The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)


The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the second installment of the story telling the events that occurred sixty years before the Lord of the Rings trilogy. 
A hobbit called Bilbo (Martin Freeman) has been convinced by Gandalf the Grey (Ian Mac Kellen) to aid him and a group of thirteen dwarves to go to Lonely Mountain, the place where there used to be the greatest, and richest, of all dwarve kingdoms  before it was taken over by the power of the mighty dragon called Smaug. Bilbo's qualities, his determination and small size will be necessary to recover the Arkenstone from Smaug since a frontal attack is impossible. The Arkenstone is the symbol that can convince all the Dwarves to unite against Smaug's present threat and the one that Gandalf feels is approaching. There are other events transpiring in nearby regions: the rise of the evil Orcs is a bad sign and Gandalf learns that the dark lord, Sauron, is somehow back from the Dead and gathering his forces for a new attack on Middle Earth. Relentless and savage Orcs, a man that becomes a beast at night, Elves that trust no one, giant spiders are some of the many dangers Bilbo and the dwarves will have to go through before facing the Smaug's devastating power.
If you liked Lord of the Rings you will like this movie, but to understand what's going on you will also need to see the first part: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. A lot of things happened already and a lot of things happen in this part. This is one of the best productions coming from Holywood and you can see that in every aspect: the story that is based in Tolkien's masterpiece of the same title, the cast is marvelous delivering consistent and unforgettable performances (even Smaug's voice is Benedict Cumberbatch's), the music is majestic just as in Lord of the Rings and the best is the visual effects  which were especially designed for this movie. Perhaps the only low point is the lenght of the film that is over two hours so it is not for those who are not used to sitting on the same place for a long while.
Four stars out of five.  

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