The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) is the second installment in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel The Hobbit. The film continues the adventure of Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman), a hobbit who joins a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the fearsome dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). The film is part of the larger Lord of the Rings universe, following the events of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012).

Directed by Peter Jackson, the film maintains the epic, visually spectacular style established in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Desolation of Smaug blends action, fantasy, and drama with impressive visual effects, world-building, and character development. The film focuses on Bilbo’s journey as he continues to grow into the hero of the story, grappling with the weight of the power he now holds in the form of the One Ring, which he took from Gollum in the previous film.

In The Desolation of Smaug, Bilbo and the company of dwarves face a series of obstacles, including deadly creatures like giant spiders in the forest of Mirkwood, the elves of Mirkwood led by Thranduil (played by Lee Pace), and an encounter with the human bard (Luke Evans) in Lake-town. The group’s journey ultimately leads them to the Lonely Mountain, where they face the terrifying dragon Smaug, who guards the treasure of Erebor.