The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
    The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug
Released 12/13/13, now in theaters

Director, Peter Jackson, revisits the fabled, war-torn lands of Middle Earth in the second chapter of The Hobbit series, The Desolation of Smaug.  Like the middle chapter of Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, I thought the action (and brutal slayings) would be amped to 11 for the Hobbit series.  In some ways, that is true.  In other ways, the pacing of the story is similar to the moderate plotting of An Unexpected Journey which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The story continues shortly after the events of An Unexpected Journey (and a brief flashback) and finds the ragtag company of Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), and thirteen dwarves led by would-be king, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), on their perilous quest to regain the former jewel of the dwarf kingdom, Erebor.  This time the journey takes them the wilds of Mirkwood where the company (minus Gandalf) escapes giant spiders only to be captured by the Wood Elves of King Thranduil.  Thranduil makes an offer of freedom to Thorin in exchange for part of the vast treasures contained in Erebor.  Thorin, not a huge supporter of elves or of this elf in particular, refuses the offer.  It was Thranduil who abandoned the dwarves on the battlefield when they lost their homeland to Smaug years ago. 

Meanwhile, Gandalf leaves the group prior to the others entering Mirkwood to pursue a lead of his own.  After discovering an ancient graffiti on an ruin at the border of the forest and receiving a telepathic message from the elf, Galadriel (sorry, but you'll have to look her up if you're not familiar), he travels to the tombs of the Nazgul where he finds the deadly Orc, Azog and his army awaiting orders from the mysterious Necromancer who first made his presence known in An Unexpected Journey. 

As dangerous as everyone's plight becomes, there's still the small matter of the humongous fire breathing dragon, Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), who claimed the Lonely Mountain in Erebor and all its treasures many years ago.  Entering Smaug's lair and retrieving the Arkenstone (a dwarf heirloom) from the most powerful creature on Middle Earth may be a mission none survive.

The Desolation of Smaug features the return (?) of Legolas  (Orlando Bloom) to the Peter Jackson madness.  Although I'm not sure if you consider this a return since The Hobbit takes place before Lord of the Rings chronologically.  But, who cares.  The ninja-like elves were the coolest aspects of LOTR.  And, their return is a welcome addition to The Hobbit series.

DOS also introduces a new elven character to the mix in Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), the captain of the Elven Guard at Mirkwood.  Apparently, she didn't exist in J.R.R. Tolkein's original story, but she's an asset to the story nevertheless whether she's slaying giant spiders or Orcs.  And, she takes out a number of each in spectacular fashion with her deadly bow and blades.   She's a great character, but I have to wonder what inspired her existence.  Do you think Peter Jackson may have read The Hunger Games trilogy before shooting The Hobbit series?  Hmmm.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent graphics on the old firebreather  himself.  A character this grand deserves an amazing presence for his first time onscreen and the special effects team made sure that happened.  Impressive would be an understatement to describe the dragon.  What made his presence more chilling is tremendous voice work from Cumberbatch who mixes a darkly comic undertone when he first encounters another presence in his lair with sinister menace when he tires of the game he plays with his next "lunch." 

Let's not forget that The Hobbit is a prelude to LOTR and there's one little shiny object that continues to rear its ugly head.  The One Ring's corrupting influence is seen throughout The Desolation of Smaug as its current owner, Bilbo, loses himself more as he uses its magical power. 

As I said earlier, don't expect wall-to-wall action in The Desolation of Smaug.  There are a few skirmishes with Orcs throughout, but the smackdown we all want to see comes at the very end.  Be patient and you'll be rewarded.

The Desolation of Smaug is basically another setup movie much like An Unexpected Journey.  I suspect the nonstop battle scene we've been waiting for will come in 2014's There and Back Again.  DOS does provide enough excitement to be worthy of a "must-see" qualification and is easily one of the year's best films.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

**** stars


Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.