The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug [Extended Edition] [Blu-ray 3D] [2013] [2014] [Region Free]

This is a review for the Extended Edition of "The Desolation of Smaug" in 3D (on Blu-ray). It comes in a deluxe outer-box, with a nice holographic image on it. Inside it is a plastic Blu-ray case, housing 5 discs. You get the movie in two parts in 3D; there is also the 2D version; and two bonus discs of special features (several hours in length). The extended edition of the film is 186 minutes long.This movie is the second instalment in a three part franchise. The other two movies that comprise this trilogy are: 'An Unexpected Journey' (2012) and 'The Battle of Five Armies' (2014). These films are based on the fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien (first published in 1937). They constitute a prequel to the 'Lord of the Rings' saga. That saga was made into a trilogy of films by director Peter Jackson - who returns to direct this Hobbit trilogy.This film is set in Middle-Earth, some sixty years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. It continues the tale of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) who, at the request of the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), has joined a company of thirteen Dwarves - led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) - on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, their former kingdom, from the dragon Smaug. This group is being pursued by the nasty Azog and his Orc party (following the events of the previous film), and so the Dwarves enter the treacherous Mirkwood Forest on their way to the mountain - only to be ensnared by giant spiders! Fortunately, the Wood-elves capture the Dwarves, and bring Thorin before their king Thranduil. Bilbo, having avoided capture, arranges an escape. But now the Dwarves are pursued by the Wood-elves and the Orc party. Eventually the company reach Laketown, and from there several Dwarves and Bilbo make their way up to the mountain ... but they awaken the mighty Smaug, who flies off to destroy Laketown.This is a highly entertaining movie - full of adventure, thrills, suspense and humour. I've not read the novel, so I didn't know what to expect ... and I thoroughly enjoyed this film. In 3D the special effects - which are plentiful - look amazing. Having only watched this extended version, all I can say is that the narrative made complete sense - and not once did I get bored.This film picks up exactly where the first instalment of the Hobbit trilogy ends - and, if you've not seen that movie, I think you'd feel lost. Having watched both, I eagerly awaited the final film ...I fully recommend this movie to those who enjoy fantasy based drama.

Why do New Line bother to release the theatrical cuts of these films at all. Compared to this version they seem incomplete. I did see the picture at the pictures last year and wasn't really impressed with it. Second viewing of it in the extended version seemed like an entirely different film. I was always going to by slightly biased in favour of the extended version as I knew it included my favourite scene from the book, albeit delivered slightly differently here, namely where the company is introduced to Beorn. That being said that additional scene was just one of the many joys of the extended version. We also see the enchanted stream, Gandalf's encounter with Thrain the Second and many more snippets and exposition here and there. All of which give the film a much better feel. I also think I enjoyed it more knowing what the writers had done with the story this time rather than expecting a straight adaptation of the book. Parts of the barrel ride had me chuckling which I certainly don't remember happening at the pictures.There is also the, by now usual, excellent appendices, all of which are worth watching at least once. It is always amusing to see Peter Jackson interviewed because he strikes one as the king of person who couldn't organise the proverbial piss up yet always comes across as very exacting, precise and knowing exactly what he wants.Lastly was I not paying attention but when did Bombur wake up?

Fast! As described! Recommended!

I waited for the extended edition before purchasing because my main interest is in all the extra features, and i wasn't disappointed.Firstly the film is quite good, the extra 25 minutes add a little bit of extra background and character to the film, but it is easy to see how it was cut in the first place as there is little that is outstanding on its own. The effects are amazing and you know what to expect if you have seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The story is almost unrecognisable from the book with so much added to make these films longer, but i am willing to overlook that as nothing seemed grossly out of context with the world of Middle Earth. Overall i would count the film as 4 stars.The extras however are again amazing and form the bulk of the package. Everything you could want to know about the production is included and the humour and presentation of these documentaries is as good as if they were a seperate release. I can literally spend hours trawling through them all, and they have a great rewatch value which is rare for extra content. As a fan of film making i found them educational about the process but also entertaining to watch, they would get a 5 star from me on their own!

The extended scenes make a difference to the film, more than you'd think. It's nice to see classic book scenes (Gandalf's introduction of the dwarves to Beorn is straight from the pages of the Hobbit), though I understand why they were cut. In the case of that scene, there's no need for a recap.Other scenes that were cut include a much longer trek through Mirkwood. with the sickly magic in the air affecting the dwarves much more strongly, a scene of the dwarves crossing Mirkwood's enchanted river, with Bombur falling in, additional stuff in Lake-town (showing the town's discontent with the Master and his thugs), and most significantly, a change to Gandalf's side-quest to Dol Guldur. In this version, Gandalf runs into Thrain, Thorin's father, in Dol Guldur, and the two attempt to escape together.

Needed a blu-ray disk of movie #2, this was it! No problems.

Took a little while to get here but kept in contact with me. This gave me the reassurance that I needed.

This wasn't the first time I watched this film but it was the first time in 3D. The level of immersion was great. Smaug's head almost knocked my drink off the coffee table. His dialog with Bilbo is criminal without a good subwoofer(s).

Hard to fine DVD edition , not region 1, should have told that, but playable on my laptop.

It's Great!!