The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug [Top]
However, criticisms remained. Purists decried the invented love triangle between Legolas, Tauriel, and Kíli, as well as the bloated pacing of the middle act. The decision to end the film on a cliffhanger—rather than include Smaug’s death—felt manipulative to some, stretching the narrative thin to justify a third film.
When Peter Jackson announced he was expanding J.R.R. Tolkien’s relatively slim children’s novel The Hobbit into a trilogy of epic films, fans and critics alike were skeptical. The first film, An Unexpected Journey (2012), was criticized for its slow pacing and over-reliance on callbacks to The Lord of the Rings . But with its 2013 sequel, The Desolation of Smaug , Jackson silenced many doubters. This second chapter jettisons the leisurely picnic breaks of the first film and plunges audiences headfirst into a tense, thrilling, and visually spectacular race against time. It is a film about greed, courage, and the seductive danger of the dragon’s gold. Plot Summary: The Race to the Mountain Picking up precisely where the first film ended, The Desolation of Smaug follows the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the company of thirteen Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) as they continue their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its vast treasure from the dragon Smaug. Pursued by the pale Orc Azog and his hunters, the company takes a perilous shortcut through the dark and twisted forest of Mirkwood. the hobbit: the desolation of smaug
They finally reach Lake-town, a squalid human settlement built on the shores of the Long Lake, ruled by the cowardly and corrupt Master (Stephen Fry) and his sycophantic aide, Alfrid (Ryan Gage). Here, the Dwarves are met with both suspicion and hope. Using the townspeople’s desperation, Thorin promises a share of the mountain’s wealth, securing boats and supplies for the final leg of the journey. However, criticisms remained
The forest tests their sanity, and they are captured by the Wood-elves of Mirkwood, led by the haughty and suspicious King Thranduil (Lee Pace). With the help of a mysterious new ally—a shapeshifter named Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt) and, later, the elven captain Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly)—the Dwarves escape in ingenious fashion, floating down a river in empty wine barrels. This barrel chase sequence, a rollicking mix of slapstick and life-or-death danger, becomes one of the film’s most memorable set pieces. When Peter Jackson announced he was expanding J
Yet, in hindsight, The Desolation of Smaug stands as the heart of the trilogy. It is the chapter where the adventure truly becomes dangerous, where the characters are forced to grow, and where the visual effects artistry of Weta Workshop reached its peak. The dragon Smaug remains one of cinema’s most convincing and terrifying CGI creations—a greedy, magnificent nightmare. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug succeeds where many middle-chapter films fail. It does not tread water; it accelerates. It transforms a simple children’s story about a dragon into a complex meditation on obsession and heroism. While it may not reach the emotional heights of The Lord of the Rings , it is a roaring, thunderous piece of blockbuster filmmaking. By the time Smaug opens his wings and flies toward Lake-town, eyes blazing, you are not thinking about page count or fidelity to the novel. You are simply holding your breath, waiting for the fire.