Peter Jackson reminds us why he is the king of fantasy movies with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (PG-13, 2 hours, 41 minutes) opens December 13.
The general consensus for a film adaptation of a book, (an incredibly successful book, I might add) is a general “BOO” from the diehard fans, a “meh” from the regular fans, and a over-emphasized scoff from the critics. Notable (read: laughable) examples of these travesties include Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. (Weird. I guess I just don’t like him today. Oh well.)
But, every now and then you find a filmmaker who is able to bring justice to written word. Like, for example, Baz Luhrmann with The Great Gatsby. (You can debate me until the end of time. You’re wrong. That movie was fantastic. The ingenious use, and blending of, diegetic and non-diegetic sound? Don’t even get me started. Take a course or two in film theory and then come back and try to tell me that movie sucked.) Or Stanley Kubrick with The Shining, or David Fincher with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the latest installment of the “Hobbit” trilogy, is one of those rare few adaptations that are excellent films on their own, as well as masterfully crafted to please fans of the novel version as well.
Twitter user Griffen Hankins sums up the characters pretty well here.
I would say spoilers lie ahead, but this was a book before it was a movie. If the story has been out in the world for more than 80 YEARS, it’s not a spoiler. That said, if you do not yet know the story, go read the book or see the movie. I would recommend both equally.
The Hobbit, originally written by J.R.R Tolkien in 1937, is the precursor to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it follows the story of Bilbo Baggins, (uncle to Lord of the Rings protagonist Frodo Baggins) and his journey along with a company of dwarves on a quest to take back their homeland from the dragon, Smaug.
The film adaptation is split into three parts, with the first part being released in 2012, and the second opening in theatres December 13, 2013. The film adaptation trilogy is directed by Peter Jackson, starring Martin Freeman (The World’s End) as Bilbo Baggins, Richard Armitage (Captain America: The First Avenger) as Thorin Oakenshield, and Benedict Cumberbatch (TV series “Sherlock”) as the voice of the dragon, Smaug. The series additionally features Ian McKellen reprising his role as Gandalf the Grey.
But seriously though. Those ears have to have their own gravitational pull at this point.
This second installment of the series sports two notable additions to the “Hobbit” film trilogy’s cast. Orlando Bloom reprises his role as Legolas from the Lord of the Rings films, and Evangeline Lilly (TV Series “Lost”) joins the bill as Tauriel. The utter (for lack of a better term) badassitude of Bloom as Legolas cannot be overlooked or understated. Here you can watch Legolas in his natural badass habitat in this clip from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, taking a break from one of the most epic and violent totalwar scenes in modern cinema to go surfin’.
But the screen is ultimately stolen by Lilly’s portrayal of Tauriel. Or rather, her enormous ears. (I swear, Santa knows if you’ve been naughty or nice only because Tauriel is the elf that hears everything you do and say and fills him in. Ya know, because of the gigantic ears. I’m funny, ok?)
I would be proud to be a part of a country that had this on their flag.
A surprising change in a fantasy movie, Lilly portrays Tauriel with strong emotion and empathetic grace, melding perfectly alongside a cast of clumsy, yet gallant dwarves, regal complacent elves, and vicious orcs. And Legolas, of course.
But I really can’t understate how badass Legolas is. There is a ten minute battle sequence where he does almost nothing but shoot arrows through orcs to kill other orcs. It’s like Batman riding a shark wielding a lightsaber. Just so badass.
Aidan Turner as Kili the Dwarf.
Worth mentioning is the casting choice of Aidan Turner (TV Series “Being Human”) as the dwarf Kili. I think most women will leave the theater confused about their feelings after realizing that that is one attractive dwarf. Author’s note: when I woke up this morning, the phrase, ‘that is one attractive dwarf’ was not something I expected to say.
Another point of note is the cinematography. Jackson’s direction and the beautiful natural landscapes they had to work with, (as well as an outrageous amount of CGI) yields a result that can be described in no other way than breathtaking. As some panning wide shots played out on the screen, I literally heard gasps and “wow”s from other audience members. The visuals were just gorgeous.
Say hello to Smaug!
Par for the course for a Peter Jackson movie, the detail put into every single scene was remarkably thorough. For example, just like the prior movies, no two sets of orc armor were the same and nothing lacked its own unique texture. Another beautiful feature of the movie was the big bad guy himself, Smaug the dragon. Crafted entirely from CGI, Smaug’s presence is one of the strongest elements of the movie. Big hats off to the visual effects team on that one.
Without telling you too many unnecessary plot details, the slow progression of the true antagonist, the Ring, is one of the few things in the movie that I feel were overlooked. The Ring ends up being the biggest deal in the world, and its adverse effects are only hinted at in one teasing remark by Smaug when he is taunting Bilbo in Erebor.
Overall, I think Jackson’s film series adaptation of “The Hobbit” is set to become not just one of my favorite novel-to-film adaptations, but one of my favorite film series as well.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is rated PG-13 and has a run-time of 2 hours and 41 minutes.
Report Card – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
——–
Casting: 10/10 points
Acting: 9/10 points
Story/Pace: 9/10 points
Visuals: 10/10 points
Audio: 5/10 points
Extra Credit: Badassitude – +2 points
43 out of 50 + 2 extra credit = 90%
Well done, Mr. Jackson, you receive an A-.
