The Journey Continues

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2014)

Thirteen years ago Peter Jackson began the adventure, which has erased the belief that J. R. R. Tolkien's universe is impossible to be filmed, the notion reinforced by ambitious, but infamous "The Lord of the Rings" directed by Ralph Bakshi about fifteen years before. The vision served by Jackson and his crew has proved that an appropriate vision may not only give fruitful results, but also be groundbreaking in both of development of visual aspects and the genre, considered to be extinct long time ago. Few years after completing the successful trilogy "Lord of the Rings", Peter Jackson announced that not only would "The Hobbit", a book that precedes the action from the trilogy, be conveyed into film reel, but also it would be divided on three installments. This statement was accepted by fans with both of enthusiasm and anxiety. The first part of the new trilogy, which had it's premiere one year ago, proved that Jackson may achieve success by such division. Is such feeling present in the new one?
The story is being continued right in the place, where the previous movie was finished. The group of Dwarfs proceeds their journey to the kingdom, which once belonged to them. The path to their destination if full of obstacles, which may be overcome by their wit and, especially, mutual cooperation. In the mean time, Gandalf, sensing upcoming war decides to split with his comrades and learns that Sauron is being reborn.
Jackson once again proves that he has a good sense in selecting actors team. Sir Ian McKellen born for playing such Characters like Gandalf. Richard Armitage successfully conveys charismatic personality of Thorin the Oaken Shield. Martin Freeman is great in showing Bilbo's transition from a gentle hobbit to trusted companion of the journey.
It is not a surprise that the movie astonishes from technical point of view. New Zealand's landscapes are authentically breathtaking. If Peter Jackson decides to film other books from Tolkien's universe, New Zealand is a perfect place to do it. The story is absorbing, even though it proves the division on three movies to be more artificial. There are threads which have lack of satisfying conclusion. I was completely indifferent to the love plot between Tauriel and Legolas. The duo has not enough time to make their plot touching. I hope the director's cut will include more scenes between them in order to make their story more important and touching.
Overall, these downsides are not overwhelming enough to mitigate the entertainment derived from the movie. Peter Jackson successfully proves that he has heart for making movies based on Tolkien's works. I hope the third movie will maintain this notion.