The Hobbit: Smaug's Desolation - Extended Edition - Blu-ray

Film: The worst is behind us, I would say. Far from it, dear Mr Baggins. For many new adventures and dangers await the hobbit Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the twelve dwarves with whom he set out on an unexpected journey to Erebor a year ago, against which what they experienced on the first part of their journey feels like a leisurely stroll. For not only is the white orc Azog still hot on their heels. On their way to the Lonely Mountain, they also encounter the skin-changer Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt), who isn't exactly sympathetic to dwarves, have to fight giant spiders in the Bleak Forest, and then get captured by the Wood Elves under King Thranduil (Lee Pace) to boot. Although they manage to escape, the danger is far from over. For between them and Erebor lies Sea City. And behind them in the mountain waits the greatest of all dangers: the dragon Smaug, which must be defeated if Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his companions want to reclaim their homeland. And here Bilbo will have a decisive role to play...

Often the first part of the film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Little Hobbit was criticized that especially the introduction would drag a lot and that the division of the relatively short book into three films would not have done much good to the narrative pace. But as Gandalf says to Bilbo: "Good stories are worth a little embellishment. And that's exactly what Peter Jackson did very convincingly in the first film. Admittedly, I'm one of those viewers who already didn't find the many endings of The Return of the King too long and who simply enjoy spending time in the Middle Earth so wonderfully created by Peter Jackson and his team. Plus, I trust that Peter Jackson knows what he's doing and that the somewhat worn beginning will pay off in the end. And that's exactly what can already be seen in The Hobbit: Smaug's Desolation. By Jackson taking his time to build up the story and its characters, as a Middle-earth fan you were able to emotionally connect with Thorin and the other characters and understand why they have to embark on this perilous journey. Granted, there may not be as much at stake as sixty years later in the adventures of Frodo and his companions. But as a viewer you will be carried away by the detailed exposition of this adventure with a very similar intensity - especially since the dark shadow that will soon be cast over Middle-earth is already becoming more and more noticeable.

And so it is no wonder that Smaug's Desolation is much darker than its predecessor. If the latter had relied very often on humor, which one has clearly noticed the child-oriented book template, the more adult Lord of the Rings-feeling asserts itself much stronger in the second part. And not only that. Peter Jackson raises the bar in terms of quality, especially dramaturgically. The film has again been expanded by several elements that do not exist in the book or were only hinted at. And even if some purists will be bothered by the added twists in the fight of the dwarves against Smaug or the completely new character of the elf fighter Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), you can not accuse Peter Jackson with the best will in the world, that he would have spoiled the spirit of the original, only to extend the story for pure greed of profit on three films. With great attention to detail, Jackson and his co-writers have struck a fine balance between adaptation true to the original work and their own ideas, resulting in a very well-rounded and extremely entertaining whole in the end.

From the opening sequence, where there is an amusing reference to a cameo appearance from The Fellowship, the first goosebumps are likely to form on some fans. And in the following three hours, this effect will occur again and again. Not only the numerous references to the Lord of the Rings trilogy are responsible for this. Also many of the sometimes exciting, sometimes humorous and then again very moving moments, accompanied by the once again ingenious music of Howard Shore, which has to offer this section of the adventure, bring especially fans either to the joyful grin, to the tense Mitfiebern or simply to the amazement. The latter is primarily achieved by the great special effects, which are once again quite a bit better than in the first film. And luckily this is especially true for Smaug, who the makers really nailed to the spot.

It's hard to remain truly objective about this film as a self-confessed fan. Probably someone who hasn't been looking forward to this movie all year, who hasn't seen all movies several times in theatrical release and extended edition or who attends fan events on the internet will find points of criticism that might even be justified in a way - even though I can't think of a moment right now that could serve as an example for that. But even if Smaug's Oneness is not free of small flaws from an objective point of view, from a fan's point of view it is very close to being truly perfect. It's superior to its predecessor in almost every aspect, it offers action, humor, and emotion (without being cheesy), and it offers images that still amaze you in an age of effects-overloaded blockbusters. Plus, the film is full of endearing details that reveal how much the creators love not only their ever-growing bank balances, but really the world they've created based on Tolkien's template.

One quick word about the character drawing. An Unexpected Journey was not infrequently criticized for some of the dwarves being little more than extras. This picture is somewhat more balanced in the sequel. True, there are again some characters who are more prominent than others. Besides Bilbo and Torin, these are mainly Kili (Aiden Turner), Gandalf, Legolas, Tauriel and Bard (Luke Evans). But even if the other characters play rather supporting roles, in this film you have much more the feeling of a community, in which everyone has his (important) role to play. And when someone from this community has to be left behind, this has a certain emotional effect on the viewer, even if this character has rarely been the center of attention so far. Again, it pays off that An Unexpected Journey took the time to introduce the dwarven community in such detail at the first meeting in Bilbo's dwelling.

And so, in the end, all that really remains to be said is that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a feast for all fans who already liked An Unexpected Journey. And even those who loved the Lord of the Rings movies but found the first Hobbit too childish or boring will find much less to fault in this sequel. Another good example of how sequels can sometimes be vastly superior to their predecessor. Smaug's Desolation is great entertainment cinema, ending with a truly nasty cliffhanger that makes the wait for the third and final installment a real ordeal. So, get rid of the cynicism and just enjoy close to three hours of perfect reality escape. Absolutely worth seeing!

The Extended Edition: Of the longer version of the first Hobbit film, many fans were a little disappointed. This is because, unlike the Extended Editions of the three Lord of the Rings installments, there were relatively few new scenes included in the film. Nor were there any really significant additions, as one was used to from the previous long versions. Certainly, the extensive and again first-class produced bonus material made the purchase of the box for fans again an absolute must. Nevertheless, a little bit of disappointment remained. This is unlikely to happen with the Extended Edition of Smaug's Desolation. Because not only that the film was extended by a whole 26 minutes. There are also among these new scenes quite a few moments that make this second part of the Hobbit trilogy really noticeably better than the theatrical version. This definitely includes the slightly more detailed introduction of Beorn, who came up a bit short in the theatrical version. Also, the fact that Thorin's father Thrain, who is only briefly mentioned in the prologue in the shorter version, plays an important role in the Extended Edition makes this version extremely worth watching. Whether, on the other hand, it really needed a truly unsavory moment with the mayor of Seacity, next to which the awful eating scene with Denethor from The Return of the King seems downright mannerly, remains to be seen. But the fact is that the 26 minutes really add to the film, and that Smaug's Oneness has become an even slightly better film in the long version!

Picture + Sound: Anything less than top-notch quality would have been a bitter disappointment on this Blu-ray, of course. But again, Smaug's Wasteland does not disappoint. The picture is absolutely clean and the colors are very atmospherically mixed. The image sharpness is also at a very high level and allows even the smallest details to come to the fore very well. Also, the 2D version of the film shot in 3D has a pleasant image depth, which comes especially well in the landscape shots to bear. The sound mix is also convincing all along the line. For example, when Smaug roars after the dwarves fleeing from him, the bass makes the four walls at home tremble. Numerous sound effects ensure that the surround channels are almost constantly in use. All in all, there is a deserved here: very good!

Extras: A real feast for fans: on the three discs are well over 10 hours of extras worth watching. Starting off on the first Blu-ray is an audio commentary on the feature-length version by Peter Jackson and his co-writer and producer Philippa Boyens. As usual, this is a very interesting commentary delivered in a relaxed manner with plenty of interesting moments, but then if you've watched all the other extras, it doesn't really offer much new. In addition to the commentary, which is well worth listening to, there is also the second part of New Zealand: Home of Middle Earth (approx. 7:11 mins) on the film disc, in which some of the picturesque filming locations are presented in more detail.

You can then delve really deep into the making of the film on the two bonus discs. The first offers Part 9 of the appendices begun on the Lord of the Rings epics. Entitled Im Wilderland - Die Hobbit-Chroniken Teil 2 (In the Wildlands - The Hobbit Chronicles Part 2), 14 chapters take a close look at the entire filming of the middle trilogy film - for a whole five (!) hours. The set of Seestadt, for example, is presented in detail, whereby the richness of detail in the equipment becomes clear. It is shown how the size differences between the people in Seestadt and the dwarves were created. The viewer also learns how the delicacies were prepared that the mayor eats in a truly disgusting scene in the Extended Edition, that Peter Jackson was pleased as punch to get to egg on Alfrid actor Ryan Gage, or how Bofur actor James Nesbitt accommodated almost his entire family in the film. There's also a cameo from Peter Jackson cut from the film, a set visit from US comedian and David Letterman successor Stephen Colbert, or the creation of Smaug's treasure trove. And if you want to know what happens when you put a hobbit and thirteen dwarves in a water tank all day, you should definitely watch this excellent documentary. This much can be revealed: Bilbo actor Martin Freeman was not very happy about it. Informative, very entertaining and at times genuinely surprising - the five hours really do fly by!

The second bonus disc also offers another five-plus hours of extras. Part 10 of the appendices shows under the title The Journey to Erebor among other things how Smaug was brought to life by the play of Benedict Cumberbatch in conjunction with the latest computer technology and how the great film score by Howard Shore was recorded. In addition, Beorn or even the Mayor of Seaside Town are introduced in detail and the work of the designers, set builders and outfitters are acknowledged in longer articles. All in all, part 10 of the appendices is a bit more factual and dry than part 9, but even here there are countless interesting things to see, which as a fan you just can't get enough of. That it comes after all the hours of bonus material also sometimes to repetitions and small lengths, is not left out. But still, Peter Jackson deserves a lot of credit for documenting the making of his films in such detail and letting his viewers participate directly. And therefore there is also for the bonus material of this Extended Edition quite clearly again the top mark!!! Absolutely worth seeing!

Conclusion: The Extended Edition of Smaug's Desolation is a real feast for fans. Not only has the film been extended by 26 extremely watchable minutes. In addition, it also offers an in-depth look at the making of the film, totaling just under ten and a half hours of footage. The Blu-ray presents the film in excellent picture and sound quality, so that in the end there are really no wishes left unfulfilled. This of course gives a very clear: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp