3. Barrel Chase Sequence
As well as being a technical achievement, this scene was brilliantly put together by Jackson and by far one of the most thrilling moments in The Desolation of Smaug (no easy feat in a movie which was full of them).
The fact that it all played out in one take made it all the more special, and it’s a scene which demands multiple viewings to really take it all in. Seeing it in HFR is essential too, as it shows the impressive sequence off in a suitably epic fashion. Some have criticised it for being too slapstick, but in the world of The Hobbit – which is obviously the same as The Lord of the Rings, but nowhere near as dark tonally – it works perfectly, and is a high point of the franchise and a credit to director Peter Jackson for sure.
