User:Stephenfisher2001/sandbox/The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a 2013 epic high-fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson and produced by WingNut Films in collaboration with New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Warner Bros. Pictures served also as the distributor and is the second installment in the three-part film series based on the novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. The Desolation of Smaug continues where the story left off, and Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, and his companions continue on their journey to Laketown, and they face great dangers throughout their big journey. Soon, they reach the Lonely Mountain, where Bilbo comes face-to-face with the fearsome dragon Smaug. The ensemble cast includes Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, and Orlando Bloom. Most of the filming was finished during 2012, ending in July 2012. In May 2013, additional shooting for the film and The Battle of the Five Armies began in New Zealand, lasting over ten weeks.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug premiered on 2 December 2013 in Los Angeles and was released internationally on 11 December 2013 in both conventional and IMAX theatres. The film received mostly positive reviews and has grossed over $959 million at the worldwide box office, surpassing both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 2013, like An Unexpected Journey. A final film The Battle of the Five Armies was released in December, 2014.

Prologue
In the Inn of the Prancing Pony on a stormy night, Gandalf the Grey arrives at the bar with Bree, Thorin Oakenshield and warns Thorin that someone is trying to assassinate him. Gandalf advises Thorin that getting the Arkenstone gem would persuade the Dwarves to follow him. He convinces Thorin to take back Erebor and the Lonely Mountain.

Main Story
A year later, Gandalf, Thorin and the dwarven company are chased by the orcs down from the Carrock, where they encounter a huge and ferocious bear. Gandalf urges the company to seek refuge in a nearby house. They make it there just barely ahead of the bear -- which, once the doors are safely barred, Gandalf reveals to be their host, Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt), a skin-changer who can take the form of a man or a bear. Remarking that he dislikes dwarves but hates orcs much more (they hunted and tortured his kind for centuries, and Beorn is the last of them). That night, Azog and his war band watch Beorn's house from a distance, though Azog is unwilling to attack the settlement as Beorn is guarding the house in his bear form. The next day, Beorn, having transformed back into his human form, discusses the Dwarf's quest with the company, expressing doubt that they will reach the forest of Mirkwood alive due to the increasing numbers of Orcs roaming the lands of late.

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Why It Rocks

 * 1) It is a slight improvement over the first film.
 * 2) It retains most of its charm from the previous film and sometimes, The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
 * 3) The film's tone in this film is still top-notch.
 * 4) Many of the action sequences are still very fun to watch, like the scene where Bilbo and his company escapes and goes onto wine barrels into a sliding river while a group of orcs fights off with Tauriel and Legolas.
 * 5) Amazing soundtrack that was composed by Howard Shore, which retains the spirit from his Middle-Earth soundtrack once again, especially with the film's credits, "I See Fire" which was composed by Ed Sheeran.
 * 6) Some of the new characters in this film are likable and well developed.
 * 1) Many of the action sequences are still very fun to watch, like the scene where Bilbo and his company escapes and goes onto wine barrels into a sliding river while a group of orcs fights off with Tauriel and Legolas.
 * 2) Amazing soundtrack that was composed by Howard Shore, which retains the spirit from his Middle-Earth soundtrack once again, especially with the film's credits, "I See Fire" which was composed by Ed Sheeran.
 * 3) Some of the new characters in this film are likable and well developed.
 * 1) Some of the new characters in this film are likable and well developed.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The characters, like the Lake-Town civilians and Alfrid are mean-spirited and unlikable character
 * 2) Once again, the hit or missed humor is still in use.
 * 3) King Thranduil, and Legolas can sometimes be really unlikable at many points.
 * 4) Alfrid Lickspittle is pretty much a minority and an unlikable villain that
 * 5) Legolas and Tauriel didn't appear in the book, so why did they added them in the movie?
 * 6) *Speaking of Tauriel, she is a very bland and poorly established character