The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 2013

Having been a big fan of the LotR series of films, and enjoying Peter Jackson‘s vision of Middle Earth (despite some somewhat irritating departures from the books). I had been quite keen to see the first installment of The Hobbit.  However, having been thoroughly underwhelmed by the first installment of this trilogy – An Unexpected Journey was unexpectedly clunky with average 3D and an overly convoluted storyline (I know, not my usual positive fare, but I’ve come to expect more from Peter Jackson) – I really wanted to enjoy this film.  The word from those around me was that it was marginally better than the first installment, but still not fantastic.  I lowered my expectations.  So last night, sick in bed with a sniffle, with a glass of red next to me, I settled in to watch The Desolation of Smaug.

Just to make it clear, I was watching it in 2D, not the intended 3D – the reason being firstly my experience of the first film, and secondly that my hubby is not a LotR fan, so I didn’t end up seeing it at the cinema.  I am generally not overly impressed by 3D anyway. I truly believe that a film should be able to stand on its own in 2D as well, and not totally rely on 3D to impress viewers – if for no other reason than some people can’t watch 3D as it makes them ill. I digress…

The first thing that struck me whilst watching this film is that Peter Jackson couldn’t resist a cameo in opening sequence.  The cameo has become a tradition for Jackson, although it’s usually later in the film. The second thing that struck me was the somewhat childlike/storybook/computer game CGI/animation. I wasn’t sure if this was because it was intended to be viewed in 3D or if it was a conscious decision given the book is often regarded as a children’s book. I don’t remember noticing this in the LotR films.

Once again, the true stars of this film are the sheer immensity of Tolkien’s imagination and the stunning New Zealand landscape.  I don’t think I’ll ever get over just how thoroughly and well conceived the world of Middle Earth actually is – complete with several languages and a long and complex history.

Although this is not what I would consider a brilliant film, it has some very beautiful, magical and even trippy moments.  I have to mention the horses at Beorn’s house.  They are only on screen for about a minute, but these are the most beautiful horses I have ever seen.  I also couldn’t help but think of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy when the white mice made an appearance.

Special note for arachnophobes – when the dwarves enter Mirkwood you might want to fast forward for a bit.  The first scene in Mirkwood is delightfully trippy, until the giant spiders turn up. 

The connection between Tauriel (the beautiful Evangeline Lilly) and Kili (Aidan Turner), and their first conversation is one of those magical moments. However, Tolkien purists may object to the introduction of a new female character who doesn’t exist in the book at all – I think she’s a welcome addition in a very male dominated film franchise.  The barrel’o’dwarves escape from Mirkwood is another great sequence, and the first appearance of Laketown (Esgaroth) is surprisingly magical.

There are some stand out and somewhat surprising performances in this film.  I feel that without Martin Freeman (Sherlock, Fargo, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) this movie would really be missing something – and I think Freeman’s talents are underused.  I don’t know what it is about Lee Pace (The Fall, Pushing Daisies, A Single Man), but he always draws me in. Richard Armitage (Robin Hood, Captain America: The First Avenger) plays a fabulous Thorin, the hero-with-a-slightly-dark-side, and shares some great angry/smoldering looks with Bard – played by the very intense Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, The Raven). Stephen Fry was also a pleasant surprise as the Master of Laketown.  And then there’s Benedict Cumberbatch…

If there’s one part of this film that had to succeed it was Smaug.  A massive, fire breathing, talking dragon made immortal, not just by being a dragon, but by a famous work of literary fiction – this has to be bloody fantastic right? Thankfully Smaug doesn’t disappoint. As far as the voice of the dragon is concerned Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness, War Horse) was such an inspired choice – it’s amazing how he oozes charisma just through his voice.  The last third of the film is by far the best thanks to the dragon sequences – The CGI/animation (Weta Workshop) is fantastic even without being in 3D (apparently if a single computer processor had been used, each scale would have taken a whole week to render).
The film ends at just the right point. Although I wasn’t overwhelmed by The Desolation of Smaug, I found myself keen to see how it concludes (even though I sort of know already), and how Peter Jackson interprets the final chapters of The Hobbit in The Battle of the Five Armies (set for release in December).

As a big kid watching a fun adventure film set in a fantasy world I’m very fond of, I enjoyed this film. If you’re not a fan of Middle Earth who can suspend their disbelief/maintain their childlike wonder for almost 3 hours (the credits alone feel like they go for half an hour!), this is probably not a movie for you.