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February 25, 2025
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Summary, Recap, & Review
Bilbo's unexpected journey continues in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. We've got a detailed summary, movie review, and more!
8
Compelling
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the perfect sequel. Picking up right where we left off, the stakes are higher than ever as darkness grows and Smaug awakens.
Pros
An ending that will leave you wanting to start the next movie ASAP.
Smaug's CGI.
Amazing soundtrack, as always.
Cons
Rough CGI in some spots.
Kili and Tauriel's relationship is rushed.
>Buy: The Hobbit Merchandise & Gifts
Buy: The Hobbit Merchandise & Gifts
Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug follows Bilbo Baggins and thirteen Dwarves on their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, which is guarded by the Dragon Smaug. This article recounts the epic story in detail and includes a review of the movie. We've also got fascinating book and movie differences and a FAQ.
The Desolation of Smaug | Summary & Recap
Thorin and Gandalf Meeting
The movie begins with a flashback, jumping twelve months earlier, where Thorin Oakenshield meets Gandalf at the Prancing Pony in Bree. While eating, Thorin notices two men watching him but Gandalf scares them off when he sits across from Thorin.
The Dwarf and the Wizard discuss Thorin's father, Thrain, who has been missing. Gandalf urges Thorin to take back the Lonely Mountain because of a dark force that may try to use it against Middle-earth. Gandalf reveals that there's a bounty on Thorin's head, placed there by these dark forces in question.
The Skin-Changer
The present-day story picks up where we left off with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Dwarves nearing the Lonely Mountain. The company is being pursued by Orcs and Wargs. Bilbo spots a large bear-like creature behind them. Gandalf explains that it is a skin-changer that can take the form of different animals. He leads the party to the nearby home of Beorn. Gandalf reveals that Beorn and the skin-changer are one and the same.
Gandalf has no idea if Beorn will be friendly or aggressive since he hates Dwarves. Then next morning, they eat breakfast with the skin-changer and, although he admittedly despises Dwarves, he hates Orcs more. He gives them horses so they can quickly make it to Mirkwood.
In Dol Guldur, Azog delegates the hunt for Thorin to his son Bolg.
Mirkwood
As the party reaches the tree line of Mirkwood, Gandalf's suspicions about the Necromancer continue to grow. He sees evidence that the dark sorcerer might be far worse than they realize. Bilbo nearly tells Gandalf about the ring he found but lies. Gandalf parts with the Dwarves and warns the company to remain on the path or they'll be forever lost.
Not long after, they lose the path and end up lost. Bilbo climbs a tree to orient himself and sees something large coming their way. The rest of the party is ensnared by giant spiders. Bilbo manages to kill one and use the ring to hide. At one point, Bilbo attacks a small spider to get back his ring. Horrified by his actions, Bilbo begins to understand its dark influence on him.
Bilbo saves the Dwarves, but, before they’re in the clear, the Wood Elves arrive, including Legolas. Kili is saved by a female Elf named Tauriel. They kill the rest of the spiders and take all the Dwarves hostage. Once again, Bilbo manages to evade capture.
Imprisoned
The Elves lock all the Dwarves away and take Thorin to their king, Thranduil. He tries to make a deal with the Dwarves. If Thorin gives him the object of his desire, hidden with the gold guarded by Smaug, then he will set the Dwarves free. Thorin refuses to ally with him, not trusting his word since he didn’t hold true to his promise last time.
While all the Dwarves are locked up, Kili and Tauriel talk about their traditions and something begins to bloom between them. Bilbo, who is invisible while using the ring, steals the keys and frees the Dwarves. He hides them in wine barrels that are sent downstream and they make their escape.
The Orc Attack
The Dwarves are being chased by the Elves as they float down the river in barrels. Their only escape is closed off right when Bolg and his Orc party attack, killing the Elven guards to get to the Dwarves. Kili tries to open the gate and is shot in the leg by a Morgul arrow. Both Legolas and Tauriel, who were pursuing the Dwarves, turn their sights to the Orcs and the Dwarves manage to escape. The Elves take an Orc alive for questioning.
The Dwarves finally wash up on the river bank and a man named Bard the Bowman finds them. Balin barters with him in order to secure passage across the lake, bringing them one step closer to the Lonely Mountain. Bard smuggles them into Lake-town, which is having its own political issues amidst the growing darkness.
Lake-town
Bard lets the Dwarves into his home and gives them clothes and weapons. They discuss Girion, the last Lord of Dale who shot the Black Arrows that were meant to take down Smaug, but he only managed to damage a scale. Bard puts two and two together, realizing who Thorin is and the doom that he will bring to Lake-town. Unhappy with the weapons, the Dwarves break into the armory but they’re caught. Thorin promises the master of Lake-town a share of the mountain's treasure. The master happily welcomes them to his town.
Bard tries to oppose him, but the town is against Bard since his ancestor, Girion, failed to kill Smaug. The Dwarves sail towards the Lonely Mountain. Thorin demands that Kili stay behind because of his injury. Fili and a few others stay behind too, along with Bofur who overslept.
Tauriel’s Quest
While the Orc is being interrogated, he reveals that the arrow Kili was shot with will kill him. The Orc alludes to who the Necromancer really is and Thranduil seals off his kingdom, allowing no one in or out. But Tauriel has already left to hunt down the Orcs and save Kili. Legolas follows after her.
The Secret Entrance
The Dwarves and Bilbo arrive just in time for the last light of Durin’s Day, where the keyhole will be revealed. The sunset doesn't reveal the keyhole and the Dwarves give up and leave. Bilbo stays behind to try and solve the puzzle. When the moon shines through the clouds, the keyhole is revealed. The Dwarves return and enter their homeland for the first time since Smaug took it.
Gandalf’s Adventures
While the Dwarves have been struggling to reach the Lonely Mountain, Gandalf has been searching for the rising evil in Middle-earth. He goes to the High Fells and makes a discovery at the tombs of the nazgûl. One of the tombs is empty and Gandalf tells Radagast that one of the Ringwraiths is missing. Gandalf goes to Dol Guldur and orders Radagast to go to Galadriel. Gandalf lifts the spell masking the Orcs. Azog and his Orc party attack him.
Gandalf nearly manages to escape but he runs into the Necromancer and realizes who it truly is. Sauron overpowers Gandalf and traps him in a cage.
The Burglar
Balin tells Bilbo what the Arkenstone looks like and to not wake the dragon. Bilbo enters a massive room filled with gold as far as the eye can see. He begins his search, but he has no luck. When he removes a goblet, it causes an avalanche of gold that reveals the eye of a sleeping dragon. Smaug emerges from the gold. Bilbo uses the ring to hide but eventually reveals himself and talks to Smaug, attempting to flatter him. While they talk, he sees the Arkenstone and tries to get it. Smaug realizes what he is doing, toys with him, then attacks.
Thorin is angry that Bilbo failed, but they run into Smaug and all the Dwarves have to split up and run for their lives.
Those Left Behind
Kili is getting worse and the other Dwarves struggle to save him. Bard hears the mountain rumble and knows Smaug has awoken. He reveals that he has the last Black Arrow capable of killing Smaug. He tries to make it to the windlance but is arrested and his son hides the arrow.
Orcs attack the Dwarves and Bard’s family, but Tauriel and Legolas are right behind them. They save them and Legolas continues on after them. Tauriel stays behind and heals Kili, saving him from a terrible fate.
The Great Dragon
The Dwarves are trapped under the mountain with an angry dragon and no way out. Thorin decides they’ll go to the forges and they use the Dragon’s fire to relight it. Gold begins to melt and flow. Bilbo overhears Smaug say that he is going to destroy Lake-town, because he believes they helped the Dwarves. Bilbo tries to stop him, but this only makes Smaug want to attack it more.
Smaug Set Free
Thorin interrupts and reveals that the melting gold formed the statue of a Dwarf. Smaug is entranced by it, but the gold is still hot and it doesn't hold its form for long. It collapses, the liquid drenching Smaug. They temporarily think they've won, but Smaug comes bursting from the liquid gold. He flies into the skies, shedding it like water. He heads towards Lake-town with the promise of fire and death. Bilbo and the Dwarves realize the terrible mistake they made in awakening Smaug.
The Desolation of Smaug | Review
CGI and Visuals | 8/10
The CGI in the second movie was very impressive, especially Smaug's design and animation. However, it seems like a lot of the budget went to Smaug himself because scenes that showed the Orcs from a distance didn't look as good as the first film and the scenes with Legolas fighting were noticeably CGI. There's also a scene where Dwalin catches the ax while in the barrel. To me, the way he turns back around looks very abrupt and unnatural.
Storyline and Plot Development | 8/10
The story picks up right where the first Hobbit left off and it's full of action right from the start. The scene in Mirkwood was one of my favorites and the introduction of the Wood Elves and Legolas was enjoyable, but I felt Kili and Tauriel's connection was very sudden and rushed. I didn't hate it, I just wish they'd built it up over time.
There were also so many times Smaug could have killed the Dwarves while they were running from him, but he always waited until they were turning corners to breathe fire. The plot armor gods were on their side during that entire showdown. Despite that, the ending was one of the best endings I've seen in a long time.
Character Development | 8/10
There's a small amount of character development with new characters like Tauriel and Bard, but not much with the others. We do get to see the ring slowly taking hold of Bilbo without him realizing it and the same goes for Thorin with the Arkenstone.
I found the director's inclusion of Legolas very interesting to watch. He is completely different from his character in the Lord of the Rings, which takes place 60 years later. He is very stern and his hatred for the Dwarves runs deep. This makes his and Gimli's friendship have much more meaning.
Sound and Music | 10/10
The sound and music are just as amazing as ever. I very much enjoyed the soundtrack and the times it played Lord of the Rings's theme when it showed the ring. Peter Jackson's films have always done a great job of using sound to make the audience really feel what's happening. The scene in Mirkwood, where the Dwarves are lost and the voices sound distant, is a great example of this. I could feel how disoriented they were thanks to the audio.
Reception and Impact | 8/10
Most movie watchers really loved the movie and felt it was a vast improvement from the first one. There are still those who read the book that are upset by the changes made, but that is inevitable with adaptations. A few watchers complained that it was long and boring and that the fight scenes were unrealistic.
Final Score | 8/10
The Desolation of Smaug | Book and Movie Differences
Pursued by Goblins
In the movie, Azog is a prominent antagonist that works for Sauron who makes the lives of the Dwarves much harder. He keeps sending his army, including his own son, after Thorin. But since Azog doesn't exist as a villain in the book, no Orcs are chasing them. The Dwarves are pursued by Goblins instead, but we don't see any of them in this film.
Kili and Tauriel
There's a cute little romance blooming between Kili and Tauriel in the movie that doesn't happen in the books and this is because Tauriel is not a character in the books. She was created solely for the sake of the movie.
The Arkenstone
In the movies, the Arkenstone is a stone that resembles a Simarli, which is one of the three glowing gems crafted by an Elf named Fëanor. It's also a stone that makes the holder "King of All Dwarves". In the book, the Arkenstone is a relic of one of the seven dwarf families and not nearly as powerful. It's also a cut jewel and doesn't look nearly as magical either.
Battle Against Smaug
In the book, Bilbo is the only one to come face to face with Smaug. There is no fight scene between the Dragon and the Dwarves. This was added for the sake of a climactic ending to the second film.
Legolas
Legolas, played by Orlando Bloom, is not in the Hobbit book at all. He played a role in the movie because he is a fan favorite from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and they wanted to bring him back.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of arrow is Kili shot by?
+Who voices Smaug in the Hobbit?
+Who is Azog talking to in the Desolation of Smaug?
+Were the actors for Bilbo and Smaug in another series together?
+Is Smaug going to destroy Lake-town?
+Who is Bard related to in The Hobbit?
+How long is The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug?
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