The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
December 13, 2013 in theaters
Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Company of Dwarves press deeper into their quest for Erebor, navigating Mirkwood, the Lake-town of Esgaroth, and finally the Lonely Mountain itself — where the dragon Smaug guards their stolen kingdom. The second film in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy raises the stakes and introduces Laketown politics and the growing shadow of Sauron.
Cast
Director
TRAILER
QUOTE
"I am fire. I am death."
-- Smaug
DID YOU KNOW?
Benedict Cumberbatch voices and motion-captured Smaug -- he also plays the Necromancer in the same film.
THE VERDICT
Synthesized from published reviews
The second Hobbit film tightens its predecessor's loose pacing and introduces Smaug as one of the great cinematic antagonists of the decade — Benedict Cumberbatch's voice work and the visual design are precisely right. The barrel-river sequence and Dol Guldur subplot show the trilogy operating at something close to its best, while the truncated Laketown setup points to the structural problem the finale will inherit. A clear improvement over the first entry.
PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Where this fits in the larger story
The Desolation of Smaug is the middle chapter of The Hobbit trilogy, following Bilbo and the dwarves as their quest draws closer to Erebor. It connects Bilbo's growing confidence with the danger surrounding Smaug, Mirkwood, Lake-town, and the darker forces stirring beyond the mountain. Its placement expands the adventure from treasure hunt to regional crisis, showing how old grudges and hidden threats begin reshaping Middle-earth.
GALLERY
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