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Last year, director Peter Jackson returned to Middle-earth for An Unexpected Journey, the first installment in The Hobbit trilogy. Now the quest continues, venturing into the dark and foreboding forest before meeting up with a greedy dragon in the gorgeous but once again distant follow-up, The Desolation of Smaug.
The second part of this epic fantasy reunites us with adventurous hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his dwarf companions as they continue on their journey to reclaim the land of Erebor for its rightful king, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage).
With an army of Orcs following close behind, they venture into the Mirkwood Forest without the help of the great wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), who has his own pressing matters to attend to. Along the way, they’ll have to face a number of deadly adversaries as they travel to the human village of Lake-town and on to the Lonely Mountain, to confront the dragon, Smaug.
There’s no denying that Peter Jackson knows how to craft a stunning epic fantasy. The Desolation of Smaug is yet another grand and gorgeous journey through author J. R. R. Tolkien’s imagination. It’s no real surprise that the sets, the scenery, and the effects are all flawlessly beautiful. After making five of these films, it’s clear that setting the stage for a visually stunning adventure has become second nature for Jackson. And it’s here that the film truly shines.
Jackson and his team obviously enjoy making their Middle-earth adventures—and that passion and excitement come through in the energy and exuberance of the latest film. It’s filled with clever (and sometimes even amusing) action sequences, and it has a playful overall tone that keeps things light and fun—even during the story’s heavier moments.
Once again, though, The Desolation of Smaug suffers from the same central flaw as its predecessor: it simply doesn’t have the same personality as Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Throughout Jackson’s earlier films, viewers got to know the characters, their personalities, and their stories. We got to care about what happened to them. Here, however, just a few of the characters really matter. Bilbo, of course, is the main character, and he’s on an important quest for the strong and often regal king-in-waiting, Thorin. The rest of the characters, on the other hand, are generally nameless dwarves—only some of whom get any more than a brief mention. Again, it seems to keep the audience at an arm’s length, never really letting us feel like a part of the adventure.
Another challenge that the film faces is in its storytelling. While the Lord of the Rings films had a set story—each covering one book in the trilogy—the three films in Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy were based on just one book. As such, it’s forced to break one complete story into three rather incomplete parts—and that makes for a confusing introduction and a less-than-satisfying conclusion.
Still, though it may not have the most satisfying story—or the most developed characters—The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is still a magical adventure, filled with both action and whimsy. And that makes it well worth the return trip to Jackson’s Middle-earth.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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