The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

A closer look at the story

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure Bilbo Baggins began alongside a band of dwarves. Bilbo, the wizard Gandalf and the dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield have made it out of the Misty Mountains alive, and during that escape Bilbo came into possession of the One Ring. Their aim remains the same: to find the Lonely Mountain and the lost dwarf kingdom of Erebor, and to take back the dwarves' gold. The road leads them eastward, first to Lake-town and at last to the Lonely Mountain itself. Waiting in its depths is the dragon Smaug, the most fearsome creature of all, and there is no reaching the treasure without confronting him. Peter Jackson directed this 161-minute fantasy adventure from 2013, a New Zealand and American production based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novel, with a screenplay he shared with Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh and Guillermo del Toro. Ian McKellen plays Gandalf, Martin Freeman is Bilbo and Richard Armitage is Thorin, while Benedict Cumberbatch gives voice to Smaug and Orlando Bloom appears as Legolas.