PG-13
Running
time: 2 hours 41 minutes (Standard Edition) / 3 hours 6 minutes (Extended
Edition)
Distributor:
Warner Bros. Pictures
Director:
Peter Jackson
Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian
Holm, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly,
Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Stephen Fry, Orlando Bloom, Graham McTavish, Ken Stott,
Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen,
Peter Hambleton, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Cate
Blanchett, Mikael Persbrandt, Sylvester McCoy, Manu Bennett, Lawrence Makoare,
Antony Sher, Craig Hall, Ryan Gage, John Bell, Mark Mitchinson, Ben Mitchell,
Robin Kerr, Simon London.Synopsis
The film continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Having survived the beginning of their unexpected journey, the Company continues East, encountering along the way the skin-changer Beorn and a swarm of giant Spiders in the treacherous Mirkwood Forest. After escaping capture by the dangerous Woodland Elves, the Dwarves journey to Lake-town, and finally to the Lonely Mountain itself, where they must face the greatest danger of all — a creature more terrifying than any before, which will test not only the depth of their courage but the limits of their friendship and the wisdom of the journey itself — the Dragon Smaug. The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.
Review
Let's set the record straight, Desolation of Smaug is clearly a better film compared to its predecessor. The rapid pace, the elaborate action-adventure aura, and the ethereal Middle-Earth panorama, all rolled into one big middle Hobbit chapter. Sure, the film still suffers from its painfully, unnecessarily stretched narrative length, and the plot changes they made is no help in retaining the authenticity of the book, yet these elements can be rendered as a fruitful effort of the director in giving fans what they want: more Middle-Earth goodness and more references to forge the connection to the original One Ring trilogy. With the third-act sequence being the most intense of all, the ending is sure to leave fans hanging in the air, craving for more.
Rating
4/5 Stars
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