Before The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, The Hobbit trilogy by Peter Jackson were considered the worst modern adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's work. Due to a terrible production that saw Jackson taking over from Guillermo del Toro, the films suffer from a bloated runtime, too many sub-plots, and excessive CGI. They have often been compared to the Star Wars prequels.
However, one place the films receive praise is the characters. Except for one or two legacy characters, the majority of the cast are new and have to work to endear themselves to audiences. This was accomplished thanks to fantastic actors who put in heartfelt performances, or by having interesting gimmicks.
Beorn
On the run from the pale orc, Azog, Gandalf leads the company towards a longhouse owned by Beorn the skin-changer. Sometimes he is a great man, and sometimes he is a massive bear. While not a huge fan of dwarves, Beorn hates the orcs more for driving him out of his ancestral mountain home.
While his role is small, Beorn hints at an ideal life of man and nature in harmony. He takes great care of the animals in his care and is not afraid to fight those who would set the land to ruin. Sadly, the movies denied Beorn the chance to avenge his people by killing Bolg in The Battle of the Five Armies, but he still gets to savage an entire army.
Bofur
Despite being the most prominent characters in all three films, only a handful of the other twelve dwarves get any focus. One of the more heartfelt ones was Bofur, cousin of Bifur and brother to Bombur. Along with his beautiful mustache and hat, Bofur's heart leads to one of the key moments in the trilogy.
Bofur shared a moment with Bilbo in An Unexpected Journey, when Bilbo almost left the company. It was Bofur's sad admittance that the dwarves lack a home compared to Bilbo that convince the hobbit to stick through the journey. The extended edition helps make Bofur even more endearing by giving him a fun song to sing as the dwarves wreck the elves of Rivendell's dinner.
Balin
Fans of the Jackson trilogy will remember Balin as Gimli's cousin who tried to retake Moria. As the only other dwarf in the company who remembers living under the lonely mountain, Balin acts as Thorin's trusted advisor and friend. His role in the story usually falls to exposition, as he fills Bilbo and the audience in on Thorin's past.
Balin gets the most screen time out of the dwarves and is probably the most traditional dwarf-looking with his long beard. He shares a fair amount of his scenes with Bilbo, and develops a grandfatherly relationship with the hobbit. This makes his final goodbye to Bilbo sadder when you remember his fate.
Radagast the Brown
Among the five wizards sent to protect the world from Sauron, Radagast the Brown is the most atypical. Unlike Gandalf who inspires the people of Middle Earth, or Saruman who leads the fight against evil, Radagast protects the forests and beasts from dark incursions. This allows him to discover the Necromancer in the ruins of Dol Guldur.
Radagast offers a more eccentric take on wizards. His love of animals is touching and Dr. Who star Sylvester McCoy is able to switch between silly and serious, which helps to hint at Radagast's inner power. He comes to Gandalf's aid several times in the film, and in the extended edition, even gives Gandalf a new staff.
Dain Ironfoot
The Lord of the Iron Hills is Thorin's cousin and a veteran of many battles. When Thoron re-took the lonely mountain, he sent word to Dain to bring an army of dwarves to help defend it from encroaching men and elves. After the battle of the five armies and Thorin's death, Dain is crowned the new King Under the Mountain.
Dain had one massive action sequence to leave an impact, but manages to succeed thanks to a combination of impressive fighting skills, a war pig, and his no-nonsense attitude. Billy Connolly is having a ball playing a dwarf who has no problem calling an elf king a "pointy-eared princess," which helps distinguish him from Thorin's brooding. Unfortunately, Connolly couldn't handle the heavy makeup, so many of Dain's scenes were completed with bad CGI.
Bard
Descended from Girion, Lord of Dale, who failed to kill Smaug, Bard lives in Laketown where he works as a bargeman. Though he tries to keep his head down for his children, the Master of Laketown hates Bard, who he views as a political rival. Things only become more complicated when Bilbo and the dwarves arrive.
Bard's role is similar to Aragorn's from the original trilogy. He is the descendant of a great king who is given a chance to make amends for a past mistake and becomes a modern leader. Fortunately, Bard carves his own identity thanks to his relationship with his family and Luke Evans gives a solid performance as someone who wants a normal life but keeps getting thrust into adventure.
Thorin Oakenshield
With the death of his grandfather and the disappearance of his father, Thorin Oakenshield is the rightful heir to the lonely mountain. Unfortunately, his pride and suspicion against elves leave him with very few friends. Nevertheless, he is prepared to risk everything to regain his birthright and give his scattered people a home.
Thorin's portrayal in the film is more broody than in the books, but it results in a heartfelt moment at the climax of An Unexpected Journey when he acknowledges Bilbo as a friend. Richard Armitage does a wonderful job portraying all sides of Thorin and excels anytime Thorin's rage breaks free. The writers enjoyed Thorin's story so much that he practically became the main character starting with The Desolation of Smaug, to the trilogy's detriment.
Thranduil
The father of Legolas and ruler of Mirkwood, Thranduil is an isolationist who doesn't care for what goes on outside his borders. However, when news of the dragon's death reaches him, he goes to support the men of Laketown with food and soldiers. That is, so long as Bard will help him claim the white gemstones he has long coveted.
What makes Thranduil so engaging are the hints of a traumatic past that have shaped his current mindset. Along with losing his wife to orcs, he uses magic to hide horrible disfigurements that he received fighting dragons. Actor Lea Pace speaks every word like it's a labor, which helps to sell Thranduil as someone closed off from his emotions due to pain.
Smaug
The reason why the dwarves were scattered from their home in the first place is Smaug, the last great fire drake of the north. He was lured to the lonely mountain by the treasure of Thorin's grandfather and claimed it of his own, and he destroyed the kingdom of Dale for good measure. When the dwarves return to steal the Arkenstone from his hoard, Smaug awakens in all his wrath.
Smaug is one of fiction's greatest dragons, and the film captures him in all his glory. This is thanks in no small part to Benedict Cumberbatch, who also provided motion capture for the dragon, which he mimicked off of crocodilians and monitor lizards. The movie also showcases Smaug's intellect thanks to well-chosen dialogue and a faithful re-creation of his iconic encounter with Bilbo.
Bilbo Baggins
While Bilbo was first introduced to film audiences in The Fellowship of The Rings, the Bilbo of this story is a very different character. Unlike the adventure-loving writer played by Ian Holm, Martin Freeman's Bilbo is a timid Hobbit who never dreams of adventures. However, he slowly discovers his courage and becomes a proper burglar before the journey's end.
Freeman's non-verbal acting is on point in these films. With just a flick of his eyes to the ground or the twist of his lips in discomfort, he perfectly captures whatever emotion Bilbo is feeling at the moment. While his story does get lost among the sub-plots of the film, Five Armies brings it back by showing Bilbo willing to risk his life to find a peaceful end to the conflict, reminding the audience of his good nature and selflessness.