Wake up and smell the desolation! In this episode, Andrew and Monica discuss how The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug functions as a standalone film, particularly when compared to the previous movies. Are the additional subplots worthwhile? What’s up with the Ring and the Arkenstone? And how do the Hobbit films differ from the Lord of the Rings movies on a visual level? Tune in for all that and more!

SHOW NOTES:

0:22 - Intro

4:00 - Smaug!

6:45 - Tauriel and additional conflict

11:24 - Ending on a cliffhanger, multiple story arcs

13:25 - The Ring and the Arkenstone

20:45 - The look of the Hobbit films

29:04 - How the movie works on its own

34:03 - Gimli gets a shoutout

35:16 - Show close

DON'T FORGET: You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at 336-793-2509. Thanks for listening!