The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Blu-ray 3D UV) (Blu-ray)

I have read absolutely everything that JRR Tolkien has ever written, and consider myself a Tolkien fanatic. This is my perspective on The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. Please stick with me to the end, and I'll try not to lose you. Let's begin. So...if The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was Peter Jackson giving the purists their dues with a relatively straightforward and book-faithful film, then THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG is Peter Jackson saying: "You've had your fun. Now stand back and watch what I can do."And the ride he takes us on is absolutely exhilarating. SMAUG is darker, moodier, and more mature than any Middle Earth film we've seen thus far. Evil hangs over our heroes like a black pall (literally). Beset on all sides by revenge-seeking orcs, wargs, terrifying spiders, pale creepy-crawlies, double-crossing elves, treacherous humans, a growing Evil in a ruined Elvish citadel, and a huge, vain, fire-breathing dragon...both the heroes and the audience are plunged into a...Read more

I do have some misgivings about The Hobbit being split into three parts, as I'm sure many others do too. If it needed to be split at all, two parts would have done just fine, as the book is also divided into two parts. Still, I can't complain with most of what I've seen. Visually and in terms of spectacle, Peter Jackson continues to outdo himself with every successive film. Still, that doesn't change the fact that these movies have been padded with extra material in an effort to tie them more strongly to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, what Peter Jackson has given us is just fine and quite enjoyable. Riveting even. This film begins a year before Bilbo and the company start off on their journey at a meeting between Thorin Oakenshield and Gandalf. While this might have been more at home in the previous installment, it does add character depth and clarifies the motivation behind wanting to take back the mountain. The film then proceeds to continue where the last one...Read more

The extended edition for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug will contain 25 minutes of new scenes, in contrast with An Unexpected Journey's 13 minutes. It also has over 9 hours of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, detailing the monumental task of bringing the incredible world of Middle Earth to the screen. Here is some stuff we'll see in the Extended Edition:1. A LOT MORE OF DOL GULDUR. Specifically, we get to meet Thrain, Thorin's mad father. A sad twisted wreck of a dwarf, he reveals dark truths about the Necromancer (and hey, great performance!). The makeup and prosthetic effects for Thrain are just amazing. Wait till you see it. Richard Armitage also promises glimpses of a vast, bloody battle in Moria.2. A LOT MORE OF MIRKWOOD. I was surprised and pleased to learn that two scenes from the book were actually filmed: Bilbo, Thorin and company crossing a slimy, enchanted river in Mirkwood. Contains some humor, some amazing sets, some amazing Martin...Read more