Although better, still room for improvement

Rating: 7/10 (20 March 2014)

The internal debate. When disappointed by the initial instalment of a trilogy, do you bite the bullet and give the second part a chance or steer clear to avoid further upset? I believe that in most cases, if you truly strive to enjoy a series then the former seems the obvious choice. Going in with poor expectations occasionally causes the viewer to dissect the following film. On another occasion, the bar is set so low that you are unable to be anything other than pleasantly surprised.
When The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released, I left my local multiplex completely underwhelmed. With almost a decade between The Return of the King and the initial prequel, I contemplated whether my tastes had simply changed in the passing time. Prior to Middle Earths resurgence on the big screen, HBO made a sizeable impact on the small screen with Game Of Thrones which offered a darker, more adult alternative to the fantasy epic genre. Where Jackson's envisioning of Tolkien's Middle Earth were condensed into three hour films, the television adaption of George R.R Martin's book saga was debuted weekly, allowing a higher threshold of character development without glancing over certain plot points.
Regardless of these factors, surely the familiarity of such beautiful compositions as 'Concerning Hobbits' should have rekindled my past love for the franchise in those opening moments? It did, however the remainder of the film felt much different. Whilst the soundtrack felt familiar, including the new addition of the song of the 'Misty Mountains', the overall tone never seemed to reach a consistent note. Personally, it felt more akin to The Chronicles of Narnia adaptions than the previous Lord of the Rings trilogy with it's needless use of child orientated humour. Additionally, the creatures seemed to be heavily influenced by the input of Guillermo Del Toro with the Orcs taking a slightly contrasting appearance. Their presence moved further away from the more menacing, prosthetics based entities I had come to both respect and fear in my youth to a more CGI centric being.
The Desolation of Smaug is a much leaner, more refined continuation of the Hobbit storyline. Having already established all of the characters, the momentum is able to build at a faster pace without repeated introductions, moving swiftly between each set piece,from a conflict with a cluster of giant spiders to the groundbreaking encounter with the dragon, Smaug which showcases some of the finest CGI I have seen. On the contrary I felt that, excluding these two action sequences, the remainder of the effects were rather flawed as though they had spent all of their efforts on those key scenes. The rest of the film is weighed down by a comparatively horrendous usage of green-screens which will accelerate the ageing of the instalment in years to come.
Nevertheless, a balance between action and the progression of the cast seems out of reach. Perhaps prolonging the length of one book into a trilogy is the root of this problem with a limited amount of plot to cover. Some conflicts seem to border on filler and I felt there was a lack of conversation on some part amidst the hordes of Orcs although it did distinguish more defined combat styles. The Mongol-esque dismemberment of a spider by the Dwarfs and the graceful, honed battle skills of the Elves as they seemingly dance between their foes. The camaraderie feels less apparent than in the first trilogy and the lack of any fatalities to the company removes you from the same sense of danger that previous instalments emitted with Legolas or Tauriel rescuing our protagonists from any impending tragedies.
Overall it was an enjoyable film, I just deem it lacks some of what I once felt was a more substantial part of the franchise and the essence of The Lord of the Rings; such as the emphasis on friendship and the adventurers persevering through hardships. On the other hand it did capture the undertone of how overpowering desires and obsessions can really contribute to someone's downfall. Despite some of the negativity within this review this sequel was a vast improvement full of excitement and ambition ensuring that it leaves viewers craving the conclusion to the Unexpected Journey.