The Hobbit: The Desolation of
Smaug $$$ 1/2
PG-13
161 Minutes
Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
and Evangeline Lilly.
Director: Peter
Jackson.
My family anxiously anticipated this
film since we saw An Unexpected Journey last year. For the most part it was
worth the long wait.
Bilbo (Martin Freeman) continues his
journey with Thorin (Richard Armitage) and the rest of the dwarves as they seek
to evict Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) from their ancestral home. Along the way
they run into a bit of trouble with the elves, but eventually send Bilbo into
dragon-infested kingdom-under-the-mountain to retrieve a relic that will allow
Thorin to reunite all of the dwarves.
Watch for an unexpected romance
between Kili (Aidan Turner), a dwarf, and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) an elf. It
left me wondering what would you call the love-child of these two? A dwelf? Or
an Elarf? I can tell that it’s got you wondering now too.
I particularly like the scene where
Bilbo and the gang are traveling down the river in barrels, but I am torn about
which part of it is best. Is it the bouncing barrel of doom? Or is it the
fantastic footwork Legolas (Orlando Bloom) shows as he runs across the tops of
the dwarves’ heads.
This is how I rated it.
1. Fun – If you like action and adventure
then this is sure to be a hit. There are enough orcs in the movie to ensure
that everyone has a chance to kill a few. On top of that, Bilbo dispatches a
few giant spiders along the way. The problem I had was that I expected more.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every moment of the film, but it was not as
entertaining as the first one. As tempted as I am to give it only half a MB
because of my disappointment I don’t think that would be fair to this film. The Desolation of Smaug earns a full MB
for sword-swishing adventure.
2. Story – The story is definitely
not as strong as An Unexpected Journey.
Character and plot development take the back seat to the action of the film. At
the end of the first movie we had a satisfied feeling as the dwarves finally accepted
Bilbo as one of them. That allowed viewers to walk out of the theater with a
warm fuzzy in their hearts. Bilbo shows early signs of being taken over by the
evil of the ring, but there is not nearly enough of it in the film. That could
have been turned into a great emotional hook for the audience. Instead, we have
an unlikely romance between Kili and Tauriel. I enjoyed it. In fact, it was my
favorite part of the movie. But it was a distraction from the story that I came
to see. I gave a half MB for storytelling. A little more focus on the story
would really have helped this film.
3. Technical – Excellent. The scenes
with Smaug are amazing. Elves, dwarves, orcs, giant spiders, and wizards all
running around in sylvan cities, underground ruins, and a town built on top of
a lake. This movie is a visual feast. I give it a full MB for the technical
elements and it could easily be argued that it deserves more.
4. Acting. This is an excellent
cast. I enjoyed all of the performances. I think the actors could have
benefited from a script with more emotional range, but they did great with the
lines they were given. I give it a full MB for acting.
Add all of that together and The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug rates 3
½ Movie Bucks. Definitely, see it in the theaters, on a big screen, with big
sound. I recommend this as a matinee showing, but doubt anyone will feel
cheated if they pay full price to see it.
Randy’s
Rating System
$$$$ =
Full Price See this movie right away
and pay full price, it’s worth it.
$$$ =
Matinee Catch this as a matinee or
other discounted showing.
$$ =
Discount Wait until this movie reaches
a discount theater near you.
$ =
Rental Wait until this movie
reaches your local video rental outlet.
0 =
No Sale Don’t
see this movie at any price.
I really need to see this movie soon :-) Thanks so much for the review!
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome. Good to hear from you too.
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