Do Not Talk To Me Of Dragon Fire!

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2014)

Okay, I have to admit, when I first heard that the Hobbit was going to be split into three movies, I was a bit skeptical. Why is Peter Jackson taking Tolkien's shortest book and chopping it apart like sushi? If he was doing that, he should have split each Lord of the Rings story into three movies. But I will admit, An Unexpected Journey was a fun, entertaining adventure, even if it dragged in a few sections, and The Desolation of Smaug, while it had a similar problem, ultimately proved to be a stronger film. Much like The Empire Strikes Back and Judgment Day before it, The Desolation of Smaug is one of those sequels that can be argued to be better or just as good as it's predecessor.
The second chapter of the Hobbit trilogy, like the first film, takes a good chunk of Tolkien's original tale and expands upon it, adding new characters, subplots and action to make the world of the Hobbit much more broad. All our favorite characters return as this flick picks up where the last left off. There's Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin, Fili, Kili, Bofur, Bombur, Dopey, Sleepy, Happy, Doc....oh sorry, wrong movie...oh you get the picture. And Martin Freeman is just as believable as ever while portraying Bilbo, the wielder of the One Ring and the unexpected hero to save the dwarfs' behinds. Ian McKellan's Gandalf is spectacular as always and it was great to see him kick Necromancer rump in Dol Guldur. Then there's Orlando Bloom, putting on his elf ears once more and wielding his bow as Legolas, the wisecracking, showoff elf. He's accompanied by a female elf named Tauriel, who throughout the film, develops a bit of a relationship with dwarf Kili. Just imagine what the children will look like!
I also liked Doctor Who star Sylvester Mccoy as Radaghast, who is an expert at building bird nests on top of his head. There's also the quick and wise Thrandueil, Bard the Bowman, the skin changer Beorn, a couple of giant spiders and the giant lizard himself, Smaug. Portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch (Khan from Star Trek Into Darkness), Smaug is as intimidating as he is massive and no where near as ridiculous as his 1970s Rankin Bass counterpart. This Smaug is scary and sure to make all kiddies in the theater wet their underoos. Every time I heard that dark, raspy voice, I wanted to flee to the bedroom closet and snuggle with Mr. Cuddles. He's one of the greatest and scariest dragons ever portrayed on film. Hiccup, you and Toothless better avoid this dragon!
The look of the film is dazzling, from the golden piles in Smaug's chambers to the foggy, glowing glow of Laketown, to the claustrophobic, cluttered land of the elves. And Dol Guldur, home of Sau...I mean the Necromancer is like a spooky cemetery or haunted burial ground. And don't expect to get a happy ending with this flick. The ending to the Desolation of Smaug is as bittersweet as it is terrifying and let's hope that when There and Back Again arrives in 2014, all loose ends will be tied and Bilbo can return to his cozy little home at Bag End and overtime, turn into the dude from Alien 1. The Desolation of Smaug was fun, more fun than An Unexpected Journey, although that film is still worth a dozen views. Let's hope There and Back Again is the perfect conclusion to this awesome trilogy and leads into The Fellowship of the Ring just as well as Revenge of the Sith lead into A New Hope.