Hobbit, trailer, Peter Jackson, Smaug - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

Watch: New ‘Hobbit’ trailer debuts [Video]

Share via

Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” enjoyed one of the more anomalous releases in 2012. Despite the fact that many critics gave Jackson’s adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic poor marks, the first of three “Hobbit” films was a global blockbuster, grossing more than $1 billion worldwide, nearly as much as “The Dark Knight Rises.”

PHOTOS: Movie Sneaks 2013

The second installment in the trilogy -- “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” -- arrives in theaters on Dec. 13, and judging from the new trailer the film has more in common with Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” films than the first “Hobbit” production.

Advertisement

While the first film felt overly dark and somewhat claustrophobic -- with an extended action scene unfolding deep in a sprawling cave -- the new film harkens back to the sweeping vistas and outdoor action that Jackson employed in the “Lord of the Rings” productions.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

There are other similarties to Jackson’s earlier Tolkien adaptation.

Judging from the trailer, the archer Legolas will enjoy significant screen time, the part that made Orlando Bloom a star from “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”

Advertisement

And even though the creatures in the first “Hobbit” movie were impressive, in the new film we will see more of Jackson’s epic design for Smaug, the giant dragon voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.

ALSO:

James Franco, Jason Bateman among those actors trying directing

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s ‘Don Jon’ a movie about mainstream culture

Advertisement

‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2’ is No. 1 on a crowded weekend

Advertisement