The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug parents guide

No surprises for a PG-13: no sex or nudity and mild language.

Our estimate: fine from about 13. Rated PG-13.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

Several

More than a couple of sudden jolts.

Gore

Light gore

Some blood or injury, briefly.

Violence

Strong violence

Violence is frequent or intense.

Sex and nudity

None noted

Language

Mild

Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug scary?

Only a little. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug?

Light gore and strong violence.

What is The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug rated, and is it OK for kids?

It is rated PG-13, with strong violence and several jump scares. Your call for older kids.

What is The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug about?

The Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf have successfully escaped the Misty Mountains, and Bilbo has gained the One Ring. They all continue their journey to get their gold back from the Dragon, Smaug.

Cast and crew

More like The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)Epic · family watch · strong violence · emotionally heavyA fellowship of heroes embarks on an epic, gritty adventure to destroy a powerful, corrupting ring.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Epic · family watch · strong violence · emotionally heavyHeroes pursue separate, perilous paths as an ancient evil's power grows, threatening all Middle-earth.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)Epic · family watch · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingRelentless action and suspense build to an epic battle for the world, filled with gritty, heartwarming adventure.
• The Odyssey (2026)Epic · full attention · strong violence · emotionally heavyA legendary king faces divine wrath and monstrous trials on a perilous, epic journey home.
• Doctor Strange (2016)Epic · late-night trip · strong violence · briskA brilliant surgeon discovers a hidden world of magic, battling dark forces with whimsical powers and brisk action.
• Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)Epic · party watch · brutal violence · emotionally heavyAn epic team of heroes assembles to face a relentless, gritty threat on a catastrophic scale.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)Big broad humor · epic · party watch · strong violencePirate lords unite for a whimsical, brisk, and epic adventure to save piracy from a powerful trading company.
• The Empire Strikes Back (1980)Wholesome humor · epic · family watch · strong violenceA brisk, suspenseful adventure unfolds as Luke trains while his friends face betrayal and despair.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is on our Based on books, Max, Action on Max, Fantasy on Max and Action lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a fun halloween movie, not too scary”
• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “funny but not stupid, under two hours”

Lists with the same feel: Epics.