The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug is the second instalment of the trilogy. It starts with Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellin) meeting Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) in The Prancing Pony pub in Bree. They require a burglar which leads them to Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman).
Fast forward 12 months, and they are on the run from the Orcs who have been chasing them from the first film. They find a house but the owner is a shape shifting bear! When he’s a man you have a chance of talking to him, but as Gandalf said; ‘the bear is unpredictable.’ Telling me!
The group win the man over and he gives them ponies to speed them on their way. But they have to let them go in order to go through Mirkwood. Gandalf leaves the group when he begins to suspect the evil spirit called ‘The Necromancer’ might be something even deadlier.
A big fight with spiders living in the wood makes Bilbo loose his ring. The one ring that he got from Gollum, that can make the wearer invisible but its evil consumes you. However it’s slower on Hobbits. Bilbo’s struggle is nicely captured as he fights the ring but cannot bear to part with it at the same time.
Elves appear, enter Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) . They battle the spiders. Kili (Aidan Turner) the dwarf fancies Tauriel. But the Elves capture the Dwarves, as Dwarves and Elves are enemies. It’s up to Bilbo to rescue them from prison and soon they are fighting for survival on a raging river!
The Orcs have made an alliance with the Necromancer. This can only spell doom for our band of heroes.
From the CGI, and you do get to see Smuag the dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), to the character driven plots. This film has everything. Gandalf and some of the dwarves bring humour. There’s plenty of action, the raging river scene is one of the best.
There’s also a hint of romance between Kili and Tauriel.
There’s an epic battle between Gandalf and the Necromancer which is just eye popping. There is a deadly secret that Gandalf uncovers but will he live to tell the tale?
Sir Ian McKellen is superb as Gandalf. I absolutely love him. I prefer his Gandalf to Harry Potter’s Dumbledore.
I did not notice the time and this is like all the other Lord of the Rings films near three hours long. But the time is justified. I feel things aren’t left out due to time constraints. And it makes the film so much better for it. A polished affair with Peter Jackson still ruling as director.
As a prequel, you get to see how things lead up to Lord of the Rings. Everything is covered and it enhances the whole movie. A well deserved 10/10 from me. I can’t wait for part three!
Image reproduced from wikipedia.com
Trailer reproduced from StreamingTrailer.
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