The second installation of the Hobbit saga, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, was better than its predecessor in almost every way. While the first movie relied too heavily on humor at points, the second was gripping and serious. Because of the lightheartedness of the first movie, it seemed to drag on near the end. With the second movie however I didn’t find myself bored at all, and was completely absorbed by the movie’s splendour. Its abrupt ending will leave fans hungering for the third and final part of the series.
In the movie, Martin Freeman reprises his role as the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, off on a quest to help 13 dwarves reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). The company travels through Mirkwood and Laketown to reach the Lonely Mountain. The repertoire between the dwarves is as great as it was in the last movie. Kili (Aidan Turner), the youngest and arguably the best dwarf, is deservingly given a much larger role and more development in this movie than he had in An Unexpected Journey. His brother, Fili (Dean O’Gorman), also has a larger role.
Tauriel (Evangeline Lily), an elf who seems to be Kili’s romantic interest, is a nice addition to the series. Legolas (Orlando Bloom), who also appeared in the Lord of the Rings saga, is interested in her. I don’t think the love triangle was necessary, but some fans may enjoy it. My favorite line in the movie was after the elves captured the dwarves and locked them in cells. Some of the dwarves are being searched, and Kili asks Tauriel, “Aren’t you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers.” “Or nothing,” Tauriel replies.
Smaug is the deep-throated terror fans expected him to be. Cumberbatch’s voice is perfect for the role, and Smaug is a worthy foe for the dwarves. Another foe, the Necromancer (also portrayed by Cumberbatch), was originally a minor character in Tolkien’s The Hobbit. He has a larger role in the series, but, so far, it still isn’t clear what that role is. Peter Jackson, the director, could have made the series much shorter if he took out this plotline and just focused on Smaug. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt, however, and hoping everything will become clear in the next movie. Hopefully other fans will as well.
Keen-eyed moviegoers may spot two well-known Lord of the Rings-related people– Peter Jackson and comedian Stephen Colbert. Jackson is the first person viewers see in the movie. He plays a villager in Bree who walks in front of the camera eating a carrot. Colbert, an obsessive Lord of the Rings fan, plays a spy in Laketown. His family also has cameos as spies.
The score is as beautiful as the scores of the first Hobbit movie and all three Lord of the Rings movies. It is haunting at times, occasionally hilarious, and always perfect for whatever scene it is in.
Basically, people who enjoyed the first movie should enjoy this one. People who loved the humor in the first movie may find the second one slightly disappointing, but people who loved it for the story and adventure should be quite impressed with this installment
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