An Improvement Over the First HOBBIT Film

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2015)

I was excited at the arrival of the first Hobbit film in 2012. I was a fan of Peter Jackson's original Lord of the Rings films and the idea of revisiting his cinematic interpretation of Middle Earth was amazing. The first film, AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, came and went and I found my interested failing. It wasn't a horrible film but it was painfully obvious that they had taken a single volume tale and stretched it beyond its limits to fill the time. But I hadn't given up completely. I returned to the theaters the following year for THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG. This time around, it seemed to go a lot smoother. The second film in the Hobbit trilogy is a much stronger, more entertaining film than the first while still falling short of the awe-inspiring Rings series. When we last left Thorin Oakenshield and his company of fellow dwarfs, they had narrowly avoided death at the hands of the vengeful orc Azog the Defiler following their escape from the goblins under the Misty Mountains. We rejoin them on their quest to reclaim Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, as they're approaching the outskirts of the forests of Mirkwood. Their adventure in THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG will bring them into contact with giant spiders, woodland elves, a skin-changer, and the world of men before finally culminating in their arrival at the shattered dwarven kingdom under the mountain. And there, Bilbo Baggins will need to uphold his end of the contact by sneaking into the mountain and snatching the legendary Arkenstone from under the guard of a sleeping dragon.
My issue with the first film was the meandering pace of it all. It just sort of limped from one set piece to the next and, by the end of it all, we really hadn't accomplished much. The second film finally kicks into gear, introducing new characters that will actually serve a purpose in the climax of the series and not only bringing us to Erebor's doorstep but actually taking us inside. I haven't yet seen THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES but I can almost guarantee that this film will remain my favorite of the series. It contains more of the iconic scenes from the novel that I've been waiting to see since it was announced that Jackson would be adapting the story, namely the barrel escape (because I knew Jackson would jazz it up into a massive action sequencewhich he did) and Bilbo's introduction to the dragon, Smaug (which I knew Jackson would jazz up into a massive action sequence but hoped he wouldn'tand he did). As I expected, the movie's got the same boost of filler I'd come to expect from the last film but it all feels more natural and less forced. The action scenes are more exciting this time around and the sequences move along with a sense of purpose. The CG is still a problem and I would much rather have the traditional practical FX for the orcs but I'll just have to accept that we won't be getting them anymore.
Being that this is THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, the main event is obviously the dragon we've come all this way to see. My complaints of the excessive CG still hold up here, as I would've loved to see a blend of practical and CG in bringing the legendary creature to life, but overall I can't complain. He was animated well and the performance of Benedict Cumberbatch seals it for me. Smaug was well worth the wait. I was happy to find that he was given ample screen time but I wish it would've focused more on the conversation between he and Bilbo as it was in the book instead of devolving into an overlong chase sequence through the dwarven halls. And, as much time as it took to get to the big finale, I was admittedly a bit disappointed when Jackson couldn't be bothered to close it out by the end of the movie, instead dragging the conclusion to the start of the third and final film. That was one more tease than I needed. Regardless, all of my complaints aside, I actually really enjoyed the second Hobbit film and it reinvigorated my interest in the franchise. I've come to accept that this new trilogy is no LORD OF THE RINGS but it's enjoyable enough. THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG is a fun adventure ride and, surprisingly, it never really feels bloated at its length. It's a great segue film into what will assuredly be a CG visual madhouse of a finale in the last film.