Overview: Bilbo Baggins, The Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, continue their journey to reclaim the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Along the way, they encounter the skin-changer Beorn; giant Spiders of Mirkwood; Wood-elves led by Legolas, Tauriel and King Thranduil; and a mysterious Man named Bard, who smuggles them into Lake-town. Finally reaching the Lonely Mountain, they face their greatest danger – the Dragon Smaug.

Blu ray Verdict: In all honesty, I must say I enjoyed 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' as much as the next fan, but in my opinion there were already enough adventures in the book written by Tolkien for Peter Jackson to have to go and invent more, much more. Tolkien originally wrote The Hobbit: There and Back Again for children, and The Lord of the Rings for adults. Surprisingly, Peter Jackson stuck mostly to the plot in The Lord of the Rings, but then maybe that was because there were three books to the story and so much detail that he actually had to leave some things out.

Not so with The Hobbit. There are many scenes that have been added to the original story, making it almost unrecognizable sometimes. There are many extra characters also, especially elves and orcs. I suppose I am a purist when it comes to movies made from beloved books.

The part where the dwarves are captured first by spiders and then by elves is altered so that the tale begins like the last movie to get mangled. A portion of the movie is given to a heroine and some to explanation of other events. Some of this other explanation is good but it is pure make believe. The Laketown changes are likewise small but begin to give the movie a mangled shape from the book. Indeed the movie as a whole is turned into a darker film for an older audience but the book was written as a children's story.

The visuals and special effects were on-par with the first Hobbit, although they're not the best. (The pieces of white plastic in the water that were supposed to be ice were pretty ridiculous). It's also pretty obvious when they switch between live-action and CG animations (which are only so-so compared to other movies).

In short, the second installment of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy is a little bit about Bilbo (Martin Freeman, brilliant as ever), a little bit about Gandalf (great Ian McKellen), as well as about a love triangle and other subplots plus impressive Smaug the Dragon. There are lots of action scenes involving the Dwarves and Orcs (and a few Elves), which are entertaining, to be sure, but there is little to none character development here.

In closing, know that the action moves much quicker through DOS and in a twist, ends abruptly, making me want more NOW. Unfortunately, I have to wait like everyone else for the final installment of this wonderful series. This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the special features of:

Peter Jackson Invites You to the Set: Experience the film's challenges and demands, and journey alongside the director into Mirkwood, Lake-town and Dale as the movie's most intense, pivotal scenes are created.
Production Videos: Go behind the scnes as the film is shot and scored
New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth, Part 2