Editor’s Notes:

Portions of this review also appear in our coverage of the previous Blu-ray release of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.’

Picking up where An Unexpected Journey left off, just after their escape from a pack of Orcs, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen), and a band of dwarves led by Thorin (Richard Armitage) continue their quest to reclaim land in the Lonely Mountain. While there are untold riches to be had, they must first face a number of dangers, including a fire-breathing dragon named Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) who claims both riches and fortress as his own.

When Gandolf is forced to investigate the threat of the Necromancer, the dwarfs find themselves battling giant spiders, only to find themselves captured by wood elves. Using the invisibility powers of the Ring, Bilbo is able to slip past the elves and free the dwarves, but the orcs are soon hot on their tail again. To break away from the Orcs, the group makes a deal with shipman Bard (Luke Evans), who smuggles them into the human-populated Lake-town so they can fulfill the prophecy and take back what is theirs. Smaug, however, is not inclined to go quietly into the night.

The last third of the movie is a study in visual excellence, mixed with overindulgence. In my review of the first Blu-ray release, I wrote that, while enjoyable, the film’s 161-minute runtime made it very difficult for Peter Jackson and his crew to honestly maintain the fantasy without adding what felt like quite a bit of filler. While the 25 minutes added to this Extended Edition don’t particularly improve the story, I was surprised to find it more entertaining. Most of the new scenes give the overall film a sense of pacing, helping areas that felt like filler before, to better fit in. The most obvious difference is a fabulous sequence at Beorn’s house when Gandalf introduces himself and his merry band of dwarves to the shapeshifter. Slightly longer sequences in the Mirkwood forest, as the band gets seriously confused after losing the path is just amusing fun.

Warner Home Video brings The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug to 3D Blu-ray as a five-disc package with an UltraViolet Digital Copy code.

Framed at 2.40:1, Warner has provided a stunning 1080p presentation.that truly highlights the film’s top-notch production design. The color scheme works extremely well throughout. Textures are nuanced, and slight refinements are apparent. Wide angle vistas views look great, but are a bit limited due to post production effects. Fleshtones look good no matter the color scheme, and lighting matching the mood. The use of CGI/green screens and photographic effects naturally softens some elements but doesn’t detract from the overall viewing experience. This is a fine rendering that mimics the theatrical event.

Warner’s DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track is fabulous. The soundfield projects all the varied soundscapes of Middle Earth perfectly. Howard Shore’s sweeping orchestral score delivers the proper emotional punch, and atmospherics and sound effects are well supported throughout. This is truly one of those rare reference quality Blu-rays to show off your home theater system.

English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), and Thai subtitles are included.

The following extras are available:

  • Audio Commentary: Filmmaker Peter Jackson and co-writer Philippa Boyens deliver a scene-by-scene commentary that covers all aspects of the production.
  • New Zealand: Home to Middle-Earth Part 2 (HD, 7:11) The cast and crew discuss shooting in New Zealand.
  • The Appendices Part 9: A Long Expected Journey (HD) The film’s appendices — “The Chronicles of The Hobbit – Part 2″ — is spread across two discs. The five hours of featurettes and production documentaries that appear on the first disc breaks down as follows:
    • Opening (HD, 3:22) Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and others touch on the decision to expand The Hobbit saga into three films and briefly discuss the trials the second installment presented, and the highs and lows of shooting Desolation.
    • A Warm Welcome (HD, 29:23): Peter Jackson, Martin Freeman, the Dwarf actors, Orlando Bloom, and other members of the cast and crew go through Lake-town, discussing everything from the sprawling sets to burying the dwarves in fish, incorporating acrobatic wire-suspended elves into the action, the dwarves’ public “trial” before the Master, the various tricks and techniques used to achieve various shots, etc.
    • Shelter on the Long Lake (HD, 20:19) The Bard’s house, fully realized using two sets at two different scales (1:1 and 1:1.42). Highlighted is the filming of James Nesbitt’s children (who play the Bard’s daughters), the Lake-town orc attack, Evangeline Lilly and her stunt double’s work, etc.
    • In the Halls of the Elvenking (HD, 29:17) Two deleted/alternate scenes are featured in this look at the Woodland Realm, the halls, prisons and cellar of the Elvenking’s fortress, and Thranduil and his subjects.
    • Flies and Spiders (HD, 29:43): In the Mirkwood Forest the cast and crew face fun and challenges. Exhaustion, drunkenness and drug tripping on the forest sets, and more.
    • Queer Lodgings (HD, 27:02) The locale by locale tour of Jackson’s Middle-earth continues with a revealing trip to Beorn’s house, where towering sets allow the characters to believably appear, in appropriate scale, alongside one another. Running in costume is the first order of business, followed by a move from exterior location to interior set, additional March 2012 filming, and more.
    • On the Doorstep (HD, 18:28) Location scouting for the mountainside staircase, designing and building the dwarven statues, the development of the moon light reveal and more.
    • Inside Information (HD, 26:12) Smaug is finally revealed to cast and crew.
    • Down the Swift Dark Stream (HD, 15:42) On location along the Pelorus River, Bilbo and the dwarves come ashore after their barrel ride and meet Bard.
    • Barrels Out of Bond (HD, 30:05) The complete barrel ride, from practical filming to digital effects, motion capture, water simulations, large scale sets, etc.
    • A Chance Meeting (HD, 20:37) All about the nostalgia of the legendary set of the town of Bree.
    • Erebor Rekindled (HD, 27:59) An entirely different sequence for the ending.
    • Into the Fire (HD, 7:58): A glimpse at The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies arriving in theaters this December.
  • The Appendices Part 10: The Journey to Erebor (HD) The film’s appendices continue on another disc, totaling another five hours. The extras break down as follows:
    • Summoning Smaug: Last of the Fire-Drakes (HD, 1:16:31) An extensive overview of Smaug’s development, design, animation, voice casting and performance.
      • “The Last and First Dragon” (26:36) history of dragons, Tolkien’s fascination with the creatures, his creation of one of literature’s most unforgettable villains, Smaug’s influence on books and movies ever since, and more.
      • “Conversations with Smaug” (24:50) Looks at Benedict Cumberbatch’s audition, casting, approach to the character, motion capture and performance, and designing, modeling and finalizing a digital Smaug.
      • “Into the Dragon’s Lair” (25:36) examines Smaug’s personality and feeling, comparisons between Tolkien and Jackson’s dragon, the look of Smaug’s fire breath and flame blasts, and combining Cumberbatch’s performance with additional elements to build the final digital creature.
    • The Peoples and Denizens of Middle-earth (HD, 1:11:48) A three-part documentary that rxplores the development, design, casting, costuming and performances of the people and creatures introduced in The Desolation of Smaug.
      • “Beorn: The Shape-shifter” (25:08) A look at the creation of Beorn. Peter Jackson, conceptual designers John Howe and Alan Lee, author Tom Shippey and other key members of the production team discuss Tolkien’s Beorn, his uniqueness in the mythology of “The Hobbit,” the development of his look, the design of the digital monster-bear, and Mikael Persbrandt’s audition, casting, approach to the character, and performance.
      • “The Spawn of Ungoliant” (16:49) A look at the use of the spiders of Mirkwood, in the film, their ties to Shelob and the spiders in The Lord of the Rings, their design and the inspirations that led to their final look, their modeling and animation, the vocalization of their language and their voice casting.
      • “The Men of Lake-town” (30:17) A look at neatly every historical aspect regarding the Lake-town people.
    • Realms of the Third Age: From Beorn’s House to Lake-town (HD, 1:34:07): A behind-the-scenes documentary, broken into four parts — “Beorn’s House” (26:40), “Mirkwood Forest” (17:00), “The Woodland Realm” (21:05) and “Lake-town” (29:55) – looking at the design, construction and functionality of the numerous sets throughout the film.
    • The Music of The Hobbit (HD, 1:00:54) The music is given its proper due, with a look at the composition of new themes to composer Howard Shore’s creative process, the orchestral recording sessions, and much more. Chapters include “Overture: Music of the Wilderland” (21:36), “1st Movement: The World of Men” (20:25) and “2nd Movement: In the Halls of Erebor” (19:14).