INQUISITR.COM / Health & Lifestyle

‘Battle Of The Five Armies’ Petition Demands Peter Jackson Change ‘Hobbit’ Movie Name Back

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 07:45 PST, Apr 25, 2014

Battle Of The Five Armies is the new name for the final Hobbit movie, and the change has some fans upset because they would have preferred the whimsical writings of J.R.R Tolkien, who had Bilbo Baggins referring to his journey across Middle Earth as There And Back Again.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, director Peter Jackson explained why The Hobbit: There And Back Again was changed to The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies:

“Our journey to make The Hobbit Trilogy has been in some ways like Bilbo’s own, with hidden paths revealing their secrets to us as we’ve gone along. There and Back Again felt like the right name for the second of a two film telling of the quest to reclaim Erebor, when Bilbo’s arrival there, and departure, were both contained within the second film. But with three movies, it suddenly felt misplaced—after all, Bilbo has already arrived ‘there’ in the Desolation of Smaug.”

The executives at MGM apparently felt The Battle Of Five Armies was the best choice since the movie will largely focus on the battle between the Golins, Wargs, Men of Dale, Elves, and Dwarves. Of course, the “back again” part is unavoidable since Bilbo’s return to the shire will be the ending. Still, Jackson does admit that Tolkien intended There And Back Again to encompass the entirety of Bilbo’s adventure, so he says the name may come back again in order to refer to a box set which includes all three parts of the Hobbit story.

But while The Battle Of Five Armies may be logical considering the circumstances of the movie trilogy, die-hard Tolkien fans are plenty mad that Jackson is messing with their Hobbit masterpiece:

Because of the anger directed at the name The Battle Of Five Armies, some fans have created a petition to have The Hobbit: There And Back Again restored to its rightful place:

“Changing the title to “The Battle of the Five Armies” moves the focus of the film. ‘There and Back Again’ was a perfect, all encompassing title that we’ve all grown attached to and love. Please change the official title back to what it originally was. Focus on the hope of the story and not the heartbreaking loss!”

Do you think The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies is a good idea or should Peter Jackson honor Tolkien by keeping the original plan?

Share this article: ‘Battle Of The Five Armies’ Petition Demands Peter Jackson Change ‘Hobbit’ Movie Name Back
The Hobbit
More from Inquisitr