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The Desolation of Smaug (2013): Film vs Book
Film · 2013 · Directed by Peter Jackson · Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch
About the film
The second film follows the company through forest and lake toward the mountain.
How close is it to the book?
Loosely based on the bookIt adds characters and subplots that do not appear in the book, and gives chapters a very different pace.
Read or watch first?
Choose the film for scale, the book for its storyteller's voice.
What the book gives you
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
A cheerful, imaginative adventure with dwarves, riddles and a dragon's hoard. It is the perfect doorway to Middle-earth and a story that feels like home.
Who will like it: Readers of every age who love adventure, dragons and a cozy hero who finds his courage.