The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and Richard Armitage
The Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug is the second chapter of Peter Jackson's Hobbit Trilogy. I personally really enjoyed an Unexpected Journey but I do know that a vast amount of audiences had their fare share of problems with the movie. Let me say right now that if you had any problems with the first movie then you will LOVE the Desolation of Smaug.
Picking up exactly where the last movie left off Bilbo and Thorin's company just escaped a deadly encounter with the pale Orc, Azog the Defiler. They are now days away from the Lonely Mountain and reclaiming the homeland of the Dwarves. Even though they are at the halfway point of their journey they still need to deal with Elves, Orcs, a skinchanger, a rather lazy fishing town and of course a fire breathing dragon named Smaug. But as Gandalf discovers, these are not the only troubles in Middle Earth, a terrible darkness is growing in Mirkwood with the power to destroy and enslave all forms of creature in Middle Earth.
The stakes are higher this time around and the film does delve into some darker tones than the first movie, but this time with Bilbo is still a fun and highly energetic ride. Think of this trilogy as one very long movie, the first film was the set up, introducing us to the characters and giving us the plot of the story. This here would be the middle ground, the plot has been established and now we can dive right into the action, which the Desolation of Smaug is dripping with. This movie has many huge action scenes that you could only expect from a Middle Earth movie, the first movie didn't really have any memorable action set's, but this time around we are given some very impressive scenes and I am sure everyone who goes back to Middle Earth this time around will remember a certain barrel riding scene.
We also are introduced to many new faces like the Elf Tauriel, and the fisherman Bard, and the return of fan favorite Legolas, who has a surprisingly large amount of screen time in the movie. It was really interesting seeing Legolas before his adventures with Frodo and the Fellowship, and you also get to see his more cold and discriminating side which made me like the character allot more. I had my doubts about the character Tauriel who is a creation of Peter Jackson's and not of Tolkiens, but she really fit into the tone of the world provided and has become one of my favorite characters in the Hobbit Trilogy. The Lord of the Rings had their fare share of strong female characters where the Hobbit is a guys ride, introducing a kick-ass character like Tauriel really helped change the pace and I was highly invested into her plot line regarding the Dwarf Kili.
But the real star of this film without a doubt is the dragon Smaug who was brought to life by the incredible collaboration with the people of Weta digital and actor Benedict Cumberbatch who not only provides the thundering voice for the creature but the motion capture as well. Smaug is just as memorable as Gollum and is one of the greatest cg creations I've seen in such a long time. Cumberbatch was masterly casted as the dragon, adding a sense of sophistication and malice to a character that could have easily become a typical hollow cg creation. You could really tell that there was an intelligence inside Smaug and I cannot wait to see more of him in There and Back Again, don't wait for this to come out on home release see it as soon as you can in theaters so you can fully appreciate the scope of this creature.
Although the movie is around three hours not once did I want to check the time, the movie never felt like it was bloated or could have been cut shorter. When the film ended I was more than willing to jump right back in for another three hours to return to middle earth. That is a real tribute to the great film making skills of Peter Jackson, he can somehow make a very long film feel like a 90 minute thrill ride, directors still need to take note because Jackson is one of the best directors working today (please direct the now lost Dune project PLEASE!!!)
The Desolation of Smaug is better that an Unexpected Journey in almost every way, sure Jackson took liberties with the materieal but it all worked. Everything that was added did not detract from the book or the movie. The action is revved up and Smaug is a sight to behold that is worth the ticket price alone.
The Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug is easily a
8.5/10
See it now, if you loved the first movie and the Lord of the Rings trilogy then you obviously have to see this movie. It's one of the best movies I've seen so far this year and I cant wait to go and see it again.
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and Richard Armitage
The Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug is the second chapter of Peter Jackson's Hobbit Trilogy. I personally really enjoyed an Unexpected Journey but I do know that a vast amount of audiences had their fare share of problems with the movie. Let me say right now that if you had any problems with the first movie then you will LOVE the Desolation of Smaug.
Picking up exactly where the last movie left off Bilbo and Thorin's company just escaped a deadly encounter with the pale Orc, Azog the Defiler. They are now days away from the Lonely Mountain and reclaiming the homeland of the Dwarves. Even though they are at the halfway point of their journey they still need to deal with Elves, Orcs, a skinchanger, a rather lazy fishing town and of course a fire breathing dragon named Smaug. But as Gandalf discovers, these are not the only troubles in Middle Earth, a terrible darkness is growing in Mirkwood with the power to destroy and enslave all forms of creature in Middle Earth.
The stakes are higher this time around and the film does delve into some darker tones than the first movie, but this time with Bilbo is still a fun and highly energetic ride. Think of this trilogy as one very long movie, the first film was the set up, introducing us to the characters and giving us the plot of the story. This here would be the middle ground, the plot has been established and now we can dive right into the action, which the Desolation of Smaug is dripping with. This movie has many huge action scenes that you could only expect from a Middle Earth movie, the first movie didn't really have any memorable action set's, but this time around we are given some very impressive scenes and I am sure everyone who goes back to Middle Earth this time around will remember a certain barrel riding scene.
We also are introduced to many new faces like the Elf Tauriel, and the fisherman Bard, and the return of fan favorite Legolas, who has a surprisingly large amount of screen time in the movie. It was really interesting seeing Legolas before his adventures with Frodo and the Fellowship, and you also get to see his more cold and discriminating side which made me like the character allot more. I had my doubts about the character Tauriel who is a creation of Peter Jackson's and not of Tolkiens, but she really fit into the tone of the world provided and has become one of my favorite characters in the Hobbit Trilogy. The Lord of the Rings had their fare share of strong female characters where the Hobbit is a guys ride, introducing a kick-ass character like Tauriel really helped change the pace and I was highly invested into her plot line regarding the Dwarf Kili.
But the real star of this film without a doubt is the dragon Smaug who was brought to life by the incredible collaboration with the people of Weta digital and actor Benedict Cumberbatch who not only provides the thundering voice for the creature but the motion capture as well. Smaug is just as memorable as Gollum and is one of the greatest cg creations I've seen in such a long time. Cumberbatch was masterly casted as the dragon, adding a sense of sophistication and malice to a character that could have easily become a typical hollow cg creation. You could really tell that there was an intelligence inside Smaug and I cannot wait to see more of him in There and Back Again, don't wait for this to come out on home release see it as soon as you can in theaters so you can fully appreciate the scope of this creature.
Although the movie is around three hours not once did I want to check the time, the movie never felt like it was bloated or could have been cut shorter. When the film ended I was more than willing to jump right back in for another three hours to return to middle earth. That is a real tribute to the great film making skills of Peter Jackson, he can somehow make a very long film feel like a 90 minute thrill ride, directors still need to take note because Jackson is one of the best directors working today (please direct the now lost Dune project PLEASE!!!)
The Desolation of Smaug is better that an Unexpected Journey in almost every way, sure Jackson took liberties with the materieal but it all worked. Everything that was added did not detract from the book or the movie. The action is revved up and Smaug is a sight to behold that is worth the ticket price alone.
The Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug is easily a
8.5/10
See it now, if you loved the first movie and the Lord of the Rings trilogy then you obviously have to see this movie. It's one of the best movies I've seen so far this year and I cant wait to go and see it again.
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