Peter Jackson had a problem. He had a massive, fire-breathing dragon and a tiny book that was quickly running out of plot.
When The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hit theaters in 2013, the middle-child syndrome of the trilogy was palpable. It wasn't the fresh beginning of An Unexpected Journey, and it wasn't the chaotic climax of The Battle of the Five Armies. Instead, it was this strange, high-octane bridge that took Bilbo Baggins from the misty mountains to the literal piles of gold in Erebor. Honestly, it’s arguably the most "Jackson" of the three films—bloated, beautiful, and occasionally frustrating for anyone who grew up reading J.R.R. Tolkien under the covers with a flashlight.
The movie picks up exactly where things left off, with Thorin’s company being hunted by Azog’s orcs. But the real meat of the story is the journey through Mirkwood. It’s claustrophobic. It’s trippy. It feels like a fever dream until the giant spiders show up.
The Tauriel Controversy and the Problem of "More"
Look, we have to talk about Tauriel.
Evangeline Lilly’s character didn't exist in the book. Not a single page. Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens felt the movie needed "female energy" and a way to bridge the world of the Woodland Realm with the larger stakes of Middle-earth. Some fans hated it. I mean, they really loathed the love triangle between Tauriel, Legolas, and Kili the dwarf. It felt forced. It felt like Hollywood meddling in a story that was originally a whimsical children’s tale.
Yet, if you step back from the lore-purist perspective, Tauriel served a narrative purpose. She showed that not all Elves were isolationist jerks like Thranduil. Lee Pace, by the way, absolutely ate every scene he was in as the Elvenking. His performance is cold, regal, and terrifyingly detached. He plays Thranduil as someone who has seen too much and cares too little about the "lesser" races.
The pacing of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is relentless. Think about the barrel sequence. In the book, the dwarves basically float down the river in sealed crates, bored and damp. In the movie? It’s a 10-minute Go-Pro-infused action set piece with Legolas balancing on dwarf heads while shooting orcs. It’s ridiculous. It’s over-the-top. But you can't deny it's fun to watch, even if it feels more like a theme park ride than a high-fantasy epic.
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Smaug: The Gold Standard of CGI
Everything in the movie leads to the dragon. If Smaug had failed, the whole trilogy would have collapsed.
Fortunately, Weta Digital and Benedict Cumberbatch delivered something legendary. This isn't just a big lizard. Smaug is a character. He’s arrogant, cunning, and ancient. When Bilbo (Martin Freeman) enters the treasure chamber, the scale is mind-boggling. The way the gold shifts like sand? That was a massive technical hurdle for the VFX team at the time.
Cumberbatch’s voice work is processed, sure, but his physical performance captured via motion-tracking gave Smaug a slithering, serpentine quality that felt alive. His conversation with Bilbo is the highlight of the entire film. It’s a game of wits. Bilbo is terrified, trying to flatter the beast while searching for the Arkenstone, and Smaug is just playing with his food.
"I am fire. I am... death."
That line still gives people chills. It’s the moment the stakes of the series shift from "a group of dwarves wanting their home back" to "the world is about to burn."
The Necromancer and the Dol Guldur Side-Quest
While Bilbo is dealing with scales and fire, Gandalf is off doing his own thing.
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This is where Jackson pulled heavily from the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings. He wanted to show why Gandalf keeps disappearing in the book. We get to see Dol Guldur, the ruined fortress where the Necromancer is hiding.
Seeing Ian McKellen face off against a shadow that slowly reveals itself as Sauron is fan service of the highest order. It bridges the gap between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring in a way that makes the two trilogies feel like one massive saga. Some argue it distracts from Bilbo’s journey. They might be right. But seeing the Eye of Sauron form out of the silhouette of a humanoid figure was a "cinema-magic" moment that stayed with audiences long after the credits rolled.
Why the Ending Still Annoys People
The cliffhanger. Oh, the cliffhanger.
Ending a movie right as a dragon flies off to incinerate a town of innocent people is a bold move. It’s basically the cinematic version of a "To Be Continued" screen. In 2013, audiences were genuinely annoyed because they had to wait a full year to see the payoff.
However, looking back on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as a standalone piece of work, it’s arguably the strongest of the three. It has the most variety in locations, the best villain, and it captures the "adventure" vibe better than the third film, which was basically just one long war.
The movie also leans into the corruption of Thorin Oakenshield. Richard Armitage plays the "dragon sickness" with a subtle, growing paranoia. You start to see that the gold isn't just a prize; it's a curse. This thematic weight keeps the movie from being just a series of CGI fights. It’s about greed and the way it rots the soul from the inside out.
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Technical Achievements Worth Noting
- HFR (High Frame Rate): Jackson shot this at 48 frames per second. Some people thought it looked like a soap opera. Others loved the clarity.
- The Score: Howard Shore returned, and while it’s not as iconic as his work on the original trilogy, the "Smaug" theme is hauntingly good.
- Set Design: Lake-town was a massive physical set, not just green screen. You can feel the grime and the cold of the water-clogged streets.
How to Watch the Movie Today
If you’re revisiting Middle-earth, there’s always the debate: theatrical or extended?
For The Desolation of Smaug, the extended edition adds about 25 minutes. It includes more of the Mirkwood sequence (including the enchanted river) and more of Thrain (Thorin's father) in Dol Guldur. Honestly, if you’re a fan of the lore, the extended version is the only way to go. It fleshes out the subplots that feel a bit rushed in the theatrical cut.
Next Steps for the Ultimate Rewatch
To truly appreciate what Jackson was doing, you should pair the movie with the "behind the scenes" production diaries. They are arguably as entertaining as the films themselves. Also, try reading the "The Quest of Erebor" from Unfinished Tales by Tolkien. It gives you Gandalf's perspective on why he chose Bilbo in the first place, which adds a whole new layer of depth to the interactions in the film. Lastly, if you have a 4K setup, the recent remasters fixed some of the color grading issues that plagued the original Blu-ray releases, making the skin tones look more natural and the CGI blend more seamlessly with the live-action elements.
The movie isn't perfect. It's messy and loud and takes massive liberties with the source material. But as a piece of high-fantasy spectacle, it’s a towering achievement that gave us one of the best dragons in cinema history. That alone makes it worth the three-hour runtime.