The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I bought into the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I rewatched all four of Peter Jackson’s previous Middle Earth efforts to help me better gauge the context of the film. This revealed some of Smaug’s weaknesses and strengths. This middle chapter of the trilogy based on JRR Tolkien’s book, has Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the company of Dwarves closing in on the Lonely Mountain where Smaug the dragon occupies their former kingdom. In the meantime they encounter elves, a skin changer, orcs and other things you would expect to come about in such a story.

The expansion from Tolkien’s relatively straightforward novel provides space for Jackson to introduce new characters (Tauriel, played by Evangeline Lilly), bring back some fan favorites that aren’t in the book but very well could be (Orlando Bloom’s Legolas), and even turn this into a true prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The segments that have Gandalf coming face to face with Sauron and investigating the Nazgul tombs are captivating to fans of the other stories. Ultimately, this second chapter cements the fact that Jackson is using The Hobbit films to tell other Middle Earth stories he has wanted to tell. Since these very well may be our last chances to visit these locations on film, I’m not complaining.

While the Desolation of Smaug ramps up the story with big action, some other elements are left on the back burner. Freeman’s performance, which was very strong in An Unexpected Journey, is much less prominent this time. There are many occasions where it is easy to forget that he is the title character and not just another player in the massive cast. This realization comes after the fact since the film keeps the audience’s attention with scenes like Legolas balancing on dwarf heads while shooting orcs with arrows and a dragon swimming in gold, very much like Scrooge McDuck. At this point, we know what to expect in Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth. The slightly less dire circumstances in The Hobbit provide more opportunities for fun than LOTRand they deliver in that regard. Plus the cliff-hanger ending in this one leaves a real intrigue for the final chapter next year.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.