By Dain Maher Posted May 27, 2014
After directing one of the most successful movie franchises of all time “The Lord of the Rings”, Peter Jackson comes back to direct the second installment of the three-part Hobbit series, “The Desolation of Smaug.” The movie carries on the rich tradition and excellent filmmaking that the world witnessed with the first three movies in “The Lord of the Rings series.” A testament to this came in 2003 when “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” walked away with 11 academy awards.
The film follows the character Bilbo Baggins as he accompanies Thorin Oakenshield and his fellow Dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. The film also features the vengeful pursuit of Azog the Defiler and Bolg while Gandalf the Grey investigates a growing evil at the ruins of Dol Guldur.
At the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree, Gandalf persuades Thorin Oakenshield to obtain the Arkenstone to unite the Dwarves and suggests that a stealthy burglar may be needed to steal the jewel back from Smaug. One year later, Thorin and his company are being pursued by Azog and his Orc party down the Carrock following the events of the previous film. Bilbo then sets about freeing the dwarves with the help of the One Ring. While being pursued by the Wood-elves, they are ambushed by Bolg and his Orc party. The company is then smuggled into Esgaroth by a man called Bard. Thorin and his remaining company reach the Lonely Mountain where Bilbo discovers the hidden entrance. He is sent in to retrieve the Arkenstone, and while doing so accidentally awakens Smaug. Back inside the mountain, Bilbo and the Dwarves try to rekindle the mountain’s forge in an attempt to kill Smaug by smoldering him in molten gold. This fails and he stumbles out of the mountain, determined to destroy the people of Lake-town for aiding the Dwarves. He then takes to the air as Bilbo watches in horror at what they have unleashed.
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” premiered on December 2, 2013, in Los Angeles and was released internationally on December 11, 2013, in both conventional and IMAX theatres. The film has grossed over $953 million at the worldwide box office, surpassing both “The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers” nominally, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 2013 and the 24th highest-grossing film of all time.
A huge improvement of the first movie that offers much more heart-pounding action that really excites and delivers the full “Lord of the Rings” experience.
