The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Greetings, the Desolation of Smaug is the sequel to 2012 film An Unexpected Journey and is the second instalment in the Hobbit trilogy. Unlike my experience with first movie my expectations weren’t high in the hope that the Hobbit would be as good as, if not better, than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. With this change in attitude I felt the film was better than the original but still contained some aspects that prevented it from becoming a great movie. For instance, the majority of the 13 dwarves still lack any sort of character development or interesting characteristics that make them distinguishable from each other.

The plot begins with the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf fleeing from Azog. They are still on the same mission in which the Hobbit has to find and steal the Arkenstone from the dragon called Smaug. It becomes clear early on that they are also being chased by a black bear, which Gandalf is able to identify as Beorn , a skin-changer that takes on the forms of animals. They escape to the safety of Beorn’s house and spend the night there after nearly getting caught by the black bear during the chase to his home. In the morning Gandalf leaves Bilbo and the dwarves, in order to have a subplot of his own about the necromancer, making the team travel to the Lonely Mountain by themselves. As they continue their quest by travelling through a dark forest the company is ambushed by giant spiders and it is up to Bilbo to help them escape.

The running time was a little too long for my tastes, but it wasn’t as noticeable as the first, as there were some unnecessary scenes and added characters that didn’t add much to the plot. While I didn’t think they were necessary it will be interesting to see what Jackson has planned for a younger Legolas and his companion Tauriel, a character made especially for the sequel, in the third film.

I liked the way Jackson linked the Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings by using future references, such as the short conversation between Gloin and Legolas about his son, Gimli. Even though I preferred this film, I am still under the impression that making the Hobbit into a prequel trilogy is stretching the story too thin. With the introduction of Smaug as well as the Bard and his back story, the plot is set up for the final film which could still prove to be more entertaining than its prequels.

Plot=7/10

Characters=7/10

Special Effects=8/10

Overall=8/10

Quote of the day

I believe in Sherlock Holmes.

Anderson

Sherlock