The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Review
RYAN: Part two in The Hobbit trilogy is a fine continuation of the story and I’ve said it before – Peter Jackson is the quintessential person to be realizing these stories because he adapts them with so much love and passion. He respects the material but goes beyond it. I didn’t read the book but I’m glad to have you, Brad, join me to review with since you’ve read it, but are a passionate fan of the J.R.R. Tolkien books. I was entertained. What did you think?
BRAD: I loved it. And it’s a treat to review this with you. I’ve been waiting a year for this. It’s important to understand The Hobbit was a pretty slim book that Jackson is turning into a near nine hour opus. So looking at The Desolation of Smaug, you have to consider it’s just a section. More is coming. There are some stark contrasts to the book but also to the first movie which I just watched again yesterday.
RYAN: Contrasting this to the first Hobbit movie, I liked that one more – it was brighter, more colorful, more of an adventure.
BRAD: Excellent point. That must be what Jackson was going for. Smaug is darker – they go through Mirkwood which is aptly named. Despair and misery abound. Things that were once happy and warm, like Lake-town, is now cold, icy and dark. A sense of sinister looms over everything.
RYAN: I don’t do spoilers so I won’t be specific – but I did have a lot of difficulty following places, species and things because if you didn’t read the book, you’re at a disadvantage – so much of it is a foreign language; not only how the elves speak and those big, cracked bald ogre guys.
BRAD: Those would be orcs. A lot of that is Jackson’s homage to Tolkien who was a philologist, professor of language. He created the elvish and orkish languages. He’s incorporating a lot of that into the movies.
RYAN: It’s all so visually engrossing – the sets, CGI, effects, incredible in the details. It’s so detailed that it’s almost all jaw-dropping, like, you could sit there not realizing you’re drooling because it’s all so visually stimulating.
BRAD: I agree. You see in the first one things are still bright and green, vibrant. This one is very gray, white, dark and monochromatic. It sets the tone. It’s the dark act two of a three act production.
RYAN: The choreography of the fighting was phenomenal. You see things you’ve never seen before, like an arrow doing more than you’d imagine, a barrel used like a pinball machine. There is brilliance in those moments – so much originality.
BRAD: Absolutely. And in some of the battle scenes, it’s very fast paced but you can still follow all of it. The choreography was great and you can sense all the different fighting styles of the dwarves and the orcs and elves.
RYAN: Who’s your favorite character in The Hobbit book; and is it the same in the movies?
BRAD: It’s different. In the book it’s Bilbo. This is his story so you’re on his side. In the movies, Sir Ian McKellen just steals the show. I also really like Thorin, played by Richard Armitage. This film makes it feel more like Thorin’s story. I’m still rooting for Bilbo, but Gandalf is chewing the scenery.
RYAN: I like Gandalf and for all that he’s a wizard with long hair and beard, I never saw much Dumbledore in him until this movie.
BRAD: You do see more of what Gandalf is capable of in this film.
RYAN: My favorite character is the new one – Tauriel, whom does not appear in the book but was created especially for the movie. And if not for her, there would be no female presence in the film! I don’t know how I’d feel if I were a loyalist to the book since she’s the invention of Peter Jackson, so she will be a controversial character, but I really liked all she did in the movie.
BRAD: Again, this is Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the story; this is not from page to screen, a literal interpretation of the book. I don’t think anyone could say he’s not the man to do these movies. I like the addition of her subplot and she’s good. In this day we do need a feminine presence.
RYAN: And it’s Evangeline Lilly from TV’s LOST who announced her retirement from acting shortly thereafter; however, when a blockbuster director calls… you answer. Orlando Bloom as Legolas is super pretty in this movie but also not in the book.
BRAD: Correct. Elves are only hinted at in the book.
RYAN: I like the elves because everything else in the movie is so filthy. I feel like I just wanna shampoo everyone and hand out soap. I wanna be the Santa Claus of Soap and ride in on a sleigh in The Hobbit, giving it out; except for the elves. I would sit next to them at dinner.
BRAD: (laughs) Exactly. They’re always clean and put together.
RYAN: I was most looking forward to seeing Lee Pace in this as the Elf King because I love him and he was so great. He commands such presence.
BRAD: Very much so. It wasn’t necessarily a good presence, either. He’s intense, suspicious and wary. They live in Mirkwood which used to be the green wood and is now the dark wood. I liked him in the movie too. But, oh, the spider scene!
RYAN: OMG I was so uncomfortable during that scene!! So much scarier than the crazy big spiders in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
BRAD: I thought it would go on longer. One thing I missed from the book was Bilbo’s taunting of the spiders – that’s not in the movie. The ring plays more of a role in the movie and this is all before The Lord of the Rings.
RYAN: I missed Gollum in this one.
BRAD: He’s only a small part in The Hobbit novel.
RYAN: You know, really, the best thing about the whole movie is the dragon, Smaug. The visual effect is incredible and also his voice as performed by one Benedict Cumberbatch.
BRAD: He was phenomenal. It’s called The Desolation of Smaug so you are waiting the entire time just to see him.
RYAN: The voice of a CGI character can make it or break it, like Jar Jar Binks, and there was almost something sexy about this dragon, if that’s possible. The dragons in Goblet of Fire were amazing and Smaug is also.
BRAD: It made me think of Dragonheart and Sean Connery as the voice. Smaug was impressive.
RYAN: The press screening was not in high frame rate and I wish it had been – I liked seeing the first one that way. But we did screen it in 3D and it was good. Also – don’t miss the Peter Jackson cameo right at the beginning of the movie.
BRAD: I’m very excited by this film. It’s a must see blockbuster. This was great and the next one will probably be even better. I’m glad there’s more to come. I don’t want to have to wait a year, alas…
RYAN: Jackson does know how to give a good cliffhanger. The movie is long and drags a little bit about three-quarters of the way through. But I was still engaged. You still totally get swept up into this world and go along for the ride.
