13. We Don't Get To See Smaug
Or at least not properly. In the flashback sequence that forms the film's prologue, we see the dragon attacking Erebor, but the creature's form is never revealed on screen - Jackson instead goes for the smoke and mirrors approach of showing the destruction the creature wreaks and implying his presence through shadow and forms cloaked in smoke and fire. It's a clever sequence, and one that builds the mythos around the creature, and the final scene of the film, where we see Smaug awaken from slumber in the great treasure hall of Erebor serves the purpose well. A single bird can be seen flying towards Erebor by the party of dwarves who take it as a positive omen, with Bilbo remarking that he believes the worst of it is behind them. We then follow the bird as it lands on the wall of Erebor and pecks at a nut, the noise reverberating through the halls within, and waking Smaug. The only glimpse we get though is of a single smokey nostril and one of his eyes opening under a pile of gold - borrowing a little from the LOTR iconography to draw a comparison between Smaug and Sauron for the purposes of dramatic tension. And it works well: as a final shot the opening eye of Smaug is a good tease for the second film, despite some of this film's shortcomings. What did you think of the changes Peter Jackson made to the original Hobbit text? Were his creative decisions the right ones to make? Share your thoughts below.