CliqueClackThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug shines on Blu-ray
‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ ended up being better than its predecessor, and the home video release is just as stellar.
If you’re looking for yet another review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, please check out my thoughts from the original theatrical release. Short version: hated the first movie, really enjoyed the second. The film succeeds on ever level where the first one failed. And now Warner Brothers has released the theatrical version on several home video formats … with an extended edition sure to follow (think closer to Christmas).
So how does the film fare on the smaller home screen? Warner Home Video was kind enough to furnish CliqueClack with a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo pack for review, and I have to say the results are nothing short of spectacular. The 1080p/AVC-encoded Blu-ray video is sharp and colorful, and even though the film is much darker than the first, none of the detail of Murkwood, for instance, gets lost. The MVC-encoded 3D Blu-ray also shares the same high quality image and brings the beautiful theatrical 3D presentation to the home screen with both amazing depth of field and objects extending beyond the screen’s frame. This is one of the best of the best 3D presentations on Blu-ray. It should be noted that the film is contained on a single Blu-ray disk in 2D and is given some breathing room spread over two disks in 3D.
The film’s DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 also replicates the theatrical presentation, keeping dialog centered and clear while using the surround field to totally immerse you in the film’s environment. The film’s score is lush but never intrusive and the sub-woofer will get a real workout when necessary. This really is reference quality for cinephiles. The DVD’s picture quality suffers in comparison, but considering the difference between the HD and SD formats, it’s still a perfectly fine representation of the film, though not quite as detailed and sharp. The DVD audio, however, gets the job done.
The Blu-ray package is packed with extras. The single Blu-ray disk and the first 3D disk include the documentary New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth, Part 2, which is basically a tourism package to hype New Zealand highlighting the film’s locations (the first part was also infamously included on the Man of Steel Blu-ray). This short has a running time of 7:11.
A separate bonus disk in the Blu-ray packages includes the following extras:
Featurettes
- “Peter Jackson Welcomes You to the Set” (40:36) – A behind the scenes look at production of the film from early morning calls for make-up, set dressing, rehearsals, VFX, meals and wrapping the shoot. The prosthetic application is fascinating to watch, and you’re struck by how happy and civilized everyone is and the genuine sense of camaraderie that existed during the very long shoot.
- I See Fire music video (5:42)
- “Live Event: In the Cutting Room” (37:52) — The recorded version of the live streaming event that was originally available to owners of the first Hobbit DVD or Blu-ray, with Jackson and some cast and crew giving an advance peek at the second movie.
Production Videos (with Play All option) – previously available online
- “Production Video #11: Introduction to Pick-ups Shooting, July 2, 2013″ (9:06) — A look at basically re-assembling the production for pick-up shots after the end of principle photography 6 or 7 months earlier, including prepping for The Battle of Five Armies in movie three.
- “Production Video #12: Recap of Pick-ups, Part 1 – November 5, 2013″ (8:20) — Vlog covers about 10 weeks of pick-up shoots for second and third films, and some post-production. Gandalf flubs his lines too. Crew members had to watch for planes taking off and relay the information back to set so a shot wasn’t ruined.
- “Production Video # 13: Recap of Pick-ups, Part 2 – December 5, 2013″ (8:46) — Filming covers the introduction of Smaug, but no one still knows what he looks like, and connecting a scene in Laketown which was shot a year earlier.
- “Production Video # 14: Music Scoring, December 20, 2013″ (10:28) — Howard Shore discusses the score for the film.
Trailers
- Trailer #1
- Trailer #2
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug preview
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey extended edition trailer
- Lego The Hobbit game trailer
- The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-Earth game trailer
The DVD in the combo pack only includes the New Zealand: Home of Middle-Earth, Part 2 feature.
If you didn’t like the first movie, this one is certainly worth giving a look and perhaps one will re-assess the first. For Hobbit/LOTR/Jackson completists and Blu-ray/3D afficianados, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is definitely one of the finest Blu-ray presentations of the year thus far. The film is available on several home video formats on April 8, and can be purchased through the links below.
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