After adapting the tomes of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Lord of the Rings series into three massively scaled films, Peter Jackson made the folly of trying to do the same with the 276-page The Hobbit. Splicing the minor film into three films seemed like a poor choice from the get-go so it was no huge surprise that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was a big letdown.

If the sequel, the smugly named Desolation of Smaug, has anything going for it, it’s low expectations- exactly opposite to what An Unexpected Journey had working against it. While I can’t help but admit that my faith level in the franchise as it exists is hardly soaring, there are worse things in the world than hanging out in Middle Earth for a few hours.

This first look at The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug cues us into the fact that Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), and his layer, will indeed play a large role in the film. Oh and we’ll probably see Legolas chilling somewhere too.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is directed by Peter Jackson and stars Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchette, Evangeline Lilly, Richard Artmitage, Elijah Wood, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis and Stephen Fry. It hits theaters over this holiday season on December 13.

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