The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Overall rating: 4.5 stars

Kinetic, (still) too long and considerably darker than the first installment, The Desolation of Smaug is a marked improvement on its predecessor, succeeding in solving some of its pacing problems and introducing one hell of a villain.

Yes! It's Hobbit time again and this one is a richer, more intricate installment than the first. As Bilbo and co. converge on the fabled Lonely Mountain, towards the infamous Smaug (voiced and motion-captured by the fantastically evil Benedict Cumberbatch), the stakes are raised even higher. Gandalf wanders off to face the mysterious Necromancer (also a Cumberbatch villain), leaving Thorin and the dwarves to face the dangerously intelligent elves alone. The elves (notably Orlando Bloom's Legolas, Lee Pace's Thranduil and Evangeline Lily's Tauriel) blur the line between friend and foe, making their journey even harder. Of course, the arrival of many orcs and the troublesome dictatorship of Laketown complicate matters further. All this happens before they even reach the mountain. When they finally do (with it taking over four hours of film between AUJ and TDOS), we meet Smaug, the evil, cunning and beautifully designed dragon, who gives fans what they've been waiting for: one hell of a ride.

The film's great. It's much more similar to the tone of the Lord of the Rings movies, but still maintains a sense of individuality thanks to its legendary source material. Of course, Jackson feels obliged to add some of his own stuff, including the surprisngly interesting Tauriel, who (despite her stupid sub-plot with Kili the dwarf) manages to give reason for Legolas's otherwise unnecessary presence. There are moments where Jackson harkens back to the original trilogy, hence the inclusion of Sauron, Galadriel and Legolas (as well as a small, albeit appropriate mention of Gimli).

Besides the teething troubles of the gimmicky High Frame Rate which I saw it in, the visuals are typically top-notch. Middle-earth looks as glorious as ever, with the set design, make-up and hairstyling as elaborate and detailed as ever. With all the criticism levelled at the new films, the production values remain as impeccable as ever. 

What can be critcized, is the pacing and length. While better than AUJ, TDOS still stretches the little book to its limits, hence the inclusion of so many non-Tolkien elements. So work (Gandalf's journey, Tauriel) and others don't (hint: gold). That said, Jackson has clearly taken steps to prevent the film feeling as bloated as the last, with much more action than the previous installment. 

TDOS is pretty much Jackson at his most comfortable, with dazzling imagery, sweeping scope and a fantastic eye for detail, but there's still some length problems to get over before the epic finale.