Fun, cheap style over earthy substance...Peter Jackson, what has happened to Middle-earth?

Rating: 8/10 (24 December 2013)

I am probably in the minority who love "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Yes, it does not have the same epic feeling that Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" has nor does it have the flawless combination of old-style effects and CGI, but it is still fun, large in scope and imagination. And besides, who cannot despise the magical world of Middle-Earth? In loving the first Hobbit movie, I had high hopes for Smaug. A more promising Metacritic score of 66/100 appears to boost both the hype and my anticipation of this film. Within the first 10 minutes of the feature, I knew I was in for a ride...and not necessarily the one I was expecting or hoping for.
This Hobbit film unfortunately does not have a real plot like "An Unexpected Journey." Rather, it is a series of events based around Tolkien's book that are then meshed into a completely different concept. First, there is the Hobbit Bilbo and the company of dwarfs who seek the reclamation of their lost home Erebor, overtaken by the dragon Smaug. There is the wizard Gandalf, who suddenly abandons his post as a guide to the dwarfs in order to set off on a more vital matter, which foreshadows to the enemy that is present in "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy." There are the elves, Legolas and Tauriel, who pursue the dwarfs to stop their quest, only to stumble upon something that is even bigger at stake. Lastly, there is Bard, a fisherman turned smuggler that aids Bilbo and the dwarfs, who is destined to become an unlikely hero. This is a lot of ground covered in the 161 minute film. At times, it becomes discombobulating as each story jumps to and fro.
With so much information happening, characters are quickly thrown in and then some are just as swiftly forgotten--often left without further reference. In some instances this works whereas others, it just feels like bad writing. I have read the book twice and Tolkien did this with some of his characters. I understand his reasoning for that. In the movie, however, I do not. Making matters worse is a love story that is thrown in between an elf and a dwarf. This has absolutely no meaning or purpose to the overall story arc. It is just a lame way of drawing in the young, female viewer demographics. Peter Jackson has drifted so far off from the original novel, that this is something entirely different. This surprisingly does not bother me so much though. I expected him to add padding for cinematic effect. He did the same thing for his first Hobbit film. What bothers me though is that cohesiveness in storytelling is no longer present. The ending in particular left me cold and without any closure or sense of a resolution. It feels as if Peter Jackson has decided to turn his movie into a simple marketing stunt for money rather than give us an enjoyable, plot and character-driven narrative that we have seen from his first trilogy. I feel kind of bad writing this, but it is honestly true.
Another big drawback to this movie is the visual effects. Some scenes are very impressive, specifically with the dragon Smaug and the Necromancer (both miraculously voiced by the awesome Benedict Cumberbatch). Most other scenes are lower quality, like out of an XBOX game console. The CGI orcs and the famous barrel sequence are like something out of a 3D cartoon rather than a big-budget movie. The soft focus and dim lighting on Orlando Bloom as Legolas is really bad--no doubt a cheap method to make him look younger. Multiple times, I found myself groaning inside.
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is not a complete loss. I was still entertained. No boredom kicked in. Indeed, it is a very fast-paced movie. The action is fun despite its corniness and lack of photo-realistic detail. The other elements of a big budget such as make-up, costumes, and elaborate set pieces are great enough to bring a sense of realism to Tolkien's world. The city of Laketown is really noteworthy in terms of its production values. I have no real regrets in seeing the movie. I just wished Peter Jackson held up to his marvelous magnificence instead of sink down to the level that Lucas did with his "Star Wars Prequels." My final comment: Peter Jackson, what has happened to your creation of Middle- Earth?
My generous rating: 7/10