Rant and Rave: The Hobbit— The Desolation of Smaug

“Oh, Misty Eye of the Mountain below

Keep careful watch of my brothers’ souls

And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke

Keep watching over Durin’s sons”

Unless you’ve been living under a hill for the past few days, these are the opening lines to Ed Sheeran’s I See Fire. Now, I can hear everyone go “Who is Durin?” well, Durin is the father of the Dwarvendom! His descendants have long been royalty and the likes of Thror, Thrain and Thorin are part of his lineage. Now, do these names sound familiar? In case they do, then yes, it’s that time of year again.

Once again, for the second year in a row, renowned director Peter Jackson presents the second film from his The Hobbit trilogy entitled, The Desolation of Smaug. From he who gave us The Lord of the Rings franchise, Jackson immerses viewers into J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth as Bilbo Baggins continues his quest with the wizard Gandalf and thirteen vagabond dwarves led by Thorin (yes, the guy mentioned above) Oakenshield as they try to reclaim Erebor from the film’s titular character – Smaug, the dragon.

This latest installment stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, the “burglar” from the Shire; Sir Ian Mckellan as Gandalf the Grey, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel the elf , Orlando Bloom reprising his role as Legolas of the Woodland Realm and Sherlock Holmes‘ Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Smaug, the Terrible.

Picking up from where it left off in An Unexpected Journey, this latest installment tells of the coming of the dwarves to the once mighty kingdom of Erebor, where the tyrannical serpent Smaug slumbers under his plunder. But before they even get to the mountain, they must go through orcs, rough terrain, creatures and many more.

Truly, a myriad of pros make this movie such a blockbuster hit ($31.5 million in the opening weekend in America alone). One such would be the amazing ensemble acting. Once again, the dwarves of Erebor had so much chemistry that it provided this adventure/fantasy a spice of comedy that everyone loves.

Individuals must also be Martin Freeman was able to show the developing character of Bilbo as he further succumbs to the One Ring. Mckellen and Bloom, reprising their roles from the original trilogy have not slowed down with age and even give us a new look into their characters before the start of events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Some of the things that can be expected from the franchise is a whole lot of action, specifically some orc-slashing fun. One can expect nothing less from The Desolation of Smaug as scenes of battle and fighting is abundant. With a bigger role given to the elvendom, these arrow wielding free swinging beings give moviegoers the level of excitement reminiscent of the previous films. Add the axe-wielding dwarves and you’ve got a melting pot of action, adventure, fantasy and comedy. Those who’ve read the book will get to see some scenes come to life on the big screen while those who haven’t get to see… well the same thing.

Have you ever seen a live dragon? Obviously this is a rhetorical question for obvious reasons. However, the Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) of this film surely comes close. From Smaug to the beautiful scenery, the filmmakers were able to capture Middle Earth well enough for viewers eyes to eat it up (Anime Eye alert).

It is good to mention the fact that turning fourteen men into dwarves and a hobbit is no easy task, and they were able to pull it off. However, Bilbo did seem to equal the height of most dwarves in the film. Aren’t hobbits supposed to be smaller than dwarves? It’s either he is an abnormally tall hobbit or the people didn’t take that into account – Oh well.

It is difficult to see the downside to the movie, however, the one big fact is this: Peter Jackson made use of his creative license in a big way. Many parts of the story were not found in Tolkien’s book. The same is true for the other characters (*ahem* Legolas *ahem*) who were not supposed to be in there at all in the book. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it gives a fresh new way of telling the story that the book has been telling since 1937 but at the same time, this may enrage those who are loyal to the book and want what Tolkien wrote to be projected on the big screen.

All in all, The Desolation of Smaug has the tools it needs to make a great movie. The actors, director and special effects among others make this one that should not be missed, especially if you’you’ve watched the first one. Though the story may have changed, the foundation remains. This film is a great way to start the Christmas season. If this is to start with fire, then we must all watch together.

Rating: 4.0/4.0