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Movie review: ‘The Hobbit’: Barrelses and orcses and Legolas, oh my!
While “dwarfs” is the correct plural for the fantasy creatures (as in Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”), JRR Tolkien popularized the alternate spelling, “dwarves,” utilized for the purposes of this review.
When it was announced that Peter Jackson (“Dead Alive,” “The Lord of the Rings”) would be directing a three-film adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy’s literary predecessor, “The Hobbit”, expectations were understandably high. While the original trilogy grossed upwards of $2.91 billion at the global box office, it remained to be seen if moviegoers would be willing to commit to another Middle Earth saga ten years after the original trilogy ended.
The release of the first prequel entry, last year’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” proved such fears to be unfounded. Audiences the world over turned out in droves (to the tune of over US$1 billion) to witness the adventures of titular hero Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman, of the BBC’s superlative “Sherlock” and “The Office”) and wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen, of LOTR and “X-Men” fame) as they attempt to restore dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage, TV’s “Spooks”) to his rightful throne.
“The Desolation of Smaug” picks up where “Journey” left off, with Thorin, his company of 12 dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf having just survived an assault by Azog the Defiler, a white orc with a deeply personal bone to pick with this particular group. The group’s trek to the Lonely Mountain—site of the dwarves’ ancestral home—is nearly over, with only Mirkwood Forest and a lake separating them from their destination. Of course, even assuming they can find the hidden entrance to the mountain, there is the matter of Smaug, the fire-breathing dragon that drove the dwarves from their golden halls in the first place.
Right off the bat, “Desolation” gets into the meat of the story that the previous entry never seemed to get around to. Don’t get me wrong; while “The Lord of the Rings” is a series near and dear to this writer’s heart, even the most devout of fans would admit that it came across a mite overstuffed. And not without reason: with “The Hobbit” being the slimmest novel in the LOTR canon, the inclusion of supplementary material was always going to be necessary to sustain a three-part adaptation.
“Journey’s” approach to the additional material varied in quality, succeeding when it came to fleshing out the main characters’ backstories—such as how Thorin received his nickname—but stumbling with its almost obsessively ham-fisted attempts to tie the trilogies together. Entertaining as it was to take in Radagast the Brown’s (Sylvester McCoy, best known for being the seventh protagonist of TV’s “Doctor Who”) antics and witness Elrond preside over the White Council discussions on Sauron, they distracted somewhat from the main narrative of restoring Thorin to his throne. While the return of ultimate evil to Middle Earth was, admittedly, something added to “The Hobbit” novel (and films) after the fact to tie it in to its sequels, the attention it received in “Journey” had the unintended side effect of making the dwarves’ quest look trivial in comparison.
Thankfully, “Desolation” does a better job of at not losing sight of its main narrative, handling the subplot of Sauron’s resurrection in a far-less obtrusive manner. Perhaps the most significant (and successful) addition here is the appearance of original trilogy fan favorite Legolas (Orlando Bloom, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”) and the introduction of his fellow-wood elf Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly, “Real Steel”). With proficiency in the martial arts to match their flawless countenances, these characters are a wonder to behold whenever they are onscreen.
Freeman’s earnest portrayal of the young Bilbo continues to impress, his well-honed everyman persona giving an indelible grounding to the fantastic events taking place, while McKellen is solid as ever as world-weary wizard Gandalf.
Luke Evans (“Fast and the Furious 6”) joins the cast as Bard, a boatman whose family issues may be the key to eliminating Smaug, and the inimitable Stephen Fry (“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” “St. Trinian’s”) has a small role as the indolent Master of Laketown.
Mostly wasted is Benedict Cumberbatch’s (“Star Trek: Into Darkness,” TV’s “Sherlock”) much-hyped turn as the dragon Smaug, whose voice and motion captured movements he provided. While the motion capture was always going to be replaced by computer-generated imagery, Cumberbatch’s signature sonorous tones have been so artificially distorted and layered as to be virtually unrecognizable.
Peter Jackson’s handling of the various threads, themes, and plot points he’s assembled (with original trilogy screenwriters Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh) thus far is masterful here, more than making up for “Journey’s” tonal inconsistencies. Also improved from the seemingly-obligatory action beats of the last film, the fight sequences here are up to Jackson’s usual standards, with particular standouts in the company’s showdown with Smaug and a ridiculously entertaining barrel ride down a river involving dwarves, orcs, and elven archers doing what they do best. The laws of physics continue to be defied, but this time around, you’ll be having too much fun to notice.
With two films down and one to go in next year’s “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” the stage is set for a fantastic showdown between the forces of good and evil. If the improved quality of the immensely entertaining “Desolation” is anything to go by, we are in for one hell of a treat.
December 2014 can’t get here soon enough. — VC, GMA News
Mikhail Lecaros is a professional magazine editor and freelance writer. The views expressed in this article are solely his own.
When it was announced that Peter Jackson (“Dead Alive,” “The Lord of the Rings”) would be directing a three-film adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy’s literary predecessor, “The Hobbit”, expectations were understandably high. While the original trilogy grossed upwards of $2.91 billion at the global box office, it remained to be seen if moviegoers would be willing to commit to another Middle Earth saga ten years after the original trilogy ended.
Martin Freeman is a wonder to behold as everyman Bilbo Baggins. All photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
The release of the first prequel entry, last year’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” proved such fears to be unfounded. Audiences the world over turned out in droves (to the tune of over US$1 billion) to witness the adventures of titular hero Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman, of the BBC’s superlative “Sherlock” and “The Office”) and wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen, of LOTR and “X-Men” fame) as they attempt to restore dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage, TV’s “Spooks”) to his rightful throne.
“The Desolation of Smaug” picks up where “Journey” left off, with Thorin, his company of 12 dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf having just survived an assault by Azog the Defiler, a white orc with a deeply personal bone to pick with this particular group. The group’s trek to the Lonely Mountain—site of the dwarves’ ancestral home—is nearly over, with only Mirkwood Forest and a lake separating them from their destination. Of course, even assuming they can find the hidden entrance to the mountain, there is the matter of Smaug, the fire-breathing dragon that drove the dwarves from their golden halls in the first place.
Right off the bat, “Desolation” gets into the meat of the story that the previous entry never seemed to get around to. Don’t get me wrong; while “The Lord of the Rings” is a series near and dear to this writer’s heart, even the most devout of fans would admit that it came across a mite overstuffed. And not without reason: with “The Hobbit” being the slimmest novel in the LOTR canon, the inclusion of supplementary material was always going to be necessary to sustain a three-part adaptation.
“Journey’s” approach to the additional material varied in quality, succeeding when it came to fleshing out the main characters’ backstories—such as how Thorin received his nickname—but stumbling with its almost obsessively ham-fisted attempts to tie the trilogies together. Entertaining as it was to take in Radagast the Brown’s (Sylvester McCoy, best known for being the seventh protagonist of TV’s “Doctor Who”) antics and witness Elrond preside over the White Council discussions on Sauron, they distracted somewhat from the main narrative of restoring Thorin to his throne. While the return of ultimate evil to Middle Earth was, admittedly, something added to “The Hobbit” novel (and films) after the fact to tie it in to its sequels, the attention it received in “Journey” had the unintended side effect of making the dwarves’ quest look trivial in comparison.
Thorin and the 12 dwarves.
Thankfully, “Desolation” does a better job of at not losing sight of its main narrative, handling the subplot of Sauron’s resurrection in a far-less obtrusive manner. Perhaps the most significant (and successful) addition here is the appearance of original trilogy fan favorite Legolas (Orlando Bloom, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”) and the introduction of his fellow-wood elf Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly, “Real Steel”). With proficiency in the martial arts to match their flawless countenances, these characters are a wonder to behold whenever they are onscreen.
Freeman’s earnest portrayal of the young Bilbo continues to impress, his well-honed everyman persona giving an indelible grounding to the fantastic events taking place, while McKellen is solid as ever as world-weary wizard Gandalf.
Luke Evans (“Fast and the Furious 6”) joins the cast as Bard, a boatman whose family issues may be the key to eliminating Smaug, and the inimitable Stephen Fry (“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” “St. Trinian’s”) has a small role as the indolent Master of Laketown.
Mostly wasted is Benedict Cumberbatch’s (“Star Trek: Into Darkness,” TV’s “Sherlock”) much-hyped turn as the dragon Smaug, whose voice and motion captured movements he provided. While the motion capture was always going to be replaced by computer-generated imagery, Cumberbatch’s signature sonorous tones have been so artificially distorted and layered as to be virtually unrecognizable.
The formidable duo of Tauriel and Legolas are always fun to watch.
With two films down and one to go in next year’s “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” the stage is set for a fantastic showdown between the forces of good and evil. If the improved quality of the immensely entertaining “Desolation” is anything to go by, we are in for one hell of a treat.
December 2014 can’t get here soon enough. — VC, GMA News
Mikhail Lecaros is a professional magazine editor and freelance writer. The views expressed in this article are solely his own.
