Words by: Katy Roberts
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, Luke Evans
Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 161 minutes
Peter Jackson’s second instalment in The Hobbit trilogy picks up where the action left off last time, with Gandalf (Ian McKellan), Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the dwarves, led by Thorin (Richard Armitage) still on the run from Azog the Defiler after outmaneuvering him in An Unexpected Journey. A flashback scene precedes this, that sees Gandalf and Thorin meeting for the first time, feels unnecessary, and the “burglar” reference that is constantly applied to Bilbo remains confusing.
However, unlike its predecessor, Desolation is not a slow-burner. Right from the outset, the audience are launched into a series of rapid-fire set pieces, one after the other – Beorn, the spiders of Mirkwood, the introduction of the wood elves, and the escape of Bilbo and company down a river in a load of old barrels. Whilst these set pieces are undeniably exciting and thrilling to watch, it makes the film feel uneven, as once the film slows when the dwarves enter Lake-town, one finds oneself simply wanting the film to get on with it and show us the dragon we’ve been waiting twelve months for.
The action then splits between Lake-town (Stephen Fry makes an amusing appearance as the brandy-soaked mayor of the town), and those delving into Smaug’s mountain lair. The cast grows in this middle instalment, with Evangeline Lily making a welcome addition as Tauriel, a spirited wood-elf and Captain of the Guard. The unlikely romance she shares with Kili (Aiden Turner) is beautifully played, despite their limited screen-time together, and makes a refreshing change – to have Tauriel paired with Orlando Bloom’s Legolas (though he is shown to be fond of her) would have felt predictable and incredibly boring.
Luke Evans as Lake-town resident Bard the Bowman is another welcome addition to the cast. He fits the roguish smuggler incredibly well, and his character clearly has a mysterious family history with Smaug. His inclusion in proceedings places a necessary human face on the dwarves’ quest to reclaim their homeland – with Bard rightfully calling into question why the residents of Lake-town should be placed in such mortal danger from Smaug, just so the dwarves can reclaim their mountain.
Whilst these two new characters are incredibly strong and work well within the narrative, the same cannot be said for the return of Legolas. Undoubtedly, he is a fan favourite, but here, his character is extremely unlikeable and serves little purpose other than to kill orcs. The throwaway comment regarding Gloin being the father of Gimli (who of course forms a friendship with Legolas in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) does not feel like justification enough to bring this character back for these final two films.
Ian McKellan as Gandalf is as majestic and world-wise as ever, and though his current story arc feels somewhat superfluous, there’s no doubt that it is one that will be revisited in the final film. Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins continues to impress and it is refreshing to see his character gain plenty of courage this time around, and even do most of the saving.
However the real star of the show is Smaug. Though only teased with glimpses of him in the first film – Desolation more than makes up for it here, because, boy, was this dragon worth the wait.
He fills the screen and utterly dominates the film from the moment we first meet him. Benedict Cumberbatch excels as the voice of the dragon, his motion capture bringing a realism to a dragon that we’ve never seen the like of before onscreen. Cumberbatch’s distinctive, cold croon is utterly spine chilling and Smaug’s sheer size presents a sense of spectacle that makes all the scenes that have come before it pale in comparison.
As for the mysterious Necromancer side-story – why bother, when Smaug is this much fun to watch? Never mind the darkness in Dol Guldur – here is a real villain; taunting, cold and utterly cruel. The Desolation of Smaug was always going to live or die by the strength of its dragon – and he’s better than we could have ever hoped for. This film, like its predecessor, is not perfect, but as soon as the scenes with Smaug start, all is forgiven, because they’re just that good.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is in cinemas now.
