Official Synopsis
“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 Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.
Thoughts on the movie as a whole
The second movie in a trilogy is generally the ‘downer’, if you will. I don’t mean that it sucks (don’t get me wrong, there are some second movies that suck), rather it’s usually the darker of the bunch. The Empire Strikes Back is a perfect example of a second act in a giant opus that is a downer, though definitely the best of the bunch, as it brings all our happy heroes from the first film squarely down to earth. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is no different.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a beautifully crafted film, even more so than the first movie. The first film was a methodically paced movie that needed to find its identity and stay firmly on the correct path and bring our audience into an adventure. It had little room to maneuver and contained little surprises. Simply put, the first film is solely there to establish how the rest of the story is going to go. It did its job spectacularly, but wow was it slow on the build. Again, it has to be slow because if the set up it’s trying to put together doesn’t work then the rest of the movies will have a hard time standing on firm ground. Thankfully, it worked and despite the grumblings from critics, it was a worldwide success (and it deserved to be). Like I stated before, its general flow was slow and methodical.
The second film acknowledges that nice set up and simply says ‘Let’s do this!’. Oh, and it does it.
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The Desolation of Smaug has no issues with a ‘go-go-go!!!’ attitude. We know the characters, now we get to see them in action. It starts out quick, keeps its foot on the gas and doesn’t let up until it gets to its destination. Consequently, because of the pacing, the film’s three-hour mark (which is certain to get bigger when the ultimate edition comes out sometime in the future)flies by — and that’s with multiple viewings.
The film starts out where the first left, our heroes have barely escape with their lives from the onslaught of the orcs and now must find a way to the Lonely Mountain as quick as possible. Time is not on their side, nor are the things that look to stutter their step. Along the way, our adventurers encounter obstacles such as giant spiders in a very confusing/easy-to-get-lost-in forest, some very unhappy elves in the Mirkwood forest led by the unhappiest/untrustworthy elf, Thranduil, and a band of humans who are forced to live on the lake (Laketown) thanks to a giant sleeping dragon. To say that the film is filled with fast-paced action led by large amounts of terrible evil around every corner would be a complete understatement.
Peter Jackson throws everything at the audience in this one. You can compare this film with the likes of The Two Towers during its gigantic climactic scene towards the end. You go from one crisis to another, with the fear of failure hanging around every corner, and Jackson/crew don’t waste one once of film getting the audience through them. By the time the dwarves and hobbit enter the Lonely Mountain, you’re as exhausted as them. Of course, it’s not so exhausting that you don’t appreciate the terrifying beauty of Smaug himself. Smaug is amazing thanks to Jackson and Smaug’s voice/soul, Benedict Cumberbatch.
While Jackson’s pacing for The Desolation of Smaug is nice, the real beef here is how the story flows together well. Jumping from one plot point to another, you don’t really have a head scratching moment or a moment where the story takes an emotional or visible detour anywhere. It really does feel like everything in the story is evenly and properly placed. We get enough details about the bad guys, the good guys and the guys/gals who are somewhere in the middle. We get a really good backstory and proper construction of the Mirkwood elves, and Thranduil’s wicked intentions. The film never has to stop and explain too much, which bodes well for the pacing that Jackson establishes at the beginning. Simply put, it’s all well planned, scripted and executed. It’s really tough to find a flaw in it.
I mean you could complain about Tauriel, who doesn’t appear in the original writing, but Jackson finds a way to fit her in properly. Purist don’t like her, but she really does a great job in the overall story.
Extended additions
Now, let’s talk about the ‘extended edition’ scenes in the movie. Here are the extended moments:
War of the Dwarves and Orcs — This adds a bit more backstory beef to the war between the two races. You get to see a bit more of Thráin in this portion and a bit more of a less-than-heroic Thorin. It’s actually kind of cool and it helps with another extended scene later on in the film.
Beorn’s home — Here we have Beorn chopping wood and being introduced to the group of Dwarves for the first time. It’s a bit playful and it actually goes against the tone of the film somewhat, but it’s a fun scene. The fun comes when Beorn finds the group of dwarves revealing themselves slowly, as he gets more and more pissed by the numbers. Again, this is a bit more playful than what the tone of the film establishes for the most part, but it’s lighthearted enough to break some tension.
Mirkwood — Dwarves and hobbit crossing the waters of Mirkwood and finding out the power of the evil forest. Again, these look gorgeous in 3D and they make sense, though it seems like it carries Mirkwood just a tad bit long. It works, though, but I personally could do without it, if need be.
Laketown — Dwarves being chased and being hidden amongst thanks to some spiteful townfolk. I think this should have actually stayed in the film. Opposite of that, I could have done without the Master’s ball eating moment. We know the man is disgusting, but lord we don’t need to see it reinforced in the crudest of ways. So gross, I blame the sound guy.
Thráin returns — While Gandalf is trying to figure out the presence of the Necromancer he learned about in the first Hobbit film, he encounters a familiar face, Thorin’s father Thráin. It’s actually quite a neat scene that was somewhat foreshadowed earlier. Thráin’s appearance adds some more depth and content to the Necromancer and his intentions, though it certainly doesn’t end well. I really enjoyed this addition and was hoping this might have stayed in the original theatrical edition. It certainly didn’t seem to take up too much space.
Overall, there are only a couple of these that actually would make sense within the scope of the original cut of the film. I think that Thráin’s story and presence would have been a welcomed addition to the theatrical cut, as well as Laketown. You might be thinking that Laketown is more humor than substance, but I think it helps reinforce the distastefulness of the Master, as well as the attitude of the struggling townsfolk.
Anyway, the extended scenes are good for the film, though some better than others.
Story aside, let’s discuss some 3D action!
(Reviewed in Passive)
I didn’t get a chance to watch this in 3D when it first hit theaters, due to a daughter who has some motion sickness issues (love her, though — she’s an awesome movie buddy), so I was pleased as punch when it arrived at the Digitalchumps’ doorstep on Blu-ray 3D. The draw line between foreground and background is amazing from beginning to end, and of course it helps that the New Zealand backdrop shows up now and again to make it more beautiful. I’m especially impressed with two moments in the movie that use 3D to their advantage. First, the spider scene in the forest. That was built for 3D movement and depth. Kirkwood is the first. The spiders, webs and just different visual layers seem to entice the 3D essence of the film. It stands out and works well. It also makes the scene, which is already creepy as shit, a bit creepier. 3D is built to enhance the movie experience and it does so in Mirkwood.
The second scene, and not a surprise to those who have seen it, is the fight with Smaug. You will be mesmerized with the depth of the kingdom under the mountain. The first shot of Smaug’s lair with piles and piles of gold treasure laying about is something to behold in the 3D format. When the old dragon stirs, he adds a bit more scale and depth to the 3D experience. It’s quite an impressive scene in 3D.
As a whole, this is the type of film that was born to be on this format and one that thrives in it. If you have a 3D television and can afford to go this route, you should consider it.
On the Blu-ray side of things, expect greatness just like in the first release of the film in HD.
It’s gorgeous. It’s everything you would expect from a film shot with tons and tons of RED cams. All the details in the transfer are positively gorgeous. The colors from the movie do stand out quite well on the Blu-ray format, with focus being on red, white, yellow, green, blue and black. The best scene in the bunch that really makes the HD come to life is when Bilbo finds his way up a tree in the Mirkwood forest in attempt to find the sunlight. The blue butterflies and gorgeous tree leaves stand out so well in HD. Simply stunning. When you’re trying to decide on what to get, barring you aren’t going the 3D route, just go straight for the Blu-ray. It’s the best, cleanest and crispest way to watch The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
As for the special features, here’s what you’re looking at:
• Commentary with Peter Jackson, Director/Producer/Screenwriter and Philippa Boyens, Co-Producer/Screenwriter
• The Appendices – The Appendices Parts IX and X showcase an immersive multi-part history of the filming of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, covering pre-production in the various departments of the film in the months leading up to the start of principal photography, training, the work done on set and in the world of its digital effects.
• New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth – Part 2
The commentary portion of this release is interesting and entertaining, but it simply cannot hold water to The Appendices, which are a two-disc collection of documented production pieces that show pretty much every important moment during the filming process. You get a large amount of interviews, details and everything you would want to know about the filming of The Desolation of Smaug. Well over three hours of production pieces, with the creation of Smaug really being the pinnacle of the bunch. You get to see Benedict Cumberbatch’s performances, how Smaug was developed and created, and what little things about him were decided on to please fans. The Appendices are absolutely amazing and a great reason to pick this edition up. I’m glad Warner Brothers came with a strong value added in this package.
