adminScott Chitwood
Directed by Peter Jackson
Summary
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” features some great action and the impressive Smaug, but a cliffhanger ending may leave audiences frustrated with a year-long wait for the conclusion to the trilogy.
Story
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Picking up immediately where the previous film left off, the Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf continue to be on the run from Azog and the orcs pursuing them. But Gandalf grows more and more concerned about the rumoured Necromancer and the darkness spreading across the land.
This distracts him from Thorin’s quest and he separates from the party to investigate the evil on his own. He leaves the vertically-challenged band to make their way to the Lonely Mountain by themselves and he will join them later or will he?
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images.
What Worked
It’s kind of nice to enjoy “The Hobbit” on its own without a lot of distractions. We now know what 48 fps film looks like, so you can take it or leave it. We know the tone of these films is different and at times more comedic than “The Lord of the Rings”, so our expectations are now in check. We pretty much readjusted our bearings, so there’s nothing but the story to enjoy.
“The Hobbit” was always my favourite of the Tolkien books mainly because of Bilbo’s encounter with Smaug. I’ve always loved dragons in movies, so I had high expectations with this film. It did not disappoint.
His game of cat and mouse with the dragon is the highlight of the movie and it’s like he’s playing hide and seek with Godzilla. Benedict Cumberbatch perfectly voices the smug Smaug (see what I did there?) and his superior ego.
And I don’t know how Cumberbatch provided motion capture for the dragon, but that is going to be one spectacular behind-the-scenes video when we eventually see it.
This sequel does offer up a couple of other memorable sequences. There is a spectacular escape by the Dwarves from the elf kingdom in barrels. They bob down some rapids while being pursued by both ticked off elves and bloodthirsty orcs.
It is a beautifully choreographed action sequence made even more fun by the return of Orlando Bloom as Legolas. His CG stunts with the bow and arrow in “The Lord of the Rings” were some of the highlights of those movies and they don’t disappoint here.
Speaking of Legolas, we get to see him in a knock down drag out hand to hand fight with the lead orc late in the story. It’s great to see the elegant, composed elf meet his match in sheer power and brutality of the orc, especially since he usually dispatches them with relative ease. Legolas fans will enjoy it.
Besides the addition of Orlando Bloom and Benedict Cumberbatch to the cast, the only other significant additions are Luke Evans as Bard, Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel and Lee Pace as Thranduil. Luke Evans’ role is similar in some respects to Aragorn in the previous series.
He’s a noble rogue with a secret and primed to reclaim his honour. Evans does a good job in the role, but the spotlight is of course on the Dwarves and Bilbo. Lee Pace does make a notable cameo as Thranduil, Legolas’ father and king of the wood elves.
He’s arrogant and self-righteous so it’s easy to see why the Dwarves don’t like him. But there is an undercurrent of fear about him that Pace subtly shows. He’s an interesting character. Finally, there is Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel, a new character added to the line-up.
There was some controversy about her addition since she wasn’t in the books, but she does fit in the films well. Lilly makes a likeable elf and she adds a bit of a love triangle between herself, Legolas, and Kili. She’s a welcome addition in my mind.
The 3D in the film is good. Smaug’s long, snaking head moves in and out of the screen. Arrows fly from Legolas’ bow, through an orc’s head, and out of the screen. But there are other subtle uses of the 3D. We see bumblebees fly into the theatre, gold coins slide down the pile of treasure, and more. Overall the 3D is worth seeing. I should mention that I did not see this in 48 fps, so I can’t comment on how it looked.
But I don’t miss it.
The Bottom Line
If you liked the first Hobbit film, then you’ll enjoy “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. “I felt like they were on par with each other. It’s worth checking out on the big screen in order to see Smaug in all his terrible glory.
Online Reporter