Peter Jackson directed the epic, Oscar winning “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. But his resume took a bit of a hit last year thanks to Part 1 of his new 3-Parter, the prequel to “LOTR” – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”. It was long, dull, and shot using the previously unseen HFR (high frame rate) technology, which sped-up the scenes, but not the film, which clocked-in at a painful three hours.
This middle installment, back in Middle Earth – “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”, is slightly shorter (2:40), and slightly better, but has many of the same problems as its predecessor, and introduces a dastardly dragon to the cast.
The dwarves (and one hobbit) are right back where we last saw them, still on their quest to get to the Lonely Mountain so they can reclaim their kingdom. And Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is still not the central focus of this chapter of the story. And Ian McKellan is still around as Gandalf the Grey, though he’s hardly in the film, separating from the others early on. The gang is assisted this time by some elves: Legolas (the return of Orlando Bloom to the series) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), who realize that there’s an impending evil that must be defeated.
But it’s the title dragon, Smaug (voiced by 2013’s Movie Man of the Year Benedict Cumberbatch) who dominates the film, particularly in the second half, once Bilbo and the dwarves battle more of the same disgusting creatures from the last film. Smaug lives in a palace of gold, waiting for the day when someone would come and try to slay him. All Bilbo has to do is find a shiny white stone and then get out. If “The Hobbit” was just one film, this section could’ve been accomplished in under 20 minutes. But thanks to Jackson’s decision to stretch the thin J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy novel into three films, every scene lasts longer than it should. This duel with the dragon takes-up the final hour of “Smaug”.
And because of this lack of lively pacing, I had a hard time keeping my mind from wandering, especially during the extended stretches of conversations and contemplations. This film is simply an exercise in moviemaking. The special effects are fine and there a few quality action sequences (the dwarves barrel escape scene is a standout), but, once again, there is no resolution and yet Jackson sets-up the conclusion in such an obvious fashion that you wish he simply took another 20 minutes and ended it here. And if you’re a fan of the “Shrek” movies, Smaug will look very familiar (I kept waiting to hear Eddie Murphy’s voice as part of a Donkey cameo).
Howard Shore does provide a rousing score and the set design is outstanding. But we expect that from these epic, fantasy adventures. It’s up to Jackson to give us more – and it’s just not happening.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” gets a C. A slight upgrade from the first film, but I still can’t help but feel that I just wasted more “precious” time.