As you can imagine with any Middle Earth film, the run time
is substantial, but unlike the first instalment of The Hobbit this film doesn’t slow down for a second, offering up
more excitement in the films first hour than we got in the entirety of the
previous film. The Barrel sequence, which I will get to later, is the highlight
of this series so far. Don’t let this films running time or your experience of
the first film put you off going to see the next part of Bilbo’s journey.
Visually The
Desolation of Smaug relies on a large amount of CGI, which is to be
expected, but unlike the first, the frame rate isn’t an issue with this film.
As a result, the CGI holds up much better this time, while you know it’s not
real, this time it is easier to lose yourself in wide vistas and detailed
characters.
Like An Unexpected
Journey, a lot of the film is carried on the shoulders of the films main
heroes, Bilbo, Gandalf and Thorin. McKellen gives us more of the same of a
character we have seen insult and lecture kings and the powerful since 2001.
Thorin is as rough, rude and driven as he was in the first film, a dwarf who is
set on one goal and won’t allow anyone to get in his way. Martin Freemans Bilbo
is the heart and soul of the film, he is character we spend the most time with,
although not as much as we did in the first film. He isn’t a near invincible
hero like Aragorn was in The Lord of the Rings;
instead he has to use his brains and wits to get him and his companions out of
countless perilous situations.
The most interesting part of this film is the way we are introduced
to the different workings of various societies and races throughout Middle
Earth, each of them motivated by a communal goal established by a single man,
some selfless, others not. The elven kingdom of Mirkwood is the most
interesting society, undoubtedly the most fearsome and skilled warriors, they
are happy to stay within their borders, even becoming lenient when Orcs spread
into the forest. The father son relationship between the King and his son, Legolas
and their discussion of what should be done about the events in Middle Earth is
the films strongest scene and one I hope is revisited in the third film.
As mentioned earlier, the Barrel sequence is the highlight
of the film, based around a river escape as the dwarves flee Mirkwood in a
convoy of barrels floating down a river, chased by Orcs who are in turn being
hunted by elves, led by Legolas and Tauriel (Evangeline Lily). We are treated
to dwarf humour and ferocity as they struggle to stay alive and elven
acrobatics and fighting flamboyance as they cross tree branches and cut through
the orcs with utter precision.
While it may not be up to the standard of The Two Towers, The Desolation of Smaug is a return to form for Middle Earth.
Helped by more action and greater stakes, this will leave you wanting more. Luckily
we only have to wait six months this time.
