution.

** In the book, Smaug attacked Erebor 174 years before the dwarves set out to reclaim it. Here, only sixty years pass between the two events.