Last Tuesday, Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. finally released the second official trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
If you need to refresh your memory … who are we kidding? … you’ve memorised it all! But if you’d like to see it again, check it out on Youtube or on TheHobbit.com.
In the intervening time, staff here at TheOneRing.net have watched the trailer again and again… and again… We’ve also been poring over large screencaps, with a magnifying glass, to spot any tiny details which just might give us some further insight into what we will see when the movie is finally released in cinemas in a little more than 60 days’ time.
Check out what we spotted below! You can click on the small thumbnail screencaps to see large, high-resolution versions. A warning for spoilers!. But you’re expecting them if you made it this far, surely?
The official TORn frame-by-frame analysis of trailer two for
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Altaira – This snippet of dialog between Bilbo and Smaug is right out of the book! It’s encouraging to see the film-makers include some key dialogue from the book such as this, Riddles in the Dark and the ‘good morning’ conversation between Gandalf and Bilbo. Hopefully we have more of this to look forward to. Fans are already speculating as to whether Bilbo is wearing the Ring in this scene and that the ‘wraith world’ effect might be added at a later date.
ImladrisRose – OMFG he’s in Erebor!
Elessar – About time we get a second trailer
Entmaiden – Wow. He looks like Sam Gamgee. What movie is this?
Gramma – I love the feeling of moving into the chamber with Bilbo. I don’t always need a full-faced image to get into the mood of an event. And this is very effective!
greendragon – How come Bilbo’s going in the front door? What happened to the secret, narrow tunnel?
Kelvarhin – Love the framing of this first shot, the glimpse we get of the interior of Erebor.
Mithril – Bilbo entering into the Mountain/Smaug’s Lair
MrCere – Bilbo has a beautiful blue coat on here; new wardrobe. He clearly is entering a dwarf dwelling so I am guessing Erebor.
ImladrisRose – Stunning, looks like a labyrinth. My husband asks “What’s with the bathrobe?”
Elessar – God, Erebor looks so cool. Bilbo has the same look I’d have on my face.
Entmaiden – Oh, it’s Bilbo. Why is he wearing a dressing robe? Must be clothes from the Lake-town folks. It looks both too small and too large at the same time. It must have come from a child. Bilbo would be quite short next to the Men from Lake-town. He seems to be in Erebor, so I’m guessing he’s sneaking in to see if Smaug is around.
Garfeimao – First off, I’ve always loved the Green look of Erebor, probably because malachite is one of my favorite stones for jewelry. Secondly, the Dwarven geometry of design is stunning, this warren of stairs and halls and passages looks vaguely like Jareth’s castle in Labyrinth, which was more or less based on Escher’s work.
Gramma – This reminds me so much of when the Fellowship first entered the great realm of Dwarrowdelf; but this is more surreal because it’s so empty. The last time we were here, there were dwarves everywhere!
Kelvarhin – The detail in this image is amazing, and the look of awe on Bilbo’s face. Is this his first sight of Smaug? Or just that huge pile of gold?
MrCere – Interesting how green everything is. I think the design team wanted to make this distinct from Moria. In my mind Moria is the highest peak of Dwarven architecture but since this movie comes later, this will likely surpass it visually.
Sarumann – Bilbo looks so frightened and alone here!
Saystine – Look at the grandeur of Erebor. It is stunning.
ImladrisRose – I spy Bilbo! In this shot though, because it’s so dark, the piles of gold kinda looks like manure.
Elessar – That’s a lot of gold. Can I get a loan?
Entmaiden – Ooooh, treasure!
Garfeimao – the absolute scale of this treasure room is astounding. We’ve always pictured a mound of gold and gems for Smaug to lay upon, but this is a Sea of treasure, one which Smaug practically swims in. No wonder Bilbo’s in such awe of the size of the chamber, the sheer breadth and scope of the treasure and the immensity that is Smaug, but there is also fear there in his shaking voice.
Gramma – I can barely make out Bilbo in the center of the picture on a mountain of treasure. Wow!
Kelvarhin – Bilbo running across the mountain of gold, can’t really make too much else out of it though, just too dark.
MrCere – Several places in the world have green marble quarries but none known have piles of gold in them.
ImladrisRose – I like how he is backlit and how you can see the varying light from the gold reflected on his face, almost like water.
Demosthenes – The line ought to be “Truly songs and tales fall utterly short of the reality, O Smaug the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities…”. Tiny things like this are why a significant portion of Tolkien fandom rolls their eyes at the Jackson adaptations. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Gramma – He’s so brave… and so alone. Fabulous!
Kelvarhin – Riddling with Smaug, it sounded brilliant. Really glad they included some of it.
MrCere – Really beautiful lighting. A dark place with highlights on treasure and character. Well done Andrew Lesnie.
Sarumann – I had always imagined this scene the way it was done in the cartoon, with Bilbo being very exaggerated. I like Freeman’s delivery that is full of genuine fear and awe much more.
ImladrisRose – NOT SOON ENOUGH!
Elessar – Why does December have to be so far away?
Garfeimao – Friday the 13th, awesome
Kelvarhin – December 26 here 🙁
ImladrisRose – I love the scale of this, Elves towering of the Dwarves. I also love the fall like color tones.
Demosthenes – This is a different bridge than the one we saw in the end scene of the original Scroll last year. It’s still fairly plain, yet feels more refined. I wonder if they’ve taken the opportunity to remodel their initial concepts.
Entmaiden – Beautiful, and very reminiscent of the Fellowship.
Garfeimao – The Woodland Realm is lovely, this would be a great vacation spot, if it weren’t for the fact the Dwarves are prisoners. This is the type of treatment they expected in Rivendell.
Gramma – YES! I never get tired of a line of walkers on a Quest! Little did they know they’d meet that river up close and personal!
Kelvarhin – That’s a beautiful shot, the play of light and dark, really like it.
Mithril – Crossing into Thranduil’s Halls. We’ve seen inside the Halls several times, and a hint of the prison (there is a pic of Tauriel near the bars of the cell), but I wonder if we’ll get to see Bilbo sneaking around and pilfering food.
MrCere – Feels a big CGI for my taste. Also, I wish this existed as a bigature but I know I am old fashioned and living in the past.
Rud the Spud – Bilbo clearly doesn’t wear the Ring in Smaug’s lair. Whether or not an in-film reason will be given, it’s clearly much easier and more cinematic to have him visible rather than being in “wraith-world” for the whole scene. Plus I would not like to drop the Ring here! You’d never find it again!
ImladrisRose – If Lothlorien and Rivendell had a baby…
Demosthenes – I’m really not sure the Halls of the Elven-king were supposed to be quite this grand. It’s lucky they’re not doing The Silmarillion as Lee and Howe would find themselves a bit stumped to create Nargothrond or Menegroth on an even grander scale.
Entmaiden – That has to be the Halls of the Elves of Mirkwood. Gorgeous. There’s bits of Lothlorien here, but it’s clearly an indoor space.
Gramma – Sweeeet! What a contrast, yet very similar, to Lothlorien. This cavern is endless!
Kelvarhin – Thranduil’s Halls with its tree like pillars. Looks like Thranduil and Thorin are standing side by side, but no sign of the other dwarves. Does that mean they do get separated and Thorin arrives first?
MrCere – And the frame after I complained about CGI, this magnificent image shows up that would be hard to light and achieve any other way. A throne room for Thranduil that impresses me because it keeps the Elven theme consistent from previous films but also gives us something completely new. Well done Alan Lee, John Howe, concept team and Weta Digital.
Saystine – I just love this design. it is such a great concept and so beautifully executed.
Rud the Spud – This is the bridge into the Mirkwood elves’ realm we got a glimpse of on that long story poster originally released for AUJ.
ImladrisRose – He doesn’t look too happy here.
Garfeimao – from the first trailer, the moment Thorin announces his Company to the folk in Lake-town
Gramma – Thorin is, once again, dealing with someone threatening his plans. I love how Bilbo is peeking over Thorin’s shoulder trying very hard to be invisible without the Ring!
Kelvarhin – King Under The Mountain demanding respect. Dwalin looks like he’s smelt something bad.
Altaira – So far, the glimpses we’ve seen of Lee Pace’s Thranduil just keep us wanting more. He seems so calm and collected. I wonder if we’ll ever see him get angry or agitated? I can’t imagine he’d make it through the Battle of Five Armies with that amount of composure!
ImladrisRose – What an odd time for a nap, Thranduil!
Elessar – Thranduil looks really cool. I just have grown to love the final design and think he’s going to be a big hit in this movie.
Garfeimao – but then we transition to Thranduil promising help, but I just don’t see him offering that to the Dwarves. I think this is much more likely to be near the end of the film after Smaug has burnt Lake-town down and they have sent for help in Mirkwood.
Kelvarhin – Thranduil… sorry but he sounded like a slippery used-car salesman here.
MrCere – Cliff “Quickbeam” Broadway told me years ago during the casting phase of these films that Lee Pace would be magnificent. I didn’t disbelieve him but I felt the jury was still out because of so many factors. He is of course magnificent and his character is one of my favorite aspects of Film 1. His color scheme may be on display here. The red in his crown and the silks behind. I get the feeling he is ancient and just doesn’t care about these young, upstart dwarves and their new quest.
Sarumann – Do you trust Thranduil? I don’t trust Thranduil.
Saystine – Thranduil is going to help? I don’t trust him.
