So I went to see the second Hobbit film this weekend, The Desolation of Smaug. I’m an unabashed Lord of the Rings and Hobbit fan, as you may have guessed, so this one was a no brainer. In some ways I still think it would have made more sense to make this into a two film movie, rather than a trilogy, but then again once it’s all out and I’ve got the extended edition boxset, I won’t complain at having a longer thing to watch.
One main concern with the film, which is apparent in the book as well (gosh Tolkien, get it together!) is that Thorin and company’s plan extends as far as ‘get to the mountain, steal the arkenstone’, and gets sorta hazy when it comes to how they will deal with the dragon. Had the people of Laketown been aware of the extent of Thorin’s irresponsibility, they might perhaps have given an even colder welcome.
Overall I really enjoyed the film. As I left I felt a little bit let down that I would have to wait another several months to watch the final part, but a few days later I would happily go an watch it again so it’s a small complaint. Gandalf’s adventures on the side don’t take up too much screen time, and adding in Legolas and his lady buddy Tauriel keeps things interesting. If you didn’t like the over-the-top elf fighting in Lord of The Rings (i.e. surfing down flights of steps and killing elephants) then the elfy scenes might irritate you again here, and most of the fighting goes down that route to some extent. That said, the book was always more lighthearted than the Lord of the Rings trilogy – something that came across in the first film, and continues here. Also, there’s much more fighting in this one, so if the first instalment was a little slow for you, there may be more for you to enjoy this time around.
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