The Desolation Of Smaug, the second instalment in Peter Jackson's three-part Hobbit adaptation based on the novel by J.R.R Tolkien, hit cinemas on December 13 to rave reviews. Following the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and a company of Dwarves, The Desolation Of Smaug - it is widely agreed by critics - got the franchise back on track after predecessor 'An Unexpected Journey' received a mixed response. Richard Corliss of TIME has described Jackson's latest offering one of the top 10 films of 2013, while Nick de Semlyen of Empire raved: "Middle-earth's got its mojo back." But for all the glowing reviews and the money it raked in at the box office ($209 million worldwide on its opening weekend), The Desolation Of Smaug is by no means a perfect film. An avid fan of the novel it is based on, I found the many deviations from Tolkien's writing to be glaring, and while I am still mystified that Jackson was able to pad out a trilogy of films from Tolkien's 351-page pamphlet, it was the hard-to-ignore detours from the writing that most bothered me. From Legolas and Tauriel through to Azog the Orc, here, we take a look at 5 Unforgivable Deviations From The Novel. (Please note that the following pages contain plot details from The Desolation Of Smaug.) Click "Next" to begin.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
