The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
- To accurately portray their role in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Ian McKellen spent weeks conducting hands-on research and rehearsing directly with director Peter Jackson.
- Despite initial studio skepticism, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug went on to gross over $959,000,000 worldwide.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a 2013 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson, the second installment of the three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. The film continues the journey of Bilbo Baggins and the company of Dwarves as they travel through Mirkwood forest, are captured by the Wood-elves of the Woodland Realm, escape via barrels down a raging river, reach the human settlement of Lake-town, and ultimately arrive at the Lonely Mountain where Bilbo must enter Smaug's lair and steal the Arkenstone.
Benedict Cumberbatch provided the voice and motion-capture performance for Smaug, and the dragon's extended conversation with Bilbo in the treasure hall became the film's centerpiece โ a masterfully staged game of cat and mouse between the world's most dangerous creature and an invisible hobbit. The Desolation of Smaug was considered the strongest entry in the Hobbit trilogy, benefiting from faster pacing and more varied settings than the exposition-heavy first film. The barrel escape sequence, mixing practical water stunts with digital effects, was one of Jackson's most exhilarating action set pieces.
The film also introduced Tauriel, an original female elf warrior played by Evangeline Lilly, created to address the near-complete absence of female characters in Tolkien's source material โ a decision that divided fans. The Desolation of Smaug earned $958 million worldwide. The film's cliffhanger ending, with Smaug flying toward Lake-town to destroy it, was one of the most dramatic act breaks in modern franchise filmmaking.
