Film Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

Undated Film Still Handout from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Pictured:(L-r) MARTIN FREEMAN as Bilbo, JED BROPHY as Nori and RICHARD ARMITAGE as Thorin. See PA Feature FILM Cumberbatch. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature FILM Cumberbatch.

In the prologue to this second instalment of Peter Jackson’s sweeping Tolkien trilogy, the director makes a brief cameo, wandering through night-time streets on the borders of the Shire.

It’s a fleeting glimpse – a rare moment of brevity that, sadly, eludes the rest of this over-bloated epic.

There is a greater sense of urgency to The Desolation Of Smaug than its prequel, by virtue of a time limit imposed on the characters reaching the Lonely Mountain before the last light of autumn to locate a secret door that leads into the dragon’s lair.

But that doesn’t stop Jackson and his co-writers from padding the script, introducing a gung-ho female elf, who doesn’t appear in the book, in order to establish a dwarf-elf-elf love triangle that will presumably be resolved in next year’s final chapter.

Legolas (Orlando Bloom) also becomes embroiled in various skirmishes here, even though he doesn’t appear in Tolkien’s source text.

The treading of narrative water is particularly noticeable during the climax when Bilbo (Martin Freeman) comes face to snout with the eponymous dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch).

Jackson is a gifted director of action sequences and he orchestrates some breathless rough and tumble as Bilbo and co escape a pack of orcs by travelling down river rapids in barrels.

The Desolation Of Smaug picks up where An Unexpected Journey concluded, with plucky hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), wise wizard Gandalf The Grey (Sir Ian McKellen) and the company of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) running for their lives.

As the adventurers head towards the Lonely Mountain to reclaim the lost gold from dragon Smaug, they encounter a shape-shifter called Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt), who aids them on the quest.

When the orcs storm Mirkwood, elves led by King Thranduil (Lee Pace) repel the invaders, allowing Bilbo and the dwarves to venture onwards, crossing a vast lake that separates them from the mountain with the help of Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans).

Meanwhile, Gandalf discovers the identity of the necromancer in Dol Guldur.

Jackson and his collaborators, including cinematographer Andrew Leslie and composer Howard Shore, have cast this second film in the mould of The Two Towers, replete with a cliff-hanger ending that sees the forces of evil marshalling an army and preparing for war.

Technical aspects are impeccable and visual effects look crisp, even in 3D. As an emotional roller-coaster, the second film is also more satisfying than its predecessor.

Yet, for all its grandeur, this instalment doesn’t touch the heart in the same way the Lord Of The Rings films do.