The Hobbit

The perfect gift for the elf on your Christmas list.

Before Peter Jackson took the reigns of the franchise, Guillermo del Toro was supposed to direct The Hobbit, and planned to bring his friend and longtime collaborator Ron Perlman to voice the dragon Smaug. But financial problems and delays at MGM eventually forced del Toro from the project; after Peter Jackson, king of The Lord of the Rings, signed on to direct in his place, he replaced Perlman with Benedict Cumberbatch. That’s just one of the facts packed into the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies, which takes you on an unexpected journey behind the scenes of the first film in The Hobbit trilogy!

Having gone on an unexpected journey and endured the desolation of Smaug, Peter Jackson’s bloated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ finally comes to ‘The Battle of the Five Armies,’ which is less of a climax to this trilogy than a distended epilogue. After spending two movies and 330 minutes building up the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) as the ultimate antagonist, he’s eliminated from the story completely in the first ten minutes. He’s literally gone before the title appears onscreen.

Back in 2012, some of the cast members from the 'Hobbit' films appeared in an in-flight safety video for Air New Zealand titled "An Unexpected Safety Briefing," and to coincide with the upcoming sequel 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,' they've made a different kind of sequel: "The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made." It is very epic indeed.

With 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' now in theaters, marking a high point for this art form, we take a look back at some of the most incredible instances of motion-capture performances, and see how this art form has evolved.

We heard the rumors that the third of Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit' trilogy would be undergoing a title change and today, it came to pass. What was once 'The Hobbit: There and Back Again' is now 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.' What was once pleasant and sentimental is now battle-hardened and filled with promises of action. Take from that change what you will.

There comes a time when we must stop kidding ourselves. These 'Hobbit' films – with 'The Desolation of Smaug' representing the shank of the trilogy – are not real movies. These are exploitation films for Tolkien nuts, for enthusiasts of the original 'Lord of the Rings' movies and for audiences so hungry for high fantasy they'll gobble up whatever is served to them and ask for seconds. As someone w

'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' has released a brand-new poster for the continuing the adventures of Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and his band of dwarves to slay the dragon Smaug. But what's more exciting is that Warner Bros. has revealed the new trailer will hit tomorrow, October 1!

With the summer movie season in full swing, it's about time we got a poster for what's sure to be one of the big events of 2013. The first poster for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' has arrived, and it's sure to send a chill or two down the spines of Middle Earth fans the world over.

A few weeks ago, director Peter Jackson held an online Q&A and preview for the upcoming 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.' However, if you wanted to watch or take part, you had to have bought 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' on DVD or Blu-ray and followed the proper instructions (you know, typing in codes and such). Although the entire event remains an exclusive, Jackson has posted a si