The spectacle that is Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, is far from what J.R.R. Tolkien envisioned, though character names and locations traveled are similar, the events within the movie are so appealing to the eye that you tend to forget that they are over exaggerated for cinematic purposes and it never even happened in the book.
From its action oriented sequences with a character that was pulled from its predecessor who has no reason to be there other than to please the audience, to the movies landscapes of New Zealand that is captivating and awe inspiring.
Ian McKellen (X-Men: Days of Future Past , Doctor Who) reprises his iconic role as Gandalf the Grey as he, Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Hot Fuzz) must fulfill their obligations with Thorin, played by Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Captain America) and the other Hobbits as they continue their venture.
There was a lot of character development in this film, which sets up perfectly for the final installment of The Hobbit franchise. The main cast is sexified with Orlando Bloom (The Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings) joining the franchise as he reprising his Lord of the Rings role as Legolas who was worked into the story since he is the son of Thranduil played by Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy).
Sadly, I felt like the appearance of Legolas was forced down the throats of the audience as a large portion of the film revolves around the character as he saves the day or at least the dwarves time and time again. He did have some sort of love interest with Tauriel played by Evangeline Lilly (Real Steel, Lost)but was not needed. The sequences with the elves was great for the film as it shows the dynamics between the dwarves and elves that obviously goes from both film franchise.The cast really did do a great job with the second installment, other than Cate Blanchett’s (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) small part in the film as her reprised role as Galadriel. Each character had good screen time and story for each of their respective roles.
The visual effects were outstanding in the film with more on the scary and action packed side of things. Every interaction the cast had whether with the creatures of Mirkwood Forest or the great barrel chase and the climatic portion of Lonely Mountain with Smaug voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch (The Fifth Estate, Star Trek: Into the Darkness) felt extremely real.
The film upped the ante with J.R.R. Tolkien’s world compared to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The audience will be in for a treat as this movie totally breaks the mold that the first Hobbit film created, though be in for a long ride as the film is quite long.
Rated PG-13 for: Violence and intense action.
Run time: 2 hours and 41 minutes.
After Credits Scene: None
Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Director: Peter Jackson
Out of 5 Nerdskulls Story: 4 / Acting: 4.5 / Directing: 4 / Visuals: 4.5
OVERALL: 4 out of 5 Nerdskulls
Check out the Trailer below:
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