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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Play trailer Poster for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug PG-13 Released Dec 13, 2013 2h 40m Fantasy Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 251 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Having survived the first part of their unsettling journey, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his companions (Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage) continue east. More dangers await them, including the skin-changer Beorn and the giant spiders of Milkwood. 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 (Benedict Cumberbatch).
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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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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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online 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. Sep 5, 2017 Full Review Max Nelson Film Comment Magazine Nearly everyone in the film is creaking under the weight of the past. Jan 14, 2014 Full Review Bruce Diones New Yorker 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. Dec 30, 2013 Full Review Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson The continued character development is another perk of the patience of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Rated: 4/5 Oct 17, 2024 Full Review JD Duran InSession Film 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. Rated: B- Aug 19, 2024 Full Review Iván Kazi EscribiendoCine This sequel compensates and amply exceeds its predecessor. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 9/10 Dec 7, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Affleberry F A splendid adventure filled with lore & wonder. By far my favorite of The Hobbit trilogy. My critique of the first movie still stands with this one though, & there is far too much CGI. Other than that, highly recommended . Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/01/24 Full Review Patrick F Begins to lose some of its momentum, but still a fairly solid movie if your into this universe. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/26/24 Full Review Nick R It's your standard middle-movie, but it's a bit more entertaining and Smaug is very impressive. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/03/24 Full Review Theode A Just wow, wow and WOW. This movie is all about action, adventures and emotions. I really liked the interduction of some new characters. I'm really looking forward for the last movie of this beautiful Trilogy. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/29/24 Full Review Guilherme F É BOM , MAS SEI LA , NAO É AQUILO QUE AGENTE ESPERAVA , NAO É SENHOR DOS ANEIS , COMO DISSE O FILME É BOM , MAS TEM SEUS PONTOS FRACOS , E SEUS PONTOS FORTES QUE NAO SAO MUITOS , NAO SAO REALMENTE PONTOS FORTES , SO SAO COISAS QUE O FILME DEVERIA POR OBRIGAÇAO FAZER , MAS ATE QUE É DESCONTRAIDO E LEGAL , É UM POQUINHO MELHOR QUE SEU ANTECEDENTE. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/25/24 Full Review Audience Member This movie in The Hobbit Trilogy drops you straight into the action and rarely stops! It starts out with Bilbo and The Company evading a group of orcs and soon enough, ending up in Beorn's house. Going to Beorn's house is a great part of the movie, but The Company getting captured by the Wood Elves seems to be one of the bigger external conflicts, along with attempting to confront and kill Smaug later on in the movie. Speaking of the company getting captured by the elves of Mirkwood, Bilbo is the only member of the party who doesn't get captured, leading him to use the ring to sneak into the elven castle and steal the keys to the dwarves' cells and quickly hatching an escape plan using the barrels in the cellar! During The Company's barrel ride down the river, another group of orcs appear and start to attack. Luckily, the prince of Mirkwood, Legolas, and is friend Tauriel both help the party fight off the orcs. Tauriel in particular is a major part of one of the internal conflicts. She starts to fall for one of the members of The Company, Kili, despite her culture saying she should hate dwarves. When she realizes that Kili was poisoned by one of the orc arrows, she sets out to Laketown to heal him. Now that's dedication! There are lots of internal and external conflicts that I didn't mention here, if you want to hear about more, go watch the movie yourself! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/24/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Having survived the first part of their unsettling journey, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his companions (Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage) continue east. More dangers await them, including the skin-changer Beorn and the giant spiders of Milkwood. 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 (Benedict Cumberbatch).
Director
Peter Jackson
Producer
Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Screenwriter
Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), WingNut Films, New Line Cinema
Rating
PG-13 (Frightening Images|Fantasy Action Violence)
Genre
Fantasy, Adventure
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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