Customer Ratings & Reviews

MOVIE: While An Unexpected Journey dragged along awkwardly for nearly three hours, The Desolation of Smaug speeds ahead at a breakneck pace, without glossing over nor dwelling too much on anything. The story has much of the same faults as the first movie, but remains strong and considerably more engaging than its predecessor. The best thing I will say about this movie, though, is that it is FUN. This movie is a blast to watch, whether it's because of an unexpected character beat or one of the film's many swiftly-helmed action sequences, this movie is enthralling from start to finish. VIDEO: Perfect. Colors are vivid and convincing, contrast is accurate, definition is stellar, and no compression issues are to be seen. The barrel ride scene uses a few shots from a GoPro camera, which are lower in resolution than the RED cameras that shot the rest of the movie. So, know that the look of those shots is not the result of a poor transfer, but the source material. And personally, I adore those shots. AUDIO: The Lord of the Rings trilogy made for some incredible audio experiences, from the DVD's standard DTS tracks to the Blu-rays DTS-HD MA tracks. And The Desolation of Smaug's DTS-HD MA 7.1 track just builds onto that perfect reputation. The soundstage is very well realized, the rear speakers in constant and aggressive use. The LFE output is hefty and loud, but controlled and tight. Fidelity is phenomenal, and pans are convincing. Dialogue is never lost, and is always pronounced and discernible. FEATURES: Like the first movie, the theatrical release comes only with some Production Diaries.

Film Summary: Now hobbits are peace-lovin' folks you know They don't like to hurry and they take things slow They don't like to travel away from home They just want to eat and be left alone But one day Bilbo was asked to go on a big adventure to the caves below, to help some dwarves get back their gold that was stolen by a dragon in the days of old. My personal favorite of the Hobbit Trilogy films. Again if you're looking for a cheaper, non-super collector version, this DVD is definitely the ticket - certainly less drawn out than the extended editions. The quality is good as it gets for a DVD, certainly not as superior as the Bluray, but if you're looking to check out the film, this one should fit the bill.

I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the first Hobbit film, but wasn't able to see this one theaters. So, I ended up blind-buying this and absolutely loved The Desolation of Smaug. I like what Peter Jackson has done with the added material from Tolkien's appendices and expanding on the Hobbit children's story to nicely connected with the Lord of the Rings. The PQ/AQ are superb and I can't wait for the final film of the Hobbit trilogy - The Battle of the Five Armies - to be released this December. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to get away from life and enjoy 2.5 hours of a fantastical adventure in Middle Earth.

I love the LOTR saga, so I was really looking forward to the new one featuring a younger Bilbo. I gotta say, I am so impressed with what Jackson and Martin Freeman brought to the table in the first Hobbit film. And now, with this second in the trilogy? Wow! I kept hearing about the barrel scene, and I couldn't understand, but after seeing it for myself, I am floored with the action, the directing and the overall heart of this movie. And the dragon....OH My God! Can't wait till #3.

AS with all previous LOTR-related extended editions, this installment only adds to the interest. The additions to the hobbit extended additions add something around 25 minutes to each film. These editions each come in black blu ray cases that slide inside of very nice, cardboard slipcases that remind you of the past extended releases. The video and audio quality of this blu ray set is great as well.

Since I was a little kid and saw The Hobbit cartoon, I've liked The Hobbit. I didn't even know of the book I don't think. Anyway there are a few more things in the extended edition than I saw in the theater, I've waited this long to buy the movie and it points out to you which are extended scenes when paused. These Hobbit movies may not be as good as Lord Of The Rings movies but I still enjoy them.

I loved this movie! The introduction of Smaug is amazing and the action is frenetic and fun. The new characters are cool and everything is beautiful from the effects down to the makeup, sets and locations. It leaves you at the end wanting the final film in the Hobbit trilogy right this instant!

A great idea to throw the key in with the extended edition. I'm one of those people who enjoy watching the commentary and extra features. Can't wait to finish the collection with bofa next year or so. The extra content wasn't what I expected but it does add somewhat to what people may have not known without reading the story of Tolkien's middle earth.

I love the 3-D versions of this series (in comparison to the 2D purchases I made for the first series). Great to see Evangeline Lilly in this series (although Orlando Bloom looked a bit odd to me getting the video processing technique to maintain a elevin "youthfulness" I guess). Wish I didn't have to wait so long for this to go on sale. As far as characters go, I found this series a bit tougher to warm up to in comparison to the first series... but I think I'll dig them more on the next viewing. Looking forward to the next episode.

What can I say? Highly recommended? Yes. Technical Merits? Solid, with great picture and sound. Extras? Lots and extremely worth the time to watch them. With great acting, excellent direction and a reference Blu-ray that will put any home theater to great use, do your best to get this one at a good price point.

The entire series is fantastic and this one is no slouch. Even though this is the middle movie of the 3 part series, it is well done and engaging. Fantastic special effects. While we have seen all three in the theater now, I am looking forward to the third one to come out on DVD so we can have the complete set at home.

Another great edition to the Lord of The Rings mythology continues with the prequel to the original 3 movies to show you how it all started with Bilbo Baggins. See the Dragon you left off being teased with in The Hobbit and see how it all setups leading to the finale of the series.

If you are a LOTR or Hobbit fan, this movie is a must. The CGI is much better than the first Hobbit movie and more believable. The acting is much more intense as the quest to the lonely mountain gets closer. The 3D effects were pretty clever without being distracting.

My wife is a self described Tolkien nerd and thoroughly enjoys these films even though they are not 100% "by the book." I also thoroughly enjoy them and we re-watch the LoTR and Hobbit films a couple of times per year, scattered out over several weeks.

I like the movie overall... It's fun, it's light-hearted dwarf-y hobbit-y fun, as opposed to the slightly more heavy-handed slog that was the LotR trilogy. Some may like it, some may not. Would be interesting to watching the Hobbit Trilogy and then the LotR trilogy start to finish chronologically as a single series and see if it's different than watching it as a 'trilogy' and its 'prequel.' Kind of like Star Wars.

What's to say here. Hours upon hours of bonus. Pristine encode that's at a good bitrate for the best picture quality. If you're a fan of LOTR movies, you know not to purchase the regular theatrical version and just wait for extended editions. Buy it!

Tolkien purists will find fault with any film adaption of his work (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy had its share of creative liberties taken as well). This film fills in gaps left open in the book with material written by Tolkien (and expanded in detail by the filmmakers). While most films never live up to the books on which they are based, this film still entertains.

The extended version is well worth owning a second copy of this movie because the scenes added really help you understand more of what the story was trying to tell us. The scene in dol goldur will really surprise you.

I really enjoyed the LOTR movies and have been really looking forward to The Hobbit trilogy also. This is the 2nd film in the series and it doesn't disappoint.

This is the best edition of the 2nd chapter. Since none of the retailers have any exclusive content on the blu-ray disc, this is the version to get since it comes with a replica of Thorin's key.