Rating of
3/4
Smaug Serves Up More Smoke Than Fire
Chris Kavan - wrote on 12/16/13
You know what they say - it's deja vu all over again. While I felt that Peter Jackson's second effort in The Hobbit franchise was a bit of an improvement over the original film, I just can't rate it any higher than Unexpected Journey - and for much the same reason. Once again, even though the pacing is a bit better, the movie still felt too long - it's not a movie that flies by - at least it wasn't for me. A lot of people were also upset about adding an all-new character into the mix (Evangeline Lilly's Tauriel elven warrior) - and while I don't object to the character, I do object to the way they just had to spin it as a love triangle.
What this film gets right is Smaug - the depiction of the great dragon has to be one of the best put on film. Both in design and in Benedict Cumberbatch's excellent delivery - it's menacing, cruel and calculated - it's just too bad it takes so long for him to appear. Other new characters are also welcome from Luke Evans as the Laketown's Bard (descendant of a great hero) as well as Stephen Fry as the rather uncaring master of Laketown. And even Tauriel has some great action scenes - when she's not mooning over Orland Bloom (back as Legolas) or the dwarf KIli (Aidan Turner). The more I think about it - the worse it gets.
The movie has plenty of action - from a showdown with a group of over-grown spiders to a river escape riding wine barrels (avoiding elves and Orcs alike) to, of course, the ultimate showdown with Smaug. There is also a point to show Gandalf and his showdown with the "Necromancer" as well as the growing influence of the one ring over Bilbo - even if they overplay their hand. And the films hangs on an annoying cliffhanger - one that tells me this next film is going to be one big battle (or a series of them) so if you really like action - the third Hobbit film is sure to deliver it in spades.
Aside from the rather ham-fisted attempt at creating romance, the film just tries to pile too much on its plate - and Jackson has to dip into plenty of extra material to fill things out. It just feels like too much padding and even though it is a fine fantasy adventure - it still doesn't hold that same kind of spark that I got from the original LOTR trilogy. There is just something missing - the film is good, just not a classic. I still recommend it to the fans - but at nearly three hours, I could also justify waiting to watch this one at home. I'm still looking forward to the third entry, even if the same magic isn't quite there.
