[Movie Review] The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Posted on December 12, 2013 by thegrandshuckett in Movie Reviews // 0 Comments

Plot Summary: The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.

Director: Peter Jackson

Writers: Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay), Peter Jackson (screenplay), Guillermo del Toro (screenplay), J.R.R. Tolkien (based on the novel The Hobbit)

Runtime: 161 min

Main Cast:

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins
Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey
Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman
Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield
Orlando Bloom as Legolas
Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel
Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug/ The Necromancer

Review: by Anthony and Lee

We are huge fans of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the first movie of this new trilogy for The Hobbit. The great writing and story of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and its abrupt cliffhanger of an ending left us craving more. We couldn't wait to get back to Middle Earth the quest to retake Erebor.

What We Liked:

The story, as expected, was fantastic. Though it picked up right where the last movie left off, and got right into things, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug did not abruptly begin, leaving the audience struggling to recall the events of the last movie. It was skillfully written, and made it simple for even those who missed seeing The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey to ease into the story.

What Bilbo stated in the first movie about going on an adventure is definitely held up. There were plenty of fights, chases, prison breaks, and more as the party traveled from town to town.One of the greatest parts of the movie, though, was Legolas! He was one elf that meant business; his skill with a bow and arrow and even hand to hand combat were on full display in the movie.

It was nice to see places, hear names, and see plot lines from The Lord of the Rings start to develop in the movie, and even casual fans should recognize some of the easter eggs. Also, as fantastic as the story was, the subplots were just as great; they were well integrated just as fascinating as the main plot.

All of the major actors were spectacular in this second installment, but the newcomers, Luke Evans and Evangeline Lilly, definitely kept up.

Evangeline Lilly was great as Tauriel, Chief of the Guards for the Elvenking. She matched Orlando Bloom’s Legolas action scenes blow for blow, arrow headshot for headshot. She really carried herself well in the male centric cast as a strong female warrior whose skill and commitment earned her favor despite her lack of royal elvish blood.

Luke Evans also performed extraordinarily well as Bard the Bowman. He was a main component in fleshing out the history of the city of Dale and it’s tenuous relationship with Smaug.

Not to be outdone by the writers and actors, the score, composed by Howard Shore, and the special effects were absolutely stunning. The work done in portraying the hobbits in a human-sized world was particularly impressive.

Another outstanding special effect was Smaug the Dragon, who looked fantastic and truly terrifying. Benedict Cumberbatch’s voicing of Smaug really brought him to life; hearing him talk down to, patronize, and generally insult other people was a delight.

What We Didn’t Like:

The only thing that we could find to dislike about the movie was that we have to wait another year to see the rest of its spectacular story played out.

Summary

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was a truly spectacular movie, worthy of its place in such an iconic movie franchise, but who expected any less?

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