The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies Spoilers - 12 Major Revelations Reviewed

2. Thorin Dies

Thorin's arc is the only one that is really explored in any real way in the final film (though there is some development in Tauriel and Kili's tragic relationship), as he goes from conquering hero to blinded villain and back to hero again, and it is somewhat fitting that the quest that has singularly driven him for years ends with his death. For all of the complaints about Richard Armitage's performance, he sells the relationship between he and Bilbo well, and there are some genuinely touching moments there, especially at the end of things when the dwarf king dies in front of the hobbit. Naturally there's the obligatory penance for his past actions, and then Bilbo sits in silence next to Gandalf who blazes up some herb to reflect on things (a moment of restraint that is as fitting as it is alien to the rest of the film). Thorin dies at Azog's hand, as the pair battle on the frozen river (featuring a deeply creepy moment when Azog is briefly submerged and floats apparently dead beneath a sheet of ice) and end up stabbing each other at the same time. It's a little generic to have the big hero kill the big bad (when the Hobbit's portrait of him as simply a casualty of war is more poignant), but it is fitting and it will give fans what they want.