LoginIs it a good option to spend your Sunday evening watching The New Hobbit movie in town. Now if you like good 3D thrills and the mystical middle earth then perhaps this is one place you surely want to be in.
So this Christmas Peter Jackson comes back with the fifth installment of his middle earth fantasy drama and God it is so entertaining. Yes surely it is no LOTR as it clearly misses the large canvas of the LOTR trilogy and the darkness but who cares when the spectacle is breathtaking and the action being so mind blowing. I liked Martin Freeman as Bilbo and the Dwarfs surely made everyone smile once in a while.
So while The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a big improvement on An unexpected Journey, it falls way short of the LOTR. But that little glitch apart I loved those 160 minutes solid entertainment. A big thumbs up for the 3D version.
A Great Theatrical Experience.....
Posted : 10 years, 4 months ago on 15 December 2013 05:10
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Review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Posted : 10 years, 4 months ago on 15 December 2013 06:34
Buying a ticket to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, is essentially the same as buying a ticket to Middle-Earth. You are transported to a stunning world of dwarves, dragons, and elves, where there are beautiful forests, enchanting treasure troves, and perilous mountains. For 160 minutes, you are in an entirely different place. There are many problems with this film, but I think the trade-off is worth it, as Middle-Earth has truly never looked better.
Continuing from where An Unexpected Journey left off, The Desolation of Smaug follows Bilbo and company on their journey to the dwelling of the great dragon, Smaug. On this extended journey, they encounter orcs, skin-changers, and giant spiders (among others), all of which pose their own kinds of threats and challenges. And yet, nothing compares to the great and mighty Smaug himself.
I've already said it, but I'll say it again: Middle-Earth is gorgeous. The visuals are rarely less than stunning, and at times, they're downright jaw-dropping. Everything from the cinematography, the visual effects, and the scenery make Middle-Earth a place you never want to leave (and a good thing too, considering the nearly 3 hour run-time).
But of course, the main visual attraction here is the Smaug, the dragon. And let me tell you, he is every bit as stunning as one might expect him to be. Considerably more so, actually. When he is finally revealed in full glory, one can only sit in their seat, jaw on the floor, in absolute awe. Smaug's grand revealing is the highlight of the film. Admittedly, there are one or two sketchy looking shots in the last act, but the visuals are still fantastic. I sincerely believe that if this weren't competing with Gravity, The Desolation of Smaug would have a very good chance of winning the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
As far as the story itself goes, yes it's very padded. So padded, in fact, that the story tends to get lost in all the fluff. Still, thanks to likable characters and great acting, The Desolation of Smaug proves an entertaining experience, despite this. That's not to say, of course, that this is 160 solid minutes of entertainment. There are many slow moments, and at times, you can really feel the run-time, but the visuals are generally enough to keep one from getting bored.
There are a large number of action scenes in this film (relatively few of these are contained in the book, but when a 300 page book is being converted into 9 hours of film, nobody truly cares). One of the highlights that occur in the first act of the film is a really fun and inventive little chase where all the dwarves are floating down a perilous river in barrels, whilst being pursued by orcs and elves.
The characters themselves are as likable as ever, and some of the dwarves have been developed a bit more this time around (though there are definitely some dwarves that are still lacking personality). The new additions are a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, there's Smaug, one of the greatest characters in this series, but we also have the arguably unnecessary Legolas (who appeared in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy), and Tauriel. Legolas is remarkably cardboard in this film, and has lost all of his personality and charm from the original trilogy. It seems he's only here to sell more tickets, kill some orcs in inventive ways, and complete the love triangle with Tauriel and Kili.
Yup, you read that right, there is a love triangle here. And while it's not as poorly done as that in, say, Hunger Games, it's still weak, and is only there as filler. Unfortunately, this love triangle seems to represent the only character traits of those involved (Tauriel, Kili, and Legolas).
Despite some flaws in this aspect of the film, The Desolation of Smaug is still a solid fantasy film. There are plenty of wow moments, and at times, there's some reasonably successful humor. If nothing else, The Desolation of Smaug isn't going to be a miserable experience for anyone.
The acting is great. Martin Freeman shines, once again, as Bilbo Baggins, and Ian McKellen is still excellent as Gandalf (though his screen-time in this film is shorter than in its predecessor). Richard Armitage is growing into the role of Thorin Oakenshield very nicely, and Benedict Cumberbatch steals the show as Smaug (just as Andy Serkis did as Gollum in An Unexpected Journey).
Many reviews have stated that Howard Shore's score for this chapter in the Lord of the Rings series is a bit lacking. And while I agree that this is Shore's weakest score for the series to date, it's still a good score. It is missing some of the memorable qualities of previous scores in the series, but the (admittedly rare) uses of the Concerning Hobbits theme and the theme for the ring is satisfying enough.
While I don't think The Desolation of Smaug is a stronger film than An Unexpected Journey, there is still enough here to suggest that fans won't be disappointed with this fifth visit to Middle-Earth. Between the acting, the visuals, and Smaug, no one is going to leave without being somewhat impressed at some point or another. There are problems to be sure (namely the awkward love triangle, and the long length), but The Desolation of Smaug is still a solid entry in the Lord of the Rings series. And also, I must add that the ending is phenomenal. Without giving anything away, let me just say that the last few shots are gorgeous and build the perfect amount of anticipation towards the final chapter, There and Back Again. Indeed, you can count me among those looking forward to the final chapter, with bittersweet excitement.
Continuing from where An Unexpected Journey left off, The Desolation of Smaug follows Bilbo and company on their journey to the dwelling of the great dragon, Smaug. On this extended journey, they encounter orcs, skin-changers, and giant spiders (among others), all of which pose their own kinds of threats and challenges. And yet, nothing compares to the great and mighty Smaug himself.
I've already said it, but I'll say it again: Middle-Earth is gorgeous. The visuals are rarely less than stunning, and at times, they're downright jaw-dropping. Everything from the cinematography, the visual effects, and the scenery make Middle-Earth a place you never want to leave (and a good thing too, considering the nearly 3 hour run-time).
But of course, the main visual attraction here is the Smaug, the dragon. And let me tell you, he is every bit as stunning as one might expect him to be. Considerably more so, actually. When he is finally revealed in full glory, one can only sit in their seat, jaw on the floor, in absolute awe. Smaug's grand revealing is the highlight of the film. Admittedly, there are one or two sketchy looking shots in the last act, but the visuals are still fantastic. I sincerely believe that if this weren't competing with Gravity, The Desolation of Smaug would have a very good chance of winning the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
As far as the story itself goes, yes it's very padded. So padded, in fact, that the story tends to get lost in all the fluff. Still, thanks to likable characters and great acting, The Desolation of Smaug proves an entertaining experience, despite this. That's not to say, of course, that this is 160 solid minutes of entertainment. There are many slow moments, and at times, you can really feel the run-time, but the visuals are generally enough to keep one from getting bored.
There are a large number of action scenes in this film (relatively few of these are contained in the book, but when a 300 page book is being converted into 9 hours of film, nobody truly cares). One of the highlights that occur in the first act of the film is a really fun and inventive little chase where all the dwarves are floating down a perilous river in barrels, whilst being pursued by orcs and elves.
The characters themselves are as likable as ever, and some of the dwarves have been developed a bit more this time around (though there are definitely some dwarves that are still lacking personality). The new additions are a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, there's Smaug, one of the greatest characters in this series, but we also have the arguably unnecessary Legolas (who appeared in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy), and Tauriel. Legolas is remarkably cardboard in this film, and has lost all of his personality and charm from the original trilogy. It seems he's only here to sell more tickets, kill some orcs in inventive ways, and complete the love triangle with Tauriel and Kili.
Yup, you read that right, there is a love triangle here. And while it's not as poorly done as that in, say, Hunger Games, it's still weak, and is only there as filler. Unfortunately, this love triangle seems to represent the only character traits of those involved (Tauriel, Kili, and Legolas).
Despite some flaws in this aspect of the film, The Desolation of Smaug is still a solid fantasy film. There are plenty of wow moments, and at times, there's some reasonably successful humor. If nothing else, The Desolation of Smaug isn't going to be a miserable experience for anyone.
The acting is great. Martin Freeman shines, once again, as Bilbo Baggins, and Ian McKellen is still excellent as Gandalf (though his screen-time in this film is shorter than in its predecessor). Richard Armitage is growing into the role of Thorin Oakenshield very nicely, and Benedict Cumberbatch steals the show as Smaug (just as Andy Serkis did as Gollum in An Unexpected Journey).
Many reviews have stated that Howard Shore's score for this chapter in the Lord of the Rings series is a bit lacking. And while I agree that this is Shore's weakest score for the series to date, it's still a good score. It is missing some of the memorable qualities of previous scores in the series, but the (admittedly rare) uses of the Concerning Hobbits theme and the theme for the ring is satisfying enough.
While I don't think The Desolation of Smaug is a stronger film than An Unexpected Journey, there is still enough here to suggest that fans won't be disappointed with this fifth visit to Middle-Earth. Between the acting, the visuals, and Smaug, no one is going to leave without being somewhat impressed at some point or another. There are problems to be sure (namely the awkward love triangle, and the long length), but The Desolation of Smaug is still a solid entry in the Lord of the Rings series. And also, I must add that the ending is phenomenal. Without giving anything away, let me just say that the last few shots are gorgeous and build the perfect amount of anticipation towards the final chapter, There and Back Again. Indeed, you can count me among those looking forward to the final chapter, with bittersweet excitement.
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The crucial portion of the story narration of 'Hob
Posted : 10 years, 4 months ago on 14 December 2013 06:43
The second installment of the 'Hobbit' trilogy which is the prequel to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. 365 days of wait is over, last year around the same day I saw 'An Unexpected Journey'. It totally blew me away with those awesome thrilling adventures and great graphics especially to watch a favourite movie in high frame rate gave a new dimensional experience. Also to see the 'The Lord of the Rings' character in digital 3D especially Gollum was amazing.
The movie kick starts with the director Peter Jackson's cameo as he crosses over from left to right on the screen having a bite of a carrot in a town called Bree. Then the missing scene from the first part of 'Hobbit' commence where the great wizard Gandalf the Grey offers the help to the dwarves to reclaim their kingdom. After that the narration continues from where it ended in 'An Unexpected Journey'. The nonstop exciting journey of dwarves proceeds in the middle-earth nothing lesser than its earlier part with the company of a Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. So the hope remains in Thorin, the next king of Erebor to fight back their enemy and take a revenge.
The missing in this movie is the Gollum, I don't think he will come back in the next installment as well. A little disappointing for Gandalf fans as well. He was not in action as much we aspired to see his magical stuffs. If you are a die hard 'The Lord of the Rings' the list goes on. In another way it is great to see new faces around. But you must remember it is not the movie(s) about the 'ring', it is the dwarves tale where it all happens before Gimli, son of Gloin.
Like I said the good thing is the reintroduction of the Elvin prince of Woodland Realm, Legolas. Last time we saw him in the final battle of middle-earth in the movie 'The Return of the King'. The 'Lost' fame Evangeline Lilly was the newest major addition of the series and she was amazing. She lonely fulfilled the due of women's contribution of this particular movie of 'Hobbit' trilogy. Like she Luke Evans was also had a prominent role but I guess his major action sequences will come in the next part.
In this and next paragraph I gonna write some good's and bad's of this movie. I wanna begin by saying HFR was unbelievable, the picture quality was very good with no blurs in fast panning camera sequences. I know few people may get hard time to adjust with smoothness in motion but you will get used to it if you already saw the first. Compared to 'An Unexpected Journey' it had a little more drama in story narration but as usual it had the adventures that happen in a tight situation. There's a similar kind escape scene what we had seen under the mountain kingdom Goblin. Here which happen in the water I mean the river where dwarves are getting escaped from the Elves and of course the Arcs.
"My arm is like tenfold shields, my teeth are like swords, my claws are the spear, the shock of my tail is a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane and my breath death" is what the Smaug describes himself angrily. In this whole movie all I expected was to see the Smaug, the last great dragon of middle-earth. As we know it was an adaptation of children's book so I was curious to see Smaug to talk. In all the last four movies I have not seen talking animal as per my knowledge. The first time I got the impression of the root base of fantasy touch like we had seen in 'Narnia' and 'Harry Potter' movie series. The British actor Benedict Cumberbatch gave his incredible voice and performance through motion capture to the Smaug.
There's nothing we can do than have a peek while it is in the cinema hall. As usual this movie will bomb the box office. I am already beginning to think about the 2015 Christmas holiday, without 'Hobbit' it will be most disappointment festival season. As for now I gonna end 2013 with this masterpiece.
Tolkien would have been blown away to see his own creation in a breathtaking motion picture. He wrote it keeping in mind children, as based on a children the movie achieved the heights that no one ever imagined which attracted the adults more than children. So all the credits go to the man behind it, Peter Jackson and then the his cast and crew. Now I have to wait another 365 days to have the grand finale of the 'Hobbit' series, feels like one more decade to go. In the mean time I might see it again and wait for the Blu-ray. So what's your plan...
The movie kick starts with the director Peter Jackson's cameo as he crosses over from left to right on the screen having a bite of a carrot in a town called Bree. Then the missing scene from the first part of 'Hobbit' commence where the great wizard Gandalf the Grey offers the help to the dwarves to reclaim their kingdom. After that the narration continues from where it ended in 'An Unexpected Journey'. The nonstop exciting journey of dwarves proceeds in the middle-earth nothing lesser than its earlier part with the company of a Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. So the hope remains in Thorin, the next king of Erebor to fight back their enemy and take a revenge.
The missing in this movie is the Gollum, I don't think he will come back in the next installment as well. A little disappointing for Gandalf fans as well. He was not in action as much we aspired to see his magical stuffs. If you are a die hard 'The Lord of the Rings' the list goes on. In another way it is great to see new faces around. But you must remember it is not the movie(s) about the 'ring', it is the dwarves tale where it all happens before Gimli, son of Gloin.
Like I said the good thing is the reintroduction of the Elvin prince of Woodland Realm, Legolas. Last time we saw him in the final battle of middle-earth in the movie 'The Return of the King'. The 'Lost' fame Evangeline Lilly was the newest major addition of the series and she was amazing. She lonely fulfilled the due of women's contribution of this particular movie of 'Hobbit' trilogy. Like she Luke Evans was also had a prominent role but I guess his major action sequences will come in the next part.
In this and next paragraph I gonna write some good's and bad's of this movie. I wanna begin by saying HFR was unbelievable, the picture quality was very good with no blurs in fast panning camera sequences. I know few people may get hard time to adjust with smoothness in motion but you will get used to it if you already saw the first. Compared to 'An Unexpected Journey' it had a little more drama in story narration but as usual it had the adventures that happen in a tight situation. There's a similar kind escape scene what we had seen under the mountain kingdom Goblin. Here which happen in the water I mean the river where dwarves are getting escaped from the Elves and of course the Arcs.
"My arm is like tenfold shields, my teeth are like swords, my claws are the spear, the shock of my tail is a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane and my breath death" is what the Smaug describes himself angrily. In this whole movie all I expected was to see the Smaug, the last great dragon of middle-earth. As we know it was an adaptation of children's book so I was curious to see Smaug to talk. In all the last four movies I have not seen talking animal as per my knowledge. The first time I got the impression of the root base of fantasy touch like we had seen in 'Narnia' and 'Harry Potter' movie series. The British actor Benedict Cumberbatch gave his incredible voice and performance through motion capture to the Smaug.
There's nothing we can do than have a peek while it is in the cinema hall. As usual this movie will bomb the box office. I am already beginning to think about the 2015 Christmas holiday, without 'Hobbit' it will be most disappointment festival season. As for now I gonna end 2013 with this masterpiece.
Tolkien would have been blown away to see his own creation in a breathtaking motion picture. He wrote it keeping in mind children, as based on a children the movie achieved the heights that no one ever imagined which attracted the adults more than children. So all the credits go to the man behind it, Peter Jackson and then the his cast and crew. Now I have to wait another 365 days to have the grand finale of the 'Hobbit' series, feels like one more decade to go. In the mean time I might see it again and wait for the Blu-ray. So what's your plan...
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Stupendous
Posted : 10 years, 4 months ago on 12 December 2013 04:31
Warning: This might be more rambling, than an actual coherent review.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is that difficult second film in this trilogy. It's difficult in the sense that it has to improve on what, in many peoples eyes (not mine), was a quite disappointing first feature. But it's also difficult because we're going to go into this film knowing that it doesn't have a proper beginning nor a proper ending. It's that difficult middle chapter. Just like The Two Towers was in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But fear not, where The Two Towers could arguably be considered the weakest instalment in its trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug is better than An Unexpected Journey. Even if it's only slightly better.
From what I can see, people seems to be disappointed by these films because they don't feel and look like what we got ten years ago. It's silly criticism. Like I stated with An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit is a completely different journey than The Lord of the Rings. The Desolation of Smaug continues that different journey in a very good, and mostly fluent way. It could definitely be argued that three films are unnecessary, as some of the detours in this film (as with An Unexpected Journey) feel slightly clunky. But seeing as I've grown so much in love with Middle-Earth and its characters, I would take those clunky detours before anything else.
That doesn't mean that The Desolation of Smaug doesn't have scenes in it that I absolutely can't get my head around. The opening scene is absolutely dreadful and completely unnecessary. The scene feature Gandalf and Thorin before they went out on the journey to reclaim their homeland from Smaug, and the scene's only function is to give that one person who hasn't seen An Unexpected Journey the reason for why they're out on this adventure. It's incredibly awkward and overlong. I'm also still no fan of Azog. He just looks weird. One that also looks slightly weird is Legolas. There's something with his face and attitude that is slightly off-putting.
But for ever minor flaw, The Desolation of Smaug does twice as many things right. I love how the film really makes me feel like I'm actually on an adventure. Sure, there are a lot of walking and various locations and characters, but for every new magnificent place, I feel just as amazed as the characters. Every place of beauty amazes me. Every place of terror gives me shivers. It's just an easy world to live in too.
It's strung together by many impressive action sequences. It doesn't take long before we're witnessing Bilbo and the dwarves going up against huge spiders, which is in my opinion, one of the most impressive 3D scenes I've ever seen. This is followed by the equally impressive barrel ride and then finally, Smaug. That dragon is quite simply one of the finest creatures to appear in cinema, like ever. With Benedict Cumberbatch delivering awesome voice work (and mocap) Smaug's screen presence is completely unique. Sly, arrogant and fearsome. The scene with Bilbo and Smaug going up against each other is arguably better than the Bilbo and Gollum scene from An Unexpected Journey.
Martin Freeman is very likeable as Bilbo. He's very subtle in everything he does, and he doesn't ever become annoying or tiresome, unlike Elijah Wood as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. Sir Ian McKellen is as loveable as always as Gandalf, but it's easy to notice that he's starting to get a bit old. Which is rather sad. The dwarves are still, for the most part, just there. There are some who sticks out, and everyone does mostly get at least one moment in the film. But one doesn't really care for them. There's hint of a potential love triangle between Legolas, Tauriel and Kili. But it's not fleshed out in this film. Luke Evans is solid, and Stephen Fry is just there. The real star of this film is however Benedict Cumberbatch. Not only does he do an awesome Smaug, but he gives an incredibly sinister voice to The Necromancer as well.
I might sound a bit negative in this rambling review. But like seriously, I thought it was very good. I enjoyed it a lot. And if you liked the previous film, I really can't see why you shouldn't like this one as well. It's a continuation of the same film, and I'm eagerly anticipating the next and final film. It's just a magical experience.
(Saw it in HFR 3D. Had no problem with it.)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is that difficult second film in this trilogy. It's difficult in the sense that it has to improve on what, in many peoples eyes (not mine), was a quite disappointing first feature. But it's also difficult because we're going to go into this film knowing that it doesn't have a proper beginning nor a proper ending. It's that difficult middle chapter. Just like The Two Towers was in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But fear not, where The Two Towers could arguably be considered the weakest instalment in its trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug is better than An Unexpected Journey. Even if it's only slightly better.
From what I can see, people seems to be disappointed by these films because they don't feel and look like what we got ten years ago. It's silly criticism. Like I stated with An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit is a completely different journey than The Lord of the Rings. The Desolation of Smaug continues that different journey in a very good, and mostly fluent way. It could definitely be argued that three films are unnecessary, as some of the detours in this film (as with An Unexpected Journey) feel slightly clunky. But seeing as I've grown so much in love with Middle-Earth and its characters, I would take those clunky detours before anything else.
That doesn't mean that The Desolation of Smaug doesn't have scenes in it that I absolutely can't get my head around. The opening scene is absolutely dreadful and completely unnecessary. The scene feature Gandalf and Thorin before they went out on the journey to reclaim their homeland from Smaug, and the scene's only function is to give that one person who hasn't seen An Unexpected Journey the reason for why they're out on this adventure. It's incredibly awkward and overlong. I'm also still no fan of Azog. He just looks weird. One that also looks slightly weird is Legolas. There's something with his face and attitude that is slightly off-putting.
But for ever minor flaw, The Desolation of Smaug does twice as many things right. I love how the film really makes me feel like I'm actually on an adventure. Sure, there are a lot of walking and various locations and characters, but for every new magnificent place, I feel just as amazed as the characters. Every place of beauty amazes me. Every place of terror gives me shivers. It's just an easy world to live in too.
It's strung together by many impressive action sequences. It doesn't take long before we're witnessing Bilbo and the dwarves going up against huge spiders, which is in my opinion, one of the most impressive 3D scenes I've ever seen. This is followed by the equally impressive barrel ride and then finally, Smaug. That dragon is quite simply one of the finest creatures to appear in cinema, like ever. With Benedict Cumberbatch delivering awesome voice work (and mocap) Smaug's screen presence is completely unique. Sly, arrogant and fearsome. The scene with Bilbo and Smaug going up against each other is arguably better than the Bilbo and Gollum scene from An Unexpected Journey.
Martin Freeman is very likeable as Bilbo. He's very subtle in everything he does, and he doesn't ever become annoying or tiresome, unlike Elijah Wood as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. Sir Ian McKellen is as loveable as always as Gandalf, but it's easy to notice that he's starting to get a bit old. Which is rather sad. The dwarves are still, for the most part, just there. There are some who sticks out, and everyone does mostly get at least one moment in the film. But one doesn't really care for them. There's hint of a potential love triangle between Legolas, Tauriel and Kili. But it's not fleshed out in this film. Luke Evans is solid, and Stephen Fry is just there. The real star of this film is however Benedict Cumberbatch. Not only does he do an awesome Smaug, but he gives an incredibly sinister voice to The Necromancer as well.
I might sound a bit negative in this rambling review. But like seriously, I thought it was very good. I enjoyed it a lot. And if you liked the previous film, I really can't see why you shouldn't like this one as well. It's a continuation of the same film, and I'm eagerly anticipating the next and final film. It's just a magical experience.
(Saw it in HFR 3D. Had no problem with it.)
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