Whenever Peter Jackson releases a new movie in his still expanding Middle-Earth Saga you know the film in the cinema is only half the story. They may run close to three hours long, but Jackson has actually held some more footage back to craft the expansive Extended Editions. Following on from the success had with The Lord Of The Rings, these longer edits have the same production values of the films proper, giving serious fans the opportunity to spend even more time in Middle-Earth. With The Battle Of The Five Armies, the final part of The Hobbit Trilogy, just over a month away, the extended version of the second movie has just been released. Like An Unexpected Journey before it, The Desolation Of Smaug's Extended Edition is a superior experience to the film we got in cinemas. The added time is spent fleshing out characters given a short shrift in the theatrical versions (you may come out of this cut actually knowing all the dwarves names) and makes for a more well-rounded story. The debate will continue as to whether J.R.R. Tolkien's thin novel should have been turned into an epic cinematic trilogy, but as it stands the Extended Editions show how it can be done semi-competently. You're no doubt curious as to what the added twenty-five minutes amounts to, so here's a run down of the ten best moments from the Extended Edition of The Desolation Of Smaug. This isn't exhaustive, but gives you a taste of the very best of Peter Jackson's additions.