A mixed bag

Rating: 7/10 (15 December 2013)

The second Hobbit movie is sort of the Back to the Future II of its series: at times thrilling, at times confusing, and ultimately a little unsatisfying. It boasts terrific effects and choreography but perhaps a little too much plot, too many new characters, and a lengthy running time.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug picks up more or less where the first film left off; the dwarfs, Bilbo Baggins, and Gandalf have left the Misty Mountains and continue their quest to the Lonely Mountain, former dominion of the Dwarf race, aiming to recapture it and the treasure below it from the demonic dragon Smaug. (Interestingly, Smaug himself doesn't even make an appearance on screen until the final half hour of the film.) The outfit is led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), descendant of the last King beneath the Mountain, before Smaug took over; the other dwarfs are more-or-less interchangeable, much like those who accompanied Snow White in her adventures. Their names are, I think, Palin, Marty Balin, Gerald McBoingBoing, Doink, Coin, and Gilligan. I'm not sure.
Now, the movie's title implies that Smaug (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) is desolate - he sort of is, living beneath the Lonely Mountain and all - but since this is more about the journey than the destination, we are treated to concurrent plots and unexpected encounters. The troupe loses Gandalf when the latter rushes off to deliver one of his legendary Important Messages, so he's absent for much of the film, and within some time the gang finds itself within the forests of Mirkwood, which is inhabited by Elves who aren't really like the stern-but-nice ones at Rivendell. (You know, from the last film.)
And these Elves are a heck of a lot more suspicious of, well, everything. They're led by Thranduil (Lee Pace), who wishes to keep his realm closed off from the problems of the outside world, much like Elrond would for Rivendell in the later LOTR films. Thranduil's son is Legolas (Orlando Bloom), whom we're well acquainted with; he's smitten with the chief of the wood-elf guards, Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) - but, like Shakespeare's star-cross'd lovers, Papa would never let the sylvan elf be with his offspring. You know how it is.
But lest you think this is all about the Elves and Dwarfs and how they dislike/despise each other, there's another fun thread to follow: it looks like a certain Evil is gathering strength, both in body and in numbers, although remaining hidden from view. Thus the Orcs are both tracking Thorin and his merry men and helping their Master - you know who I mean - to become more corporeal. And then, to riff on an old 1970s TV show, there's Smaug. So there's truly no shortage of Bad Guys, and nor is there a shortage of ominous foreshadowing.
The movie never drags, and it makes good (judicious) use of 3D, but it suffers from a real lack of personality. Bilbo and Gandalf, who have the most charisma and charm of the bunch, are given less to do here than in the first film; the Dwarvish leader Thorin, by contrast, isn't a sufficiently interesting character to hold extended attention. In addition, you have all of these Dwarfs whose names aren't entirely memorable, so when one is left behind all one can do is shrug and wonder who else is left.
Which brings us to the the truly positive aspects of the movie. The fight and action scenes are supremely entertaining to watch, with Elf versus Orc, Elf versus Dwarf, Dwarf versus Orc, Dwarf versus Human, Wizard versus Orc, Wizard versus Something Evil, and Dragon versus Hobbit and Dwarfs. The intensity of each of these scenes is almost poetic, with Lilly and Bloom miles beyond everyone else in their seemingly effortless Orc-slaying abilities. Lilly in particular is remarkable, both beautiful, humanistic, and cunning beyond her years; her Tauriel (oddly enough, not really a Tolkien character) is savvy, level headed, and soft hearted.
The final scene, more than two and a half hours into the film, is a bit of a letdown, a mere gateway to the final part of the trilogy. It's true that the first Hobbit film took the same tack, but this time out the denouement feels abrupt; we left not just wanting more but simply hanging.