Long time, no see. I have to find more time for this stuff. The good news is that I got a movie theater gift card for Christmas, so hopefully I can review some newer movies. I have my sights set on a few epic ones that I hope to comment on very soon. Such features as the second installment of "The Hunger Games", "Frozen", and "The Wolf of Wall Street".
On with the show...
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) PG-13 (Adventure/Fantasy)
Starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
Overview - The continuing story of the intrepid team of Dwarves on their way back to The Lonely Mountain to reclaim their homeland from the dreaded dragon, Smaug. With the help of the gray wizard, Gandalf, and a courageous hobbit named Bilbo, their quest is to restore balance to Middle Earth at any cost.
Review - I have enjoyed the Fantasy genre of movies since I can remember. I think that "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy is the greatest achievement in film making history! There are few movies that could even come close to it's perfection. Even the YouTube sensation "Cinema Sins" tried to pick it apart with their hit short video series called "Everything Wrong With...". In this series they point out all the mistakes in an incredibly funny way. The Hobbit series of "Everything Wrong With..." came off as more incessant nit-picking at unimportant details. From the dialogue to the breath-taking cinematography, "The Lord of the Rings" was cinematic perfection. Anyone who argues with that is probably not a fan of fantasy or make-believe.
How does one follow-up cinematic perfection? Unfortunately...they can't. The first in "The Hobbit" trilogy fell a little flat. Some of the CGI was poorly done, and there were a few pointless scenes (A.K.A. the rock people's snowball fight). Walking in to watch the second installment, I was worried. I'm not going to lie. So let's dissect a few obvious questions...
1) How did the dialogue compare to "L.O.R." and "The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey"?
- It was, in my opinion (which is what this silly blog is all about), parallel with "The Lord of the Rings". Gandalf and Bilbo have some humerus exchanges. Thorin Okensheild makes some bold declarations, and the reveal of The Necromancer leaves nothing to the imagination. "The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey" did not thrill me as much as this installment did. This time around the writers took their time and made it easier to lose yourself in the film.
2) Were there any CGI botches, like in the first one?
- Not really. The reveal of Smaug was epic! The only scene I remember complaining about was where Thorin and a few dwarves were running away from Smaug. Thorin turns to shout at them and for a split second, the background looked fuzzy and out of focus. Though, when I say a split-second, I'm not exaggerating. I was just nit-picking because of some of the CGI fails in the first one. I was looking for mistakes.
3) Since we know they meet Smaug, and Bilbo never reveals to Gandalf that he found "the one ring", how are the exchanges leading up to it?
- Unfortunately, since anyone who saw "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy knows about the journey of "the one ring", it's no big secret that Bilbo keeps it from Gandalf. The one issue that Peter Jackson (director) encounters with this trilogy is that a lot of secrets were given away by "The Lord of the Rings" and the trailer. Trying to build suspense as to the ending sequences of the film fell a little flat. We know Bilbo doesn't tell Gandalf about the ring. We know the dwarves make it into The Lonely Mountain. We know they confront Smaug. Trying to "reveal" that on screen just ... doesn't come off. But it absolutely does not take away from the bulk of the film.
4) Ian McKellen was 62 years old when he began filming the "L.O.R." trilogy. He's now 74 years old and he's in a movie that takes place before the originals. How does he come off?
- Obviously make up and special effects only go so far. Gandalf looks too old to be the age he portrays in the film. However, I do not think that his age is so drastically different that it wrecks the ambiance of the finished product.
5) How is Smaug (voiced by newcomer Benedict Cumberbatch)?
- Benedict Cumberbatch ("Sherlock"/"Star Trek: Into Darkness") has exploded onto the scene recently. He has extensive background in stage acting and drama. Due to this, I believe he has MASSIVE potential to be one of this generation's silver screen sensations. Years from now I believe we will look back, years from now, and realize that many actors we hold in high regard actually fail in comparison. Needless to say that his vocals are an absolutely PERFECT fit for a fire-breathing dragon. It's very hard to watch an animated character and NOT think that there are a lot of other actors who could voice the roll. Cumberbatch will blow your mind as this heinous villain. He insisted on doing motion-capture to give the dragon more of a realistic feel, and he even went to the extent of studying Iguanas and Komodo Dragons in preparation for acting like a dragon.
You'll see a few new faces, and a few old ones in this segment. Orlando Bloom reprises his role of Legolas alongside newcomer Evangeline Lily ("Lost"), who plays his love triangle interest, Tauriel. She is what writers call an "On-Screen Addition" to the film. Tauriel is not a part of the books, but they felt she was important to the story. I enjoy Lily a lot. She was one of the, if not the only, real stars of TV's "Lost". She is a great type-cast actor, as well as very easy on the eyes. :-) We also see Luke Evans ("Fast and Furious 6") who has showed us he can play a convincing villain. In this one he plays a downtrodden man who finds himself compelled to aid in the cause of the dwarves. I am fine with his involvement, but I think just about anyone could have played the role just as well.
From beginning to end, I believe that anyone with half a brain would agree that this installment makes up for the failures of the previous one. The CGI is on-point, the dialogue is well-written, and the reveals are fantastic!
I'll give this one a 4.5 out of 5. I had a few small complaints, but they were so tiny they aren't worth mentioning. Anyone who enjoys fantasy and has an imagination should take time to watch all of these films.
Suggestions or comments? Email me at entertaindave@gmail.com and follow me of Twitter @entertaindave
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