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The Desolation of Smaug follows the journey of a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), along with a group of dwarves as they try to reclaim their lost castle. Unfortunately, their former home has been reclaimed by the titular dragon. Their journey is further complicated by other creatures and characters in their pursuit.
A couple of years ago, I decided to take the dive with the first Hobbit film and, although I enjoyed it, the experience was a bit underwhelming. That probably explains why I hadn't ventured beyond. That is until one of my kids, who had just finished watching the original Lord of the Rings, decided to give this trilogy a shot, so I thought I'd join him in the journey.
The strengths and weaknesses of this second installment are similar to the ones from the first. There are some really solid performances, especially Freeman and Richard Armitage as the leader of the dwarves. Benedict Cumberbatch also does a nice job as the voice of Smaug, and most of the supporting cast does a solid job.
Unfortunately, the film can't help but feel like a "poor man's LOTR". There are similar beats to the story, characters returning, and a lot of winks to the original trilogy, some of which feel forced and unnecessary. To make matters worse, the special effects don't match those of the original, which is shocking considering that this was made about 10 years after. It all piles up for a significantly lesser experience.
Regardless of that, the film is still entertaining. Some of the action setpieces are effective, while others reek of too much CGI (a couple of scenes with Legolas come to mind). Another issue is that, other than Thorin, most of the dwarves still feel like interchangeable one-dimensional characters. There is one that they try to flesh out as he develops a relationship with an elf, but the fact that I don't even remember his name says it all (Kili?)
The main "weakness" of The Desolation of Smaug is that it has to live under the shadow of a vastly superior trilogy. Maybe comparisons aren't fair, but for a fan like me, it's impossible not to do it. Despite that, I can acknowledge it is a pretty solid fantasy film – slightly better than the original – with a solid cast and some pretty good setpieces.
Grade:
THE HOBBIT
THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
(2013, Jackson)
THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
(2013, Jackson)
"Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon. If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together!"
The Desolation of Smaug follows the journey of a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), along with a group of dwarves as they try to reclaim their lost castle. Unfortunately, their former home has been reclaimed by the titular dragon. Their journey is further complicated by other creatures and characters in their pursuit.
A couple of years ago, I decided to take the dive with the first Hobbit film and, although I enjoyed it, the experience was a bit underwhelming. That probably explains why I hadn't ventured beyond. That is until one of my kids, who had just finished watching the original Lord of the Rings, decided to give this trilogy a shot, so I thought I'd join him in the journey.
The strengths and weaknesses of this second installment are similar to the ones from the first. There are some really solid performances, especially Freeman and Richard Armitage as the leader of the dwarves. Benedict Cumberbatch also does a nice job as the voice of Smaug, and most of the supporting cast does a solid job.
Unfortunately, the film can't help but feel like a "poor man's LOTR". There are similar beats to the story, characters returning, and a lot of winks to the original trilogy, some of which feel forced and unnecessary. To make matters worse, the special effects don't match those of the original, which is shocking considering that this was made about 10 years after. It all piles up for a significantly lesser experience.
Regardless of that, the film is still entertaining. Some of the action setpieces are effective, while others reek of too much CGI (a couple of scenes with Legolas come to mind). Another issue is that, other than Thorin, most of the dwarves still feel like interchangeable one-dimensional characters. There is one that they try to flesh out as he develops a relationship with an elf, but the fact that I don't even remember his name says it all (Kili?)
The main "weakness" of The Desolation of Smaug is that it has to live under the shadow of a vastly superior trilogy. Maybe comparisons aren't fair, but for a fan like me, it's impossible not to do it. Despite that, I can acknowledge it is a pretty solid fantasy film – slightly better than the original – with a solid cast and some pretty good setpieces.
Grade: