The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

2013
PG-13
2h 41m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

720K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:32

Adventure Epic Fantasy Epic Quest Sword & Sorcery Adventure Fantasy

The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, their homeland, from the dragon Smaug.The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, their homeland, from the dragon Smaug.The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, their homeland, from the dragon Smaug.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

720K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

926

282

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 19 wins & 90 nominations total

Trivia
The only time Legolas blinks is when he realizes he has been wounded and when Thranduil beheads the orc he is interrogating. This is in keeping with the character, as the only time Legolas blinks in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is when he is strongly surprised.

Goofs
The movies previously retained the idea from the books that sunlight renders Orcs non-functional. Gandalf remarked in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) on how alarming it is that Saruman's breeding program has produced sun-resistant Orc soldiers. Yet in the barrel escape scene from Thranduil's caverns, the orcs are chasing the dwarfs down the River Running, and doing hard battle, in broad daylight without suffering any ill effects.

Quotes
Balin: [sees a chamber full of dead dwarves, with their only means of escape blocked] The last of our kin. They must have come here hoping beyond hope. We could make for the mines. Might last a few days.
Thorin Oakenshield: No. I will not die like this, cowering, clawing for breath. We make for the forges.
Dwalin: He'll see us! Sure as death.
Thorin Oakenshield: Not if we split up.
Balin: Thorin, we'll never make it.
Thorin Oakenshield: Some of us might. Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon. If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together!

Alternate versions
The Extended Edition that was made for the home theater market adds 25 minutes of additional footage. These include the following new or extended scenes:
At the Prancing Pony, Gandalf asks Thorin about his business in Bree. Thorin tells him that he is searching for Thrain, his father who was presumed dead after the Battle of Moria; Thrain has supposedly been seen again. Thorin also mentions that Thrain was wearing one of the seven Dwarf Lord rings when he disappeared.
After having spent the night in Beorn's house, the Dwarves are discussing how they can get past Beorn unseen; however, Gandalf assures them they will need Beorn's help. Gandalf goes with Bilbo to carefully introduce the group to Beorn, and instructs the Dwarves come out of the house two at a time (except for Bombur who is instructed to come out alone) much to Beorn's unpleasant surprise.
Upon leaving with Beorn's ponies, Beorn makes the group swear to free the horses before entering the forest. He then has a talk with Gandalf about Azog, the Necromancer at Dol Guldur, the tombs in the mountains (featuring a flashback with a voiceover by Galadriel) and a possible return of Sauron.
Gandalf warns the Dwarves not to disturb the water in Mirkwood, use only bridges and be wary of illusions.
The Dwarves find the bridge in Mirkwood destroyed, so they cross the river with the use of vines hanging above the water. Bombur falls in the water and is asleep, so the other Dwarves need to carry him. They see a white stag, which Thorin tries to shoot unsuccessfully. Bilbo states this will bring bad luck.
The Master of Laketown and his aid Alfrid talk about Bard and their desire to get rid of his influence on the people of the town. As Alfrid serves the Master a plate of goat and ram's testicles to eat, they discuss a possibility to silence Bard.
While being smuggled into Laketown, the Dwarves are discovered. They fight off the guards with the help of the townsfolk. Braga, the captain of the guards, enters, and Bard bribes him into leaving by offering him a fancy piece of underwear for his wife.
The Master of Laketown and Alfrid are discussing an old prophecy that when the king of the mountain returns, the streets will run with gold.
Alfrid asks whether Thorin can be trusted to keep his word, prompting Bilbo to vouch for him.
The remaining Dwarves ask Alfrid to help the wounded Kili, but he coldly dismisses them.
Balin describes how the desolation of Smaug was once a lush woodland.
While at Dol Guldur, Gandalf is suddenly attacked by a Dwarf. After a brief scuffle, Gandalf recognizes his assailant as Thrain, and uses an enchantment to give him his memory back. Thrain mentions how he lost his finger and the Dwarf Lord ring during the Battle of Moria. He also warns Gandalf that no one should enter Erebor.
Gandalf and Thrain are attacked by Azog at Dol Guldur. Azog's subtitle, "Run him down!" is changed to "Run them down!" in the Extended Edition. Gandalf fights him off and they run away, only to be caught by the Necromancer, who uses black smoke tendrils to grab and kill Thrain.

Connections
Edited into The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Extended Edition Scenes (2014)

Soundtracks
Trumpet Fanfare
Composed by David Donaldson, David Long, Steve Roche & Janet Roddick

User reviews1K

Review

Featured review

8/10

A Mile a Minute

After reading some of the previous reviews, I wonder what it takes to engage the modern viewer. It seems we have become so jaded that we see the necessity of giving a one star review to something as phenomenal as this film is. It is filled with action, sets of remarkable creativity, amazing characters, in a complex plot that made me long for the conclusion. I know it doesn't follow the book religiously. Get over that. Even a fifteen hour miniseries based on a novel fails miserably. Of course, every English teacher on the planet knows that we are working in two entirely different mediums. Books and movies are different! What Peter Jackson has done is taken the primary plot and allowed his script writers to take what is given and supplement it with their own creativity. The first film, though imperfect, does set the stage for this superior second effort. What we get is nonstop action, moving the characters toward the object of their quest. Tolkien's rules are followed if not the letter of the plot. The first film was criticized for being too talky. Now this one is being criticized for not being talky enough. For me, the scene where the gang must escape an elven prison and face the orcs is one of the most delightful fifteen minutes I've ever spent in a movie theater. I don't expect an action film based on a book with voluminous characters to have character development like "Driving Miss Daisy." See the film for what it is and count yourselves lucky to have the luxury of being able to see the amazing accomplishments of the Peter Jackson's of the world.