The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

PG-13

2013

2h 40m

Fantasy

Adventure

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

251 Reviews

85%

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250,000+ Ratings

Having survived the first part of their unsettling journey, Bilbo Baggins and his companions continue east. More dangers await them, including the skin-changer Beorn and the giant spiders of Mirkwood. After escaping capture by the dangerous Wood Elves, Bilbo and the dwarves journey to Lake-town and, finally, to the Lonely Mountain, where they face the greatest danger of all: the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Critics Consensus

While still slightly hamstrung by "middle chapter" narrative problems and its formidable length, The Desolation of Smaug represents a more confident, exciting second chapter for the Hobbit series.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/05/2017

Jackson managed to do something that I never thought was possible--make me care about a Hobbit tale. He also delivered one of the best cliffhangers of the year. Kudos to that.

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Max Nelson

Film Comment Magazine

01/14/2014

Nearly everyone in the film is creaking under the weight of the past.

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Bruce Diones

The New Yorker

12/30/2013

The tale has no emotional resonance, and the thinness of the plot (only five of the book's chapters are adapted here) and the colorless depictions of the leading characters do it no favors.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

10/17/2024

4/5

The continued character development is another perk of the patience of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

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JD Duran

InSession Film

08/19/2024

B-

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug was anything but impressive. Just because you have the resources and abilities to do anything with CGI, doesn’t mean you should go crazy with it.

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Iván Kazi

EscribiendoCine

12/07/2022

9/10

This sequel compensates and amply exceeds its predecessor. [Full review in Spanish]

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Kurt D

Jan 12

Great story and acting, wish it was the extended version.

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Ivan

Jan 11

Without spoilers. There is a lot that is not in the book of course. The Smaug scenes are amazing but it can be much shorter

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Movie Guy

Jan 11

Great on the big screen.

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Lucy

Jan 11

Love love love this movie

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Intellectual G.

@Intellectual Mar 31

Peter Jackson uses a go pro.

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Tyson D.

@Spudsprout Mar 8

(Overall Rating: 2.91/5) (OK) ----- (Cinematography/Atmosphere: 3/5) While there was a lot of cool atmosphere/scenery, there were almost equal parts that pulled me out of the Middle Earth setting. I can never get over the barrel riding, and while it does make for a humorous title for Bilbo, it is just too nonsensical, even in a fantasy setting. --- (Storyline/Plot: 2.5/5) This movie just didn't quiet do enough in 3 hours (extended version) to progress the story in any meaningful way. I feel like this film is the cinematic version of "this could have been an email" --- (Acting: 3.5/5) The acting was decent, Martin Freeman is simply amazing again. I do want to know why Luke Evans looks more like Orlando Bloom than Orlando Bloom though. Benedict Cumerbatch as Smaug was fantastic voice acting. --- (Character Quality: 3/5) The characters that were cool (mostly not the dwarves) did not get enough screen time. We can always use more Bilbo and Beorn was pretty cool. Smaug seemed slightly held back from what I would expect to be his true potential. The plot armor is thick in this one. --- (Entertainment Value: 3/5) The battle scenes, specifically with the Orcs and in Mirkwood were great. Could have used a few more honestly. The story dragged a bit though causing some pretty big gaps in entertainment. --- (Expectations vs. Reality: 2.5/5) It has been a while since I have scene this one and I always go into it thinking it is going to better than it is. The first in the series is very good but this one is a bit of a let down.

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Martin Freeman

Bilbo Baggins

Richard Armitage

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Benedict Cumberbatch

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Synopsis

Having survived the first part of their unsettling journey, Bilbo Baggins and his companions continue east. More dangers await them, including the skin-changer Beorn and the giant spiders of Mirkwood. After escaping capture by the dangerous Wood Elves, Bilbo and the dwarves journey to Lake-town and, finally, to the Lonely Mountain, where they face the greatest danger of all: the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Director: Peter Jackson
Producer: Fran Walsh, Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner
Screenwriter: Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), WingNut Films
Rating: PG-13 (Frightening Images|Fantasy Action Violence)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 13, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 25, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $258.4M
Runtime: 2h 40m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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