THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG ("HERE COMES SMAUG")

December 13, 2013.

Cast: Martin Freeman, Sir Ian Mckellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch.

Director: Peter Jackson.

After just an year of “An unexpected journey” Peter Jackson is back with the sequel “The Desolation of Smaug”. With the 1 billion USD collections for the first part covering almost the whole production expense for the trilogy it was always going to be a profitable venture. Still Peter Jackson ensures that he does not compromise on quality with this sequel.

Continuing from where the first part left off, the pack of dwarves and Bilbo led by Thorin Oakenshield are forced to advance towards the Lonely Mountain by themselves after Gandalf is instructed by Lady Galadriel to check on the growing strength of the evil Necromancer. Azog the defiler is ordered by his master to give up chasing Oakenshield as there are preparations to be made for the brewing war.

It was quite evident to everyone that Peter Jackson had to give something much more spectacular than the first part to keep the audience engaged considering the inability of “An unexpected journey” to match upto the Lord of the Rings. As a fan and otherwise I am personally satisfied that he does 

manage to bring this sequel a notch higher in almost all the departments.

The fight sequences which happen to come so very easily to Jackson are one of the many highlights here too. The barrel fight in the falls is one that everyone would enjoy very much for the kind of shots, camera and CG work, the stunt choreography and the sheer creativity. The level of fighting enters a different league altogether once Legolas and Tauriel enter the scene.

The film hits a rough patch at times mainly when Jackson tries to build up his characters and certain situations, which though may be required for the film, would not have hurt if absent! The BGM also gets substandard at times appearing more like an amateurish band rather than being part of the film’s soul.

Still there is a certain soul to the film that keeps it going and once the action picks up you almost completely forget those letdowns especially when you are treated with the interesting and amazing encounter between Bilbo and Smaug. The conversation they have, shot beautifully, keeps the future of the quest so beautifully suspenseful and when it’s the arresting voice and tone of Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug) you are left wishing for more.

Though flooded with characters, The Desolation of Smaug mainly belongs to Bilbo, Thorin Oakenshield and Smaug, with Gandalf, Legolas and Tauriel amongst others offering support.

The latter part of the second half gets so thrilling that it takes a minute or two after the sudden climax for you to realise it has ended after having seen a few dragging scenes earlier. With Smaug awakened the stage is beautifully set for the final part to unleash all the action that the fans have been waiting for.

I am giving 3.5 for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Smaug has arrived, let us wait for “There and Back Again”.

IMDB Rating

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.