Director Peter Jackson is back with his second offering in ‘The Hobbit’ series and fans wont be disappointed but others might.
‘The Desolation of Smaug’ picks up where ‘An Unexpected Journey’ left off and follows Bilbo Baggins and his Dwarf company to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim the Arkenstone from a very cunning and very egotistical dragon named Smaug who could have also been named Kanye.
The second chapter is a step up over its predecessor and is thoroughly entertaining. It is filled with wittier action and excitement than the first. I mean who doesn’t love dwarfs in barrels fighting off a gang of Orcs on the riverbank with the help of two very good looking elves?
The film does tend to drag on in some areas but picks up towards the end of the movie when Smaug does his best Goldfinger impression. And I have to say he nailed it.
About 95% of the film is completely CGI and not as sharp as ‘An Unexpected Journey’. At times the movie feels more like a video game than a feature film which probably means the animators got tired of working on an almost three hour film. They were able to give Legolas a nice face lift though so kudos to them.
Jackson ends ‘Smaug’ in the perfect place to keep fans and general audiences anticipating the final chapter and sets up ‘There and Back Again’ for an epic finale.
Despite ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ being dragged out, the film is still highly entertaining with Jackson still finding some magic left in Middle Earth.
PS: Since the movie is close to three hours long, be sure to bring a blanket and a copy of ‘The Hobbit’ because you could read the book faster than watching the movies.
