The Desolation of Smaug leaves us wanting more

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2014)

When I finished watching The Desolation of Smaug in my nearest theatre, I didn't how the time of more two and half hours flew by. This is the beauty of directors like Peter Jackson or James Cameron â€“ you will get immersed in their world. The desolation of Smaug is nothing less than a visual spectacle. Right from the beginning to a breath-taking end, every scene is amazingly shot. The cinematography, performance of various characters, story telling in this movie is too good.
The story starts from where it was left in the first part and gains pace in a short time. Gandalf again separates from the group of dwarfs, and this time he has a far more specific motive. He is the witness of the great evil which rises in front of his eyes, which later becomes the protagonist of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The dwarfs, on the other hand, are foolish but heroic, always getting trapped or losing hope on many occasions, to be only saved by our tiny hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo can be called the hero of the movie in true sense, capable of making intelligent decisions like saving the dwarfs from elves by using barrels or by showing extraordinary courage, as in facing the stupendous dragon, Smaug, all alone. He saves the dwarfs from giant spiders but also gets obsessed by the ring, whose influence grows on Bilbo every time he wears it. The heroism of Legolas (Orlando Bloom) is also beautifully depicted along with Tranduil (Evangeline Lilly).
The movie wins heart with its visual effects. The cinematography and action sequences coupled with a good story telling bind you to the screen so that you forget the flaws of the movie and get captivated in watching it. The barrel scene through water, the city of Lake town, the birth of the dark lord Sauron and the final attempt to destroy the dragon was shown magnificently. The voice of Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug was terrific. Despite lack of story or heroism as in Lord of the Rings trilogy, the story holds you to the end. The main downside of the movie is it neither has a beginning nor has an end. It is just the middle of the hobbit and doesn't feel like an end. It leaves us wanting more, the desire to see the final chapter of the hobbit, the desire to see the end, the desire to go to There and Back Again.