The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
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Bilbo Baggins and a company of dwarves must navigate dangerous lands and a dragon's lair to reclaim a stolen mountain.
The story
The film follows Bilbo Baggins as he continues to accompany Thorin Oakenshield and his fellow dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. Pursuing them are the vengeful orcs Azog the Defiler and his son Bolg, while Gandalf the Grey investigates the return of a long-forgotten evil force in the ruins of Dol Guldur. The journey takes them through the dangerous Mirkwood forest, where they face various perils and the influence of a mysterious ring.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a battle with Azog, Thorin and his company are escorted by Beorn toward Mirkwood. While Gandalf investigates the ruins of Dol Guldur, he discovers the return of Sauron. In Mirkwood, the group is attacked by spiders, and Bilbo uses his ring to free the dwarves. They are eventually captured by Wood-elves and imprisoned, but Bilbo helps them escape in barrels down a river, where they face a three-way battle with Orcs and elves. They reach the city of Esgaroth, where they are smuggled into the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo enters the mountain to find the Arkenstone but awakens the dragon Smaug. Meanwhile, in Laketown, Bard prepares for Smaug's arrival while Bolg's forces attack. Inside the mountain, the dwarves attempt to trap Smaug in molten gold, but the dragon escapes and flies toward Laketown. Simultaneously, Gandalf is captured by the Necromancer, who reveals himself as Sauron.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 161
- Production countries
- New Zealand; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Jackson
- Writers
- Fran Walsh · screenplay; Philippa Boyens · screenplay; Peter Jackson · screenplay; Guillermo del Toro · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Ian McKellen · Gandalf the Grey; Martin Freeman · Bilbo Baggins; Richard Armitage · Thorin Oakenshield II; Benedict Cumberbatch · Smaug; Evangeline Lilly · Tauriel; Lee Pace · Thranduil; Luke Evans · Bard the Bowman; Orlando Bloom · Legolas Greenleaf
- Genres
- fantasy; adventure
- Themes
- greed; bravery; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- epic; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; adventure; dragon; treasure hunt
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Franchise connections
- The Hobbit
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews and was described as a spectacle that reinvigorates the series.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 74% · scale: percentage · review count: 251; Metacritic · score: 66 · scale: 100 · review count: 44
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Sound Editing · Nominated; Academy Awards · Best Sound Mixing · Nominated; Academy Awards · Best Visual Effects · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was shot simultaneously in 3D at 48 frames per second.; The film's home video sales earned a revenue of $95.1 million.; The film was the fourth highest-grossing film of 2013.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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