The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies Spoilers - 12 Major Revelations Reviewed
3. Fili & Kili Die, But Tauriel Doesnt
Again it's no revelation for fans of the original book that the young nephews of Thorin are killed in battle, but expectations are played with slightly since Thorin is not slain on the battlefield. Because of that the young dwarves are robbed of their own heroic stances defending his prone body - for which they are honoured in death - but both are given "important" deaths. First Fili springs the trap set by Bolg and Azog at the top of the mountain, revealing the presence of the Gundabad forces and is killed in front of his brother, and then a fit of passion (which was clearly Kili's weakness) led him to chase after Bolg, who kills him in front of Tauriel after almost killing her too. If anything, the Hobbit doesn't kill enough characters. There is some value in Tauriel and Kili's relationship as it brings a star-crossed lovers feel to the story, but ultimately because she is saved some of the emotional impact is diluted by questions of what comes next. It would have been more poignant to see her also killed, which might have been a more fitting "lesson" for Thranduill after he exiles her, but now everyone has to just ignore the fact that she's not around in the Lord Of The Rings for no real reason. All of the other supporting dwarves survive as they did in the book - though not in all adaptations, but of course, their number is further depleted by the end of the film...
