Similar to the palette shift that occurs when moving from The Fellowship of the Ring to The Two Towers, The Desolation of Smaug is a much darker, bleaker film than An Unexpected Journey. The same goes for Warner's 1080p/AVC-encoded 2D and MVC-encoded 3D video presentations. Shadows are greedier, the cloak of night more oppressive, delineation less forgiving, and crush a bit more of a nuisance than before. Even so, the two transfers remain excellent examples of what high definition affords; each one rich in detail, lovely to behold, and utterly faithful to Jackson and cinematographer Andrew Lesnie's dramatic digital color grading. Skintones are perfectly saturated (or desaturated, as is typically the case here), black levels are satisfying (albeit a touch muted in Mirkwood and Erebor), and contrast is spot on, with very little in the way of distractions. (The few that do arise trace back to the filmmakers and/or the FX.) Clarity is also remarkable in both 2D and 3D, with crisp edges free from aliasing and ringing, refined textures that capture every last subtlety of the film's production design and costumes, and a pleasing veneer of grain that doesn't hinder the image in any way. 

 

In 3D, the experience is perhaps even more stunning, with a level of depth and dimensionality reserved only for the best of the best 3D releases. The aforementioned bleakness and darkness doesn't take a toll on the MVC-encoded 3D presentation, nor does it muddle Jackson's imagery in any way. Orc swords pierce the screen. Forests extend into the distance. Mountains spill back to the horizon. Rivers rage as barrels race to safety. Elves leap overhead. Spiders lunge at the viewer. Drawn bows point arrows beyond the bounds of the film. The streets of Laketown snake into the city. Dwarven monoliths tower above Bilbo and the Company. And Smaug looms larger and more menacingly above the fray. Then there are the veils of cobwebs, sea of trees, canopy of leaves and butterflies, crowds of onlookers, sheets of dragon scales, oceans of gold, and columns that allow one to sense the vastness of Erebor's halls. All of it is convincing and oh so immersive, with wide vistas boasting as much 3D oomph as the most intimate close-ups. Add to that a lack of significant aliasing, shimmering, ghosting or other issues associated with 3D and you easily have what's already one of the finest 3D releases of the year.

 

Better still, artifacting, banding and other significant enemies of the crown are held at bay; again, both in the 2D and 3D presentations of the film. (A half-dozen unsightly, lower definition GoPro Camera shots unfortunately pepper the barrel escape sequence, but each one only appears for a split second and, again, is attributable to Jackson and Lesnie, not Warner's encoding efforts.) All told, The Desolation of Smaug is gorgeous regardless of which version you choose to watch. Jackson's rabid fans will be rewarded for their allegiance.

 

Note: The 3D presentation of the film is spread across two BD-50 discs while the 2D presentation is housed on a single BD-50. As far as the eye can discern, there are no notable differences in quality between the two, even with the bitrate trending a bit higher in the 2-disc 3D presentation.