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The Hobbit trilogy includes An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel Hobbit, published in 1937, the films have borrowed from The Lord of the Rings appendices and incorporated new characters and plots.
As a precursor to The Lord of the Rings, the story takes place 60 years earlier. It follows Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he joins Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and 13 dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). The films include Gandalf's investigation into Dol Guldur and Thorin's pursuit by orcs Azog and Bolg.
Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings was a triumph, but The Hobbit fell short. Despite financial success, reviews were mediocre, revenues declined, and the films lacked the magic of The Lord of the Rings, making them a less beloved addition to the franchise.
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Overuse of CGI and other noticeable flaws in The Hobbit trilogy
1) Overuse of CGI weakened The Hobbit's realism
Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy did not have the down-to-earth realism of The Lord of the Rings. Although technology improved creatures like Gollum and Smaug, others—goblins, orcs, and Billy Connolly's entirely CGI (Computer-generated imagery) Dáin Ironfoot—were not upgraded.
Jackson's 3D camera usage and a 48fps high frame rate, though groundbreaking, made CGI worlds blurry and actors unconnected when translated to the standard 24fps home release.
The Lord of the Rings used a combination of practical and CGI effects to create a realistic Middle-earth. Whereas The Hobbit relied too much on CGI, and as a result, much of the footage looks animated, not real.
Settings and characters were all digitally created, replacing stop-motion miniatures and location shooting. The RED digital cameras and the high frame rate were used further into an over-the-top, hyper-real visual approach, which, although technically stunning, was not as immersive as Jackson's original vision had intended.
2) Bilbo's role reduced in The Hobbit trilogy
J.R.R. Tolkien's book The Hobbit tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins evolving from an unwilling hero to one of courage. However, the movie trilogy shifts most of the attention towards Thorin Oakenshield and his fight with Azog.
As the trilogy goes on, the focus on Bilbo decreases, and major book scenes are changed or cut out. One of these alterations is the discovery of Smaug's vulnerable spot by Bilbo. In the book, this is communicated to Bard by a thrush, emphasizing Bilbo's role in the dragon's demise.
In the movies, however, Bard witnesses the vulnerable spot himself, diminishing Bilbo's role.
3) Over-the-top action sequences
The Hobbit trilogy boasts plenty of action scenes, from the dwarves fleeing Goblin Town to the final Battle of the Five Armies. But nearly all of them get blown up quite a bit further than their initial conception, with intricate choreography and gigantic visual effects.
The action scenes typically have the heroes emerge victorious with minimal or no negative repercussions despite the odds against them. The dwarves sometimes just narrowly escape possible death. For example, they avoid a deep chasm, dodge flames from dragons amidst small pillars, and fight dozens of orcs without getting so much as a bruise.
Such comedic relief as Bombur pushing a number of orcs over a cliff while chasing them on barrels takes away from the life-or-death quality of the tale.
4) Expanded cast in The Hobbit Trilogy
As a lead-in to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit trilogy brings back familiar favorites like Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee) in supporting roles within the story of Gandalf.
New faces, both borrowed from Tolkien's larger legendarium and forged specifically for the movies, are also included, with varying levels of impact.
In The Battle of the Five Armies, the cast includes a lot of side characters, with some having detailed arcs, like Bard's son, and some in more minor roles. Alfrid Lickspittle (Ryan Gage) is still obsessed with self-preservation with little development, and Tauriel, who has a great introduction, is defined by her role in a love triangle.
These insertions push the story outside the original confines of the book, occasionally diverting attention from established characters.
5) The Rings of Power avoids one Hobbit mistake but repeats another
Almost a decade after the trilogy, Amazon produced its own Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings of Power, based on Tolkien's appendices and supporting books.
The show steered clear of some of the pitfalls of The Hobbit, specifically its overdependence on CGI. While there were digital effects, The Rings of Power used real sets and practical effects, such as new places like Númenor, which had not been in Peter Jackson's films.
As with The Hobbit, the show also makes reference to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and sometimes paces slower with longer episodes of narrative. Both of the film projects' gestation process mirrors difficulties in translating Tolkien's work onto the screen without compromising mythology at the expense of contemporary telling.
6) Action sequences in The Hobbit
It includes several major action sequences, such as the dwarves' escape from Goblin Town and the climactic Battle of the Five Armies. However, the staging of these set pieces follows a highly stylized trajectory, often making the characters appear nearly invincible.
Throughout the films, the main characters survive extreme situations with minimal consequences, such as narrowly avoiding stone giants, falling into Goblin Town without injury, and evading dragonfire behind small stone pillars.
These moments contribute to a sense of reduced stakes, as the protagonists rarely seem to be in real danger. The comedic elements, like Bombur toppling orcs during the barrel chase, blend spectacle with humor, affecting the film's sense of danger and consequence.
7) The dwarves' limited development in The Hobbit Trilogy
It took rewriting the trilogy to make its 13 dwarves memorable. But where dwarves such as Thorin, Balin, and Bombur were distinct, the others were more or less relegated to the background.
The movies first assigned each dwarf distinct characteristics, such as Óin's ear trumpet and Dwalin's combat abilities. However, along the way, the narrative remained centered around Thorin, his nephews, and Balin.
The thinner beard dwarves and less exaggerated facial features—like Kili and Fili—received more screen time, while the others were of little impact. Even the father of Gimli, Glóin, appeared for the most part for a brief comment on The Lord of the Rings.
Interested viewers can stream all three movies of the trilogy on Prime Video.
