The Desolation of Fantasy

Rating: 6/10 (2 January 2014)

This movie is about what I expected it to be. Aside from the plot and scene padding with questionably added characters, the use of High Frame Rate/3D technology gave the movie an eerie realism and starkness that took a while to digest. It had the look and feel of a reality TV show, which was fine, except when the CGI figures appeared. They weren't as real and it muddled the whole experience and ruined the fantasy illusion for me. This is the first movie I've seen that is truly immersive and I'm not sure I like being right in the middle of the action. That said, I tried to view it on its terms instead of holding on to my expectations.
I read the book many years ago and don't have a problem with the whole "Jumping off point" approach, but what is lost here is something every good director and author knows. Good storytelling is lean, efficient, and concise, not ponderous, overly detailed, and (dare I say it?) bloated. There simply isn't enough engagement or grandeur here to justify a telling lasting nine hours. LOTR was different. Three books/three movies was appropriate because they were dense stories. This story isn't and I found myself asking, "what did that scene have to do with anything? It wasn't in the book and it wasn't really necessary." On the whole, "the Desolation of Smaug" suffers from the cinematic equivalent of TMI. With so many added players, individual character development was sorely lacking. "What was his/her name again?" is not a question one should ask.
Since I don't believe in plot-spoilers, I can only say that the film also exhibits the risky pitfall of having multiple villains who don't seem to be aware of each other. I'm reminded of the Chinese aphorism about the fallacy of chasing two rabbits.
If you've invested your movie-going interest in the first Hobbit movie and you're a Tolkein fan, I'd say go ahead and see this film. It isn't going to offend you but it may tax your backside. You're supposed to like sitting there for three hours, right? If you're into cutting-edge filmmaking and love gratuitous CGI and jaw-dropping visuals at the expense of expert pacing, knock yourself out.
To plagiarize a 19th century Richard Wagner opera reviewer, "At 7pm I began to watch 'The Desolation of Smaug.' At 10pm, I looked at my watch. It said 7:15.