The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (IMAX 3D)

What does desolation even mean?

                                                Bilbo had no idea what it meant, either.  

DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson

CAST: Tim Canterbury, James Whale, Heinz Kruger, Jullian Assange, William Turner, Kate Austen, Aramis, Fernando Wood, Cheshire Cat, and a fuck tonne of dwarves including the annoying bloke from the Yellow Pages adverts...

PLOT: In the second Hobbit-y adventure, the fish-out-of-water, Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) begins to get his fins wet as he gets used to a journey of action, adventure and desolation on his travels to help a pack of dwarves reclaim the Lonely Mountain.


The wonderful thing about being lazy, choosing to watch the film adaptation before reading the book (if ever) when given the clear opportunity, is that it isn't obvious which scenes are bloated; none-the-wiser if a single paragraph from the source material takes up fifteen minutes of screen-time. If you are the opposite, though, why should you care? This is Jackson's take on The Hobbit, not Tolkien's, and the legendary New Zealand filmmaker will stay true to the novel where he sees fit, and most likely be greeted with plaudits and universal acclaim along the way. Rightly so, too.

For the second instalment of The Hobbit is superior to the first in almost every way possible. The action, danger and spectacle is bigger and better - you're not likely going to see a better action sequence than the barrels scene, with its long tracking shots and inventive combat, in quite some time. The story is quicker paced, yet we're never felt as if we are rushing through the story (and expectedly so with its two-hour-and-forty-minute runtime). And the fine cast are all beginning to fill the boots of their respected characters to a more confident degree - Freeman once again proves that he's the perfect choice, Richard Armitage sometimes threatens to steal the show as the brave dwarf seeking to regain his home, Ian McKellen, although not as busy as Gandalf the Grey this time, always manages to give a star-turn without fail, making it impossible to imagine anyone else reciting the line "it is undoubtedly a trap" with anymore brilliance, and time amongst the large group of dwarves is divided more fairly, with each and every figure of comic relief given their moments to shine.

But there's one standout character who everyone has been waiting to see, and that is the titular foe, the menacing, dangerous, and surprisingly charismatic dragon, Smaug. A better voice couldn't have been acquired for the self-proclaimed 'King under the mountain'; Benedict Cumberbatch's deep, low voice booms with threat and confidence, and as for the physical presence of the dragon itself - unbelievable. Weta Digital have truly outdone themselves and the moment that so many of us were waiting for didn't disappoint, made all the more impressive with the inclusion of IMAX; even if the first meeting between him and Bilbo did seem slightly overblown and repetitive, not quite surpassing the thrill and wonder of Bilbo's riddles with Gollum in the prequel.

             You may think yourself cool with a bow and arrow, but we're not forgetting that you're still ginger

If An Unexpected Journey was too light-hearted and friendly for audiences who yearned for another Lord of the Rings movie, they may take some respite from some added fire and flames. Although there's still barrels of laughs, there is a real fear of death, destruction and sadness, which adds a lot of weight to the narrative, but is still far from the sole reason that this is the superior Hobbit as of yet. That is due to the fact that Peter Jackson's vision has been slapped onto the screen in a beautifully vast and brilliant way, giving us the opportunity to get the feeling that we know a lot more about Middle-earth than we had done before, as Jackson showed further bravery by adding characters that weren't originally in The Hobbit novel, notably by giving Legolas some well earned awesomeness as he and the Elves dominate much of the best action sequences.

Although many will be frustrated with the sudden ending, it doesn't half build up the excitement for the next chapter of the tale, There and Back Again, set to be released in December of this year. It's a brave ending as Jackson probably thought it to be pointless to add needless duration to an already lengthy movie. It's anti-climatic and it's suited better that way, a cliff-hanger in the truest form, to remind us that there is still much of this magnificent journey to come.

* * * * ½