The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

After around three hours of walking and singing and eating, The Hobbit and his pals are very nearly almost halfway there in this second chapter, which promises The Desolation Of Smaug and all the exciting dragon loneliness that implies. As we’ve known for a while, Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice will lend the properly aristocratic air to the gold-hoarding dragon (unless this is all misdirection, and he’s actually playing Gary Mitchell), and here we meet some of the other new additions joining in on Peter Jackson’s next epic dwarf toss. There’s Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, and—perhaps most importantly to a certain fervent subsection of Lord Of The Rings fans, who are no doubt already cueing up new Bon Jovi tunes to set this footage to—Orlando Bloom is back as Legolas, all of them bravely marching off to kill the time until Bilbo finally faces the dragon.