Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Its good to be back! I was starting to go through some movie withdrawals as it had been a whole week since I had been to the theater.  But now that the Holiday season is pretty much over, it'll be much easier to focus on cranking out posts everyday.  There are lots of good movies out, and I have been especially busy in the last 24 hours.  Last night I had the pleasure of taking my wonderful Grandmother to our local AMC to see Grudge Match with the only two actors I think she still recognizes ( DeNiro, Stallone).  It was a nice little film, review coming later, but lets just say I wasn't expecting the next Godfather upon entering the theater.  But I was pleased with what I saw just a few hours ago.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was in short - spectacular.  And to make things even better; I am leaving to see The Wolf of Wall Street in just a couple of hours.  So I will have seen about 8 hours of new movie in a 24 hour time period.  Its the life.  As a reminder, all of my reviews will be split into two different sections.  The first section will be for people who have not yet seen the movie and would like to know if I think it is worth seeing or not.  It will be more vague and generic and will not give away any important plot points or details.  The second section will be the bulk of the review, and will be much more detailed.  I must warn you that the second section may contain information that can be taken as a spoiler of sorts; so tread lightly.  With that said here is my official review of  The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug.

Peter Jacksons latest installment of The Hobbit series, I believe, is vastly superior to its predecessor which came out late last year.  This film successfully continues the story that was established earlier and also brilliantly connects us to each of the characters despite their great similarities.  It also boasts one of the best action sequences of the year and the most memorable and terrifying villain in any of the Lord of the Rings movies to date.  The pacing and tempo of the film makes the near three hour movie breeze right past you, and the visual effects are easily some of the best to have been put out this year.  Overall, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a tremendously fun film experience that will make even the most novice LOTR fan geek out.

Verdict:  Must See

Now to the fun part.  I was the victim of a form of middle earth sickness upon going in to watch the first Hobbit film last year.  The friday it came out was also the last day of the semester for that school year.  So after school me and a bunch of people went to our friend Brian's house to watch some Lord of the Rings before seeing the Hobbit that night.  I don't know how many of you are big LOTR fans, but you all must know that each of the movies are very very long.  And Brian happened to have the extended version of each.  The three days leading up to the Hobbit showing we had watched the extended version of each of the original LOTR films; which totaled about 12 hours of middle earth goodness.  That friday we had taken two finals, watched the extended version of Return of the King, ate some Chipotle, and were about to see the Hobbit at 10:30 at night.  To say the least, I was tired and was struggling to keep my eyes open after the first act of the Hobbit which was uneventful at best.  The second time I saw it, I loved it.  So there is no doubt in my mind that it was a good film.  This is all relevant because as I walked into Desolation of Smaug; my mind was fresh and I was eager to return to this fantasy packed world, and I could really tell the difference between todays experience and last years debacle.  Now to the movie.  The one thing I thought I could predict about the Hobbit trilogy is that all the movies would be primarily focused on Bilbo Baggins.  After today I think it is clear that these films will be more about Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarves.  I, like many of you, have not read any of the books, and have no idea how the story is supposed to go or end.  Personally I prefer it this way, but others of you might feel differently and that is perfectly alright.  Overall I really enjoyed the movie, but no movie is without flaw and there were some things that I took issue with.  First, I believe Gandalf was underused.  I understand that they might just be trying to follow what happens in the book, but Gandalf is easily their most recognizable character and should have been in more of the movie.  It was pretty cool to see him actually use some magic and throw down with some Orcs.  Also I did not like how they kept going back to Kili the dwarf who was injured during the barrel scene.  I assume he will have a greater role in the next film, but if he does not; I don't understand the focus on him at all.  If he ends up doing something heroic like killing Smaug, then I understand his importance.  But if he is just another dwarf, then I find his scenes to be rather pointless.  Those were really the only problems I could think of when it came down to it.  I have to say something about the terrific barrel chase seen as the men attempt to escape the elves and Orcs.  That whole 15 minute sequence was just awesome; maybe the best action scene of the year.  The only one comparable might be Superman vs General Zod at the end of Man Of Steel.  Anyways The Desolation of Smaug benefits from a trend I have recently seen in trilogies.  The first part of a trilogy has the burden of establishing characters, a plot, and laying groundwork for future films.  Likewise the third part of a trilogy has the burden of making sure the trilogy ends on a good note, and that the characters all fulfill their original purpose.  The middle film has no such burden.  It has a bank of already established characters, an ongoing plot, and a clear path that the franchise has already created.  The second movie just has to focus on being a good movie.  Nothing else.  This is why some of the best movies of all time are sequels in a trilogy.  For example:  The Dark Knight, The Empire Strikes Back, Toy Story 2, and The Godfather II to name a few.  Obviously there are exceptions, but generally I find this to be true.  Other notable things about the movie include the titular character Smaug himself.  He looked great, sounded great, and was just an amazing onscreen presence.  I already like him more then any villain from the original trilogy by far.  Bennedict Cumberbatch was excellent in his portrayal as Smaug; most notably the voice.  Perhaps the thing I am most looking forward to in the next movie is not how the story ends, but how this Hobbit trilogy connects to the LOTR trilogy.  The one ring is heavily present in this film and we can already see Bilbo start to become overly fond of the ring, and it will be interesting to see if that becomes more relevant in the next film.  Also we were introduced to the father of Gimli and Legolas himself, who was absolutely bad ass in this film if I must say.  The visuals were superb as has come to be expected, and the cast acted beautifully.  Overall, I must say that this film is much better than the first Hobbit movie, and set it up nicely for the final installment.  The theater I was in went into a bit of an uproar when the film ended the way it did; and I like it when that happens.  To anyone that likes action, fantasy, or just a great movie; I would easily recommend seeing The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug the first chance you get.

Rating:  8/10

Thanks for reading today, and stay tuned tomorrow for another movie tomorrow as I delve into the details of the film Thor: The Dark World.  I hope you enjoyed todays post, and I would like to personally thank you for your support.  Until tomorrow, have a splendid day.

- Big D