The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies - 5 Reasons It's Awesome (And 6 Why It Sucked)

5. Alfrid = Jar Jar Binks

Destined to become known as the Jar Jar Binks of the Middle-Earth series, Alfrid Lickspittle (Ryan Gage) is only mentioned in passing in Tolkein's novel and never named, but Jackson somehow felt the need to not only name him but give him a significant comic relief role in this final movie. It begins with him and the Master of Laketown attempting to escape during Smaug's attack, bringing as much gold and treasure with them as they can. Bard then calls upon him to help with the survival effort ahead of the final battle, which he begrudgingly does, all the while maintaining a keen focus on how much gold he can escape with. This leads to the most cringe-worthy scene in possibly the entire Middle-Earth series, as Alfrid dresses up as a woman and stuffs treasure inside his bra, giving him the appearance of a busty wench, much to the bemusement of anyone who catches a glimpse of his face (most of all the audience). Though it's absolutely no fault of actor Ryan Gage, who tries his damnedest to make the part work, Alfrid is an unnecessary affectation intended to lighten the load in the darkest of the three movies, but he mostly just undermines the dramatic stage Jackson is trying to construct. Cut him out of the movie and you've immediately lost about 10 minutes of needless silliness right there and then.