Continuing on their journey the band of dwarves and Bilbo Baggins find the going rough in The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug. The film is the second segment, or act two, of the trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. It’s a bridge to the last act that’s slated for release in 2014. Steeped with action, the lengthy trip through Middle Earth works its way through mountains, a foreboding forest, and a small village to the destination of a meeting with the dragon Smaug. It’s a magical trip that ends as a nail-biting cliffhanger.
In this episode we find the wizard Gandolf the Grey (Ian McKellen) leading dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) along with his band of followers as they make the trek to the Lonely Mountain and their fallen kingdom of Erebor. Bilbo Baggins is still serving as their burglar using his cunning ways to do their bidding. The going is very difficult coming up against a challenging terrain, a dark and foreboding forest of spiders, the magical kingdom of treacherous elves, the village of Lake-Town and to their inevitable meeting with the dragon that destroyed the dwarf kingdom.
The action gets more intense as the group fights its way through their dangerous journey and director Peter Jackson knows how to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Whether you are a ‘Ring’ junkie or have been introduced to this trilogy with the first exciting chapter of The Hobbit, Jackson brings the exciting and mesmerizing book to life for all to enjoy. He keeps his cast on point, infuses just the right amount of green screen and computer special effects and spools out the J.R.R. Tolkien book with a mind that produces the imagery the master writer intended for his readers.
This episode is a bridge connecting part one to the final chapter The Hobbit: There and Back Again and some may walk away let down somewhat due to its cliffhanger ending. Even though the Orc attacks are a bit repetitious from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the Lake-Town scenes may have been an unnecessary part of the film, the movie is still a must see. If it weren’t filled with excitement and action, you may even say its better off waiting for the video, but long after you’ve left the theater you’ll be thinking about the many elements of this connecting part of a fine trilogy.
The acting continues to be stellar with all actors returning for their characters. Some new faces are added that either give some of the character back-story for Lord of the Rings or provide new roles that are needed to bring the book to life. In this episode we find Bard (Luke Evans) a Lake-Town barge tender collecting barrels to be sold to merchants. He’s a courageous man with a family and does his job in compliance with those who have need for his supplies. But, he’s also a believer in freedom and he helps the dwarves escape from vicious attack by Orcs. I also liked the Master of Lake-Town is a dictator of sort that has control of the town by eliminating his opposition. Played by Stephen Fry the blustering leader becomes this blithering puppet of his assistant Alfrid (Ryan Gage) who has control of a militia that does his bidding.
But, the most enjoyable new character of this segment of The Hobbit is Greenwood Elf warrior Tauriel played by the lovely Evangeline Lilly (Real Steel). She handles her strong bodied character with aplomb, coming to the rescue in the dwarves fight with the Orcs and creating a sympathetic character for Thorin. The fine archer adds bravery showing up unexpectedly in a couple of lengthy scenes where the dwarves find their backs against the wall. She’s a standout surprise that adds to the entertainment value of the film.
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images. The spider attack is quite scary so be warned that immature children may get alarmed. Heads fall in some scenes and the Orcs vs Dwarves gets gruesome. A lot of arrows puncture the Orcs and in a scene at Lake-Town children are caught up in the peril of an Orc attack. I do recommend that you pick up a video of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and watch it before going to see this segment as it will refresh your memory of some of the key characters.
Additional Film Information:
Cast Includes: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, Orlando Bloom and Mikael Persbrandt
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images
Running Time: 2 hrs 41 min
Opening Date: December 13, 2013
Distributed by: Warner Brothers Distribution
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
