Review – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The second chapter of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy begins with the band on the run. Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and the dwarves continue their quest toward the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their home and defeat a gigantic talking dragon named Smaug. Added to the list of pursuers and obstacles in their way this time around include humungous spiders, wily wood elves, even more Orcs, and a skin-changer named Beorn.

Bilbo is now more courageous and confident after having been thrown into the deep end at the beginning of the adventure. He makes for a charming protagonist, and is supported by strong performances from the newcomers: Luke Evans as the rebellious Bard, Stephen Fry as the unwholesome Master of Laketown and Benedict Cumberbatch as the nefarious Smaug. We also see the return of Legolas (Orlando Bloom) who certainly kills his fair share of the enemy with the help of his warrior pal Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly).

Much of the tale is told on the run this time, with Jackson distancing himself from Tolkien’s manner of spending pages describing minor details. Instead, we are afforded one huge action set piece after another, including a ridiculous but entertaining sequence of the party barrelling down the river and a fantastically exciting battle with the spiders of Mirkwood. The CGI is of the highest standard, with beautifully rendered creatures, but thankfully some practical make-up effects return to the mix after the disappointing amount of motion-capture-over-make-up in the first film. It’s clear that the production team have become all the more adept at realising the many wonders of Middle-Earth.

Fans should be very happy with this film with how some classic scenes from the novel have been realised by Jackson’s skilful direction, and Bilbo’s encounter with Smaug is sure to be thrilling for the die-hards and casual cinema-goers alike. This part of the trilogy was always going to end on a cliff-hanger, but it’s not before the audience gets a very exciting ride. The pace of the film means that little time is spent on character development but it’s possible that much of that will be made up for in the third entry. The Desolation of Smaug makes for an excellent popcorn movie with almost three hours of fantastical escapism.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPVWy1tFXuc&w=400]