The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Review

In a candid interview with Film 4 around the release of “An Unexpected Journey” he said he perceives himself as more an entertainer as opposed to an artist. This is despite the Oscar prestige as well as pure fan boy adoration for him around the world.

The opening scene of The Desolation of Smaug which depicts a chance meeting between Thorin Oakenshield and Gandalf the Grey is interesting. In addition to almost encapsulating why Jackson returned to Middle Earth with a trilogy dedicated to adapting the 1937 classic story of Bilbo Baggins.

The scene comes from Tolkien`s Unfinished Tales and serves as a prequel to the story of The Hobbit. It illustrates that Jackson is not only relying the titler source material but Tolkien`s vast cave of works to adapt this great tale and in turn is doing something quite ambitious. This being not only creating a prequel for his trilogy but also doing what Tolkien did not. This being able to connect both stories and other tales in a six picture opus that surely will rival the Star Wars saga in scope.

Reading this now, you might be thinking, okay that is all well and good but does it translate as a good time at the movies? Or cinematic garbage that should be condemned by Smaug`s flame. Well fear not gentle reader, you can be assured that from frame one, The Desolation of Smaug delivers in being an exceptional exercise in fun, spectacle and epic film making at its bona fide finest.

Looking at the screenplay this film almost does have an easy job because the events in the novel almost read like a checklist of great set pieces but that is selling the script a bit short. Jackson and his team of co-writers expanded upon these events and characters to create a great dramatic core that serves this film well.

In terms of new characters none of have been more controversial than new Elf character- Tauriel (Evangeline LIlly) who was not originally in the novel. She is a very good addition to the film, conceptually representing a young elf who seeks to do the right thing no matter the prejudices of her people.

Bard who in the novel has a very interesting storyline after a major event, is fleshed out here by being given a backstory and conflict. It works in making him a more pivotal character who I was invested with and look forward to seeing where his character goes in the final installment.

Elsewhere, Jackson makes some drastic changes to the source material which helps in creating tension as the climax mounts. Most importantly the way Bilbo is written in this film is done well, deepening him as an endearing character and showing a different side of him then was presented in the first picture. This is shown in how he behaves towards the Ring which does not come across as repetitive but instead interesting as we have not seen Bilbo be so blood thirsty or violent.

As for the ending, I think Jackson and his writers leave it as a great place. It not only felt like a dramatic escalation from the last image of Unexpected Journey but it also creates a great hook for third movie.

Directorally, I think this is perhaps Jackson at his best, the pacing is exceptional, it is a film that really moves but this does not come at the price of the dramatic moments as these are given room to breath. His action sequences are of a particular high class in this movie, rivaling his work on the Rings trilogy as well as the best of Spielberg and Lucas. This is achieved through not making them feel too busy, watertight editing and most importantly, letting the viewer see the action in frame.

The barrel sequence is a particular highlight not just because its blend of comedy and motion but also because Jackson actually experiments with his camera allowing the viewer to see what it is like to be in one of the barrel which he does with crisp and brief first person point of view shots.

However in terms of dramatic scenes, none were more well done then Bilbo`s confrontation with Smaug the Dragon. Script wise, Jackson and co really allow the sequence to breath and develop like it did in the novel with nearly every piece of dialogue making the cut. In addition the CG work on Smaug was truly a sight to behold, his full reveal being one of the breathtaking single framed shots of the year. This is coupled with Cumberbatch`s great vocal performance that makes Smaug mesmerising and powerful in equal measure, in addition to terrifying and venomous.

Martin Freeman gives the best performance of the film. He continues to bring great comic timing, down to earth presence as well as inner strength and conviction. But it was even greater to see him give Bilbo more of an edge this time. This was demonstrated with his scene with the spider and the one ring. From his well timed facial expressions and vocals, Freeman brings a dark addictive energy to Bilbo not seen before and his final line of that moment was delivered with a tinge of Ian Holm`s iteration of the character, that was exciting to hear, to say the least.

Howard Shore returns for a fifth time to the land of Middle Earth with his score. The result was quite exceptional, here Shore develops a number of new themes and fuses them with appropriate homages to motifs from the Rings trilogy. Of the fresh themes developed for the film, two stand out.

The first is the Taurial theme which on the soundtrack is under the title of “Feast of Starlight” Shore through strings and great choral work, creates a soothing and peaceful theme that represents Tarual`s calming and noble presence while also expressing her innocent look of the world.

Shore`s puts flesh on the bones of his Smaug theme which was first heard in the prologue of the last picture and the result is a tour de force of musical scoring. Taking inspiration from oriental music, especially with the use of bells and occasional gongs. Shore`s Smaug theme is experimental and is up there with recent great music of that kind such as Zimmer`s Joker theme. It proves that even at this stage in his life, the composer shows no signs of a lack of versatility.