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  Average Rating for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug [Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + UV Copy] [2013] [Region Free] - 5 out of 5

  
  (based on 1 user reviews)
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug [Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + UV Copy] [2013] [Region Free]

  Chris Harley 13 April 2014

  

  Picking up where we left off in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson's second movie in the upcoming trilogy is a masterful effort that deserves praise on all sides, from Martin Freeman's performance as Bilbo right on through to the visual effects team bringing the titular Smaug to life and the makeup artists that create such a realistic look to the dwarves.
  
  Worth praising above all, perhaps, is the direction which Jackson has continued to take here, not giving us a straight, page-by-page adaptation of Tolkien's original novel. The Hobbit, in book form, is undeniably aimed at younger readers. It's a fairly lighthearted affair, with Bilbo's adventure being largely exactly that - a little mischief and a lot of fun. Whilst Jackson retains a lot of the humour from his source material, he also includes a wealth of Tokien's various lengthy appendices, bringing a much darker tone to The Desolation of Smaug than we ever get from the novel, and it pays off tenfold.
  
  In The Desolation of Smaug, we get a real sense of the stakes, and they are high. For Bilbo and the Company of Dwarves, their journey is less an adventure and much more of a quest, where the action is life or death. And in bringing us our first real glimpse at Smaug, so brilliantly voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, we get a sense of the fear coursing through the veins of Bilbo as he goes up against the dragon.
  
  Enough praise simply cannot be given to the visual effects team, here, who have done a remarkable job in creating Smaug, providing him with the kind of villainous look that he so deserves. Computer graphics have come an incredibly long way in recent years, even since Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and a film like The Desolation of Smaug shows off just how far they've come. The effects are truly amazing; never has a dragon looked so real and lifelike as Smaug does.
  
  Of course, reminiscent of Jackson's earlier trilogy and very much worth mentioning here is the continued use of New Zealand's remarkable scenery, making for some of the most beautiful settings, opting for real-life settings rather than building them on a production lot. As film technology has progressed, so too has our method of viewing them in our homes, and it's so much better when you can tell the filmmakers have used a real location, as they have here, rather than being able to spot the sets created specifically for the film, as so many big-budget movies tend to do.
  
  Jackson is easily one of the most technology-advanced filmmakers working in the industry at the moment. Going against the grain, he chose to shoot the entirety of The Hobbit trilogy in a higher frame rate, because he knew that it would allow much for greater detail, and a more lifelike viewing experience. Despite the fantasy settings of his movies, he loves the feel of realism, and as an audience, we owe so much to that love. Were it not for that, you can't help but feel that the movie wouldn't look even half as impressive as it does now. Though the technology for experiencing higher frame rate doesn't currently exist on the mainstream home entertainment market, the film nevertheless looks absolutely spectacular on Blu-ray, and the added bonus of 3D is a real treat on the eyes. Unlike many directors, too frequently pushed into 3D territory to increase box office sales, Jackson is one who embraces the technology because he knows exactly what it has to offer, and how it can benefit his film. As a result, the 3D is used to great success throughout, adding that extra dimension to our viewing experience in ways you won't believe until you've seen it; the saying 'You have to see it to believe it' is very apt in describing a film like The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
  
  Alongside all of that - the visual effects, the beautiful locations, the advanced technology, and the improved storyline - we come to the team that brings these characters to life: The cast. Having been introduced to the majority of the characters in An Unexpected Journey, it comes as no surprise to see them still in top form in the sequel. The real delight is in the form of the new characters, in particular Bard the Bowman, played so well by Luke Evans; the elf Tauriel, with a stunning performance from Evangeline Lilly, playing a character that Jackson himself created for the movie; and of course a welcome return from the beloved Legolas, with Orlando Bloom reprising his role from The Lord of the Rings. Seeing them all fighting alongside each other, and how their dynamics change over the course of the film as they fight to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, is a lot of fun to watch unfold.
  
  With a meticulous attention to detail, Peter Jackson returns us once more to Middle-earth, and the result is no less incredible. It's a quest spread across three films, and the whole trilogy is quite unlike anything we've seen since Jackson brought us The Lord of the Rings in the early 2000s. We have one more instalment still to go - The Hobbit: There and Back Again - at the end of the year, and if The Desolation of Smaug is anything to go by, we're in for a thrilling cinematic ride come Christmas, fuelled with action-packed set pieces, some very funny dialogue, and a slew of breathtaking vistas along the way.

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Please note this is a region B Blu-ray and will require a region B or region free Blu-ray player in order to play Please note the UV copy is only compatible in participating regions, please visit the UV website for full details.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company continues East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of giant Spiders in the treacherous forest of Mirkwood. After escaping capture by the dangerous Wood-elves, the Dwarves journey to Lake-town, and finally to the Lonely Mountain itself, where they must face the greatest danger of all-a creature more terrifying than any other; one which will test not only the depth of their courage but the limits of their friendship and the wisdom of the journey itself - the Dragon Smaug. Actors Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, Aiden Turner, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sylvester McCoy & Stephen Fry Director Peter Jackson Year 2013 Languages English

The second of three epic instalments in director Peter Jackson's blockbuster prequel to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Set in Middle-Earth 60 years before events in 'The Lord of the Rings', the story follows the adventures of Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who, at the instigation of the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), suddenly finds himself co-opted into joining a company of 13 Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) to help reclaim the lost kingdom of the Lonely Mountain from the clutches of Smaug the dragon (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch). In this film, while Gandalf heads south on his own, Bilbo, Thorin and the Dwarves enter the treacherous Mirkwood Forest on their way to the mountain. When they reach Lake-town Bilbo will have to perform the role he was assigned at the start of the quest - to find a secret door that will lead him to the lair of the dragon...