The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies - 10 Reasons It's A Great Adaptation

7. The Rise Of Bard The Hero

While Bilbo takes on the role fulfilled by the four hobbits in The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, there was no one to really fill the heroic shoes of powerful characters like Aragorn or Faramir this time around. That was until The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies. Bard the bowman first appeared in the latter half of The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, but suffered a little in the cut from two movies into three; he never got to do anything there but rage gallantly against the foolish actions of Thorn and the master of Laketown. But that changed in the final film as the Bard from the book emerged, embued with much greater depth thanks to a strong performance from Luke Evans. He was the man who defeats the mighty Smaug, protects the people of LaktTown, makes alliances with Thranduil and Gandalf and is the voice of reason against Thorin's madness. When the battle occurs he is the one to rally his people, ensuring victory against insurmountable odds. Bard in the final film becomes the Aragorn of this trilogy, even down to his unwanted role as leader. While Bilbo is the one audiences love, Bard emerges as the trilogies noblest character, like the in book the hero of the eleventh hour.