I liked the first movie, The Hobbit: An unexpected Journey". I didn't see it in the cinema, I saw it at home when it was released on home video. And I have been looking forward to see part 2, since the trailer first appeared on youtube.
Peter Jackson's film adaptations, is set to be a trilogy. Each movie runs approximately 3 hours. Some may ask, how can a 300 page book be adapted into a 9 hours long trilogy? The answer is, The film version of The Hobbit, is a "re-interpretation" of Tolkien's novel. This means Peter Jackson had to add extra contents into the movie which weren't in the book. But the question remains, will this ruin the movie? Let's find out.
Synopsis:
Following the events in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Thorin, and the 13 dwarves continued their journey to the Lonely Mountain, to reclaim the lost dwarven kingdom. However, before they can reach their destination, the fellowship has to pass the perilous Mirkwood, which is infested by horrors newly awakened by the dark power that originated from the ruins of Dol Guldur, where rumors says it is occupied by a mysterious necromancer.
The fellowship parted with Gandalf, who undertook a quest to investigate the source of this dark power residing at Dol Guldur. While Bilbo, Thorin, and his band of dwarves attempted to cross Mirkwood and continue on to Lonely Mountain. It is a most perilous journey, where they will encounter both friends and foes. In the meantime, Smaug awaits beneath the Lonely Mountain, ready lay ruins on those who dares to trespass into his realm...
What I think about this film:
For several reasons, I like the second movie more than the first movie.
In The Desolation of Smaug, Peter Jackson added an extra character into the story. Her name is Tauriel, a beautiful eleven warrior with deadly martial skills. She is the captain of guards for the Mirkwood elves, and she is also Legolas' love interest. Later on, she was involved in a love triangle with Legolas and the young dwarf Kili.
Tauriel is not in the original book. When I first heard of Peter Jackson's decision to add a character into the story, I was skeptical about it. However, now that I have seen the film, I am glad they added Tauriel into the story. Why? Because now the story feels more.. balanced. Let me explain, because unlike Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings, in the original story of The Hobbit, there were no female characters that did anything significant in the story, this makes a very male dominated story.
While some might say the addition of Tauriel is a ploy to attract female audiences, but I think the addition of Tauriel not only made the story more gender balanced, but it also added a touching sub-plot of a love triangle, providing great characterisations for Tauriel, Legolas, and Kili.
The Desolation of Smaug also improved from its predecessor in terms of characterisation. Gone are the 13 interchangeable dwarves that you don't care about in the first movie. In the sequel, audiences are finally given the opportunities to get to know these dwarves, where some of Thorin's band of dwarves are finally have their moments to shine.
I saw this movie in 3D, the special effects are breath-taking, the action scenes are very intense and exciting. Unlike the first movie, where the adventure only started after 43 minutes into the film, in the sequel, the adventure starts from the beginning and continues right to the end, finishing with a cliff hanger ending.
My only complain about The Desolation of Smaug, is I don't like how this film looks. Let me explain, Peter Jackson decided to shoot The Hobbit trilogy at a very high frame rate at 48p, instead of the traditional frame rate at 24p. This means, while the pictures do look crystal clear, but personally, I feel like I was watching a real life sports event on HD TV rather than watching a movie. At 48p frame rate, the details appear overly realistic that the pictures feels unrealistic, not to mention it creates a lot of strains on the eyes and can cause headaches. I think I will watch it again when it comes out on home video.
Overall, The Desolation of Smaug is great entertainment, it has magic, a spell casting wizard, a courageous hobbit, mystical elves, battle hardened dwarves, perilous adventures, and a colossal fire breathing dragon, flying and torching its way through the magical silver screen this holiday season.
P.S. The Desolation of Smug contains heavy violence, certain scenes could frighten younger audiences.
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