A second - and wholly justified appearance for Benedict Cumberbatch in the top five of the year, and it's not surprising, considering how steeply his graph has gone in the past 12 months. With everyone loving his take on Sherlock, and Hollywood falling over itself to defy the tradition limits put on ridiculously named actors and cast him in everything, that isn't going to change any time soon. Yes, Peter Jackson's decision to extend the single Hobbit novel into three films using the wider Tolkein histories (and his own imagination) will always be criticised, and the films have both been too long, and poor in comparison to the LOTR films, but The Desolation Of Smaug was a major step forward. Where An Unexpected Journey was bloated and ponderous, its sequel was far more thrilling, thanks in part to the increased bounty of the source (like the much-loved barrel sequence) and also thanks to the single most memorable character performance of the year. Smaug's design was brilliantly effective avoiding the ridiculousness of other talking dragons like the star of Dragonheart and the underlying vocal performance by the British actor. His every word drips venom and arrogance, and Cumberbatch's poise and presence is transmitted entirely, thanks to the vocal capture techniques used to bring the character to life. Smaug is utterly charming as a villain, brilliantly executed, and it is no exaggeration to say he makes the sequel, despite his limited screen time, and though the ending is a kick in the guts, the promise of more Smaug will drive anticipation for the third movie. Which bad-ass characters do you think ruled 2013? Share your own picks below in the comments.
