The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug(2013) < iPad >

While purists criticized the heavy use of CGI and departures from Tolkien’s source text, the film was praised for its energy and visual grandeur. It successfully raised the stakes, ending on one of the most agonizing in modern cinema as Smaug flies toward Lake-town, promising "fire and death."

The film reintroduces Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and creates a new character, the Elven guard Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), to add more stakes and a controversial romantic subplot to the male-dominated cast. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug(2013)

A standout action sequence involving a three-way battle between Dwarves, Orcs, and Elves along a rushing river. It showcases Jackson’s knack for inventive, kinetic choreography. While purists criticized the heavy use of CGI

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), the middle chapter of Peter Jackson’s prequel trilogy, shifts the tone from the whimsical adventure of the first film to a faster-paced, more perilous heist movie. It showcases Jackson’s knack for inventive