
It's not that the first movie was all that bad as much as it felt overlong and largely uneventful, an obvious setup for this sequel. This next chapter in the epic-fantasy trilogy based on one book is an unexpected improvement over its predecessor, introducing a few new characters - as far as the original source is concerned - while still managing to stay faithful to Tolkien's vision. Picking up soon after the events of 'An Unexpected Journey,' Peter Jackson takes moviegoers and Tolkien fans back to Middle-earth for another adventure in the company of dwarves, a wizard, and a mostly reluctant but observant hobbit. Portions of this review also appear in our coverage of the previous Blu-ray release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. After escaping capture by the dangerous Wood-elves, the Dwarves journey to Lake-town, and finally to the Lonely Mountain itself, where they must face the greatest danger of all–a creature more terrifying than any other one which will test not only the depth of their courage but the limits of their friendship and the wisdom of the journey itself: the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company travels East, encountering along the way skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of giant spiders in the treacherous forest of Mirkwood.



The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), on an epic quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.
