Bilbo Baggins
PLAYED BY: MARTIN FREEMAN
Bilbo exhibits all the typical traits of
a hobbit, in that he’d rather stay home
and enjoy some cheese and tea than
venture off into the dangerous world
beyond the rolling green hills of the
Shire. That all changes when thirteen
dwarves and a wizard turn his
world inside-out. Bilbo’s wit, tenacity
and courage prove a surprise to
everybody. Including himself.
For those who haven’t seen the first
film, firstly, perhaps it’s time to rethink
your life strategy, and secondly, here’s a
brief breakdown of the tale told by The
Hobbit. Set 60 years before the events
of The Lord of the Rings, it follows Bilbo
Baggins, an unadventurous hobbit who’s
swept up in an uncharacteristically
adventurous expedition to help a small
company of thirteen dwarves (led by
Thorin Oakenshield, and accompanied
by the wizard Gandalf the Grey) on their
quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain,
and with it, the lost dwarven kingdom
of Erebor. The trouble is, the Lonely
Mountain is presently occupied by the
great dragon Smaug and his monstrous
pile of pillaged treasure. And Smaug’s not
exactly into sharing, nor is he about to
leave peacefully. And so Bilbo reluctantly
signs on as the group’s lone halfling,
using his natural inclination for stealthy
shenanigans to be fittingly appointed the
title of company burglar. What follows
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FEATURE / MOVIES / THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG