2. Gandalf Is Epic Again
An Unexpected Journey saw Gandalf act mainly as a spectator. It is true that Gandalf is absent for a large amount of the source material. The Desolation of Smaug will see Peter Jackson bring in material from the appendices of the Lord of the Rings that explain this absence and it promises to be AWESOME! One worry I had when I heard that Peter Jackson was developing a film (and then three) based on The Hobbit was the lack of any characters from the Lord of the Rings to tie the trilogy together. For this reason I am very glad that we will get to see Gandalf facing off against the Necromancer, played by Benedict Cumberbatch (more on him later). From the glimpse of Gandalf wheeling round, sword in hand, that we get in the trailer, it seems as if Gandalf is going to be pretty epic in this movie. That can only be a good thing.