Synopsis

This film continues in the path of the first installment by a similar name and leads up to Bilbo trying to retrieve the Arkenstone from Smaug’s captivity.

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), along with Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), Thorin (Richard Armitage), the future dwarf king and his company of dwarfs journey to the Lonely Mountain to regain it from Smaug the dragon. Along the way, Azog the Defiler, a blood-thirsty orc and his army, hunt down and try to kill Thorin.

Through the journey the dwarves encounter dangerous spiders in Mirkwood and would have been killed if it wasn’t for the help of Bilbo and the wood elves. Even though the elves, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), save the dwarves by killing the spiders, they take the dwarves as hostages. Though there is an animosity between the dwarves and elves while the dwarves are imprisoned, Tauriel shows unexpected affection towards Kili, one of the dwarf captives.

Soon Bilbo plans an escape and, with the help of boatman Bard (Luke Evans), the group ventures to Laketown. Thorin urges the group to leave sooner than planned as he is eager to open the door to the fortress and restore his position as king. Meanwhile, Gandalf goes to Dol Guldur to learn more about the Necromancer, a powerful spirit. While there he discovers a burgeoning army of orcs planning to engulf the Middle Earth in darkness and evil.

The Cast

Many books turned movies do only an adequate job of envisioning characters.  However, all of the characters in The Desolation of Smaug played their parts exceedingly well. Even though Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly were primarily included for their stardom, they blended in seamlessly. Lilly creates an emotional track which is vital to create a  connection with the audience, while Bloom adds to the action with his stealthy fight sequences.

CGI and Music

With a fantasy film such as the Hobbit 2, special effects are crucial. Through most of the movie they held up to their mark, however, at the end of the movie, it was obvious that they weren’t blending in. The music helped enhance the movie, although it wasn’t exceptional.

The Director

Peter Jackson once again proved himself able to handle an immense project. With the experience of directing the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he created a film which encompasses the originality of the franchise.

Smaug

Expectations were not that high for the portrayal of the dragon, Smaug. However, Smaug was the highlight of this film. The graphics were impeccable; as Bilbo was facing Smaug, one can feel everything he is feeling: tension, fear, exhilaration.

The Desolation of Smaug delivers the action-packed, exciting movie that many were hoping the first Hobbit movie would be. It completely makes up for any apprehension viewers might have had because of the first film.