Ridiculing, Cheap, but Entertaining

Rating: Null/10 (31 December 2013)

The theater in which I saw The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug seated over 300 people and it was completely filled, not an empty seat in the house. What did that cause? Humidity, claustrophobia, and distractions. The viewing experience mirrored the film we were watching. Though it improves from the first chapter, The Hobbit Desolation of Smaug feels suffocating and prolonged, the tone becomes an object of ridicule (who knew the legacy of the-end-of- the-world trilogy that was Lord of the Rings would be reduced to the unserious nature of The Hobbit trilogy?), and extremely cheap (remember when Fellowship of the Ring won Best Cinematography, clearly Desolation of Smaug forgot).
The film does benefit from the short-lived presence of Gandalf played magnificently by Ian McKellen, but even his lines have evolved from deep thoughtfulness to reactions of slapstick comedy. McKellen has a charm as Gandalf that Marlon Brando created with The Godfather that soothes the viewer, that is what makes these characters iconic.
The hours of set building, CGI construction of Smaug, costume designing, and make-up work seek through the emaciated screenplay and the farce tone. If There and Back Again retains the same tonal treatment, maybe the studios should submit it to the Golden Globes as a Comedy/Musical with a nostalgic campaign of the original trilogy
Grade: C+
Rating: 5