Review #698: 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' (2013)

When we finally get to meet the magnificent dragon Smaug, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, at the climax of Peter Jackson's second instalment of his The Hobbit trilogy, we find him curled up beneath an enormous stash of gold coins and jewels, blissfully in the land of nod. After sitting through over two hours of this slog of a film, it's precisely where I wished I was. The Desolation of Smaug is yet further evidence that 9 hours worth of movies is not needed for Tolkien's delightful - and slim - novel. It feels like - to quote Ian Holm's Bilbo Baggins from The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - thin, like butter scraped over too much bread.

The story picks up as the dwarves evade capture from the orc general Azog (Manu Bennett) and seek refuge in the home of Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt), a skin-changer who often takes the form of a giant bear. Setting of again towards Erebor to reclaim the dwarves homeland, Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Thorin (Richard Armitage), Gandalf (Ian McKellen) et al reach the Elven forest of Mirkwood. Gandalf departs to further investigate the strange goings-on at Dol Gondur, where the mysterious necromancer (Benedict Cumberbatch) seems to be building an army of sorts. In Mirkwood, the dwarves meet the Elvenking Thranduil (Lee Pace) and his son Legolas (Orlando Bloom), who imprison the dwarves following an altercation.

The Desolation of Smaug is simply a collection of things that happen - not much has a relevant impact on the story, nor does it develop any of the characters or make much of the film particularly interesting to watch. It's a near-3 hour film that barely has any time for its characters, preferring instead to repeatedly throw them into situations that apparently call for an extended, CGI-laden action sequence. It felt very much like a Middle Earth Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) - vacant and almost soulless. The Lord of the Rings trilogy used CGI when it had to, and chose instead to welcome the natural beauty of the New Zealand landscape. And thanks to some gorgeous set design for the interiors, it felt like you could reach out and touch Middle Earth. Here, everything feels digital.

There's also too much padding. When the dwarves arrive in Lake Town, smuggled in by the revolutionary-type Bard (Luke Evans), it develops a strange love-triangle between dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner), elf-warrior Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) and Legolas. This can be argued as character development for one of the much underdeveloped dwarves, but its portrayed so blandly that it's nothing more of a distraction to Bilbo and Thorin finally encountering Smaug. Bard himself is also relatively one-dimensional, not much more than a rugged face that has been spawned by destiny - a reluctant hero that has chosen a different path to the one that seems lined up for him. Sound familiar?

It's not all bad of course, so although Peter Jackson has been caught up in the special-effects machine, he still shows his talent for the spectacle with one action scene that sees the dwarves escape Mirkwood and a micro army of rampant orcs in barrels down a river. It is a silly, overblown set-piece, but it proves funny and thrilling, a genuinely exciting highlight within one of the film's most drawn-out chapters. Also, Smaug himself doesn't disappoint. Although he's entirely CGI, the giant beast is entirely real and, thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch, uncomfortably menacing. His exchanges with Bilbo are the movie's best moments, as they both try and outsmart each other with words and tricks. Which makes it all the more disappointing when the film movies into yet another overwrought action scene.

I'm sure the obvious lack of heart and storytelling quality won't worry the producers (the film is already the 49th highest-grossing film of all time), nor will it Peter Jackson. This adaptation is now so far removed from the book's original vision that I don't think the sounds of Tolkien shouting "Fool of a Took!" in his grave will be giving Jackson sleepless nights. I remember in 2003, when The Return of the King (2003) was reaching its first climax at three hours, my bum was glued to the seat and my palms were sweaty, hit with the tragic realisation that this film trilogy would soon be over and all I had to look forward to was the Extended Edition DVD. At the 2 hour mark of The Desolation of Smaug, my bum was numb, I was shifting in my seat, and I was wondering what food I had in the fridge for later. Says it all really.


Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch
Country: USA/New Zealand

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie