Saturday, December 21, 2013

Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug



 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG-13)
Run Time: 161 mins
By Daniel Kilgallon

 Anybody well acquainted with me knows that I am a massive fan of Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings film trilogy which is based off the beloved books by J.R.R.Tolkien. I absolutely love each of those movies and they are all amongst my all-time favorites. Prior to the release of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” last December, I had a skeptical mindset heading into what would be first installment of the prequel trilogy to the Lord of the Rings. I just did not think that it could be anywhere close to as good as the original films. I was terribly wrong. An Unexpected Journey surprised me in a huge way and I ended up loving it almost as much as the original movies. “The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug” was no different, it had everything I loved about its’ predecessor and so much more.

The Desolation of Smaug picks up right where An Unexpected Journey left off. A spirited group of thirteen dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield, along with the lovable hobbit Bilbo Baggins and fan-favorite wizard Gandalf the Grey, are all continuing their trek to the Lonely Mountain. The dwarves intend to reclaim their city of Erebor which was built within the mountain. The only thing in their way is a massive, deadly, fire breathing dragon named Smaug who has been living in the mountain ever since he destroyed the dwarves’ homeland and took it for his own in the past. I must note here that Smaug has to be considered one of the most fantastic monsters to ever hit the big screen. He looked absolutely phenomenal and was voiced magnificently by Benedict Cumberbatch.

This film is even more exciting than its predecessor as the party must navigate increasingly dangerous environments on their quest to the Lonely Mountain including the spider infested Mirkwood Forest. All this time they are hunted down by minions of evil called Orcs and many other deadly creatures.

Amongst the many new characters in this thrilling sequel is the women elf warrior, Lauriel (Evangeline Lilly) along with the return of another fan favorite character from the original series, Legolas, portrayed again by Orlando Bloom. All in all, The Desolation of Smaug was an outstanding sequel leading up to what should be a sensational conclusion. The final installment of the series, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” will be released on December 17, 2014.

No comments:

Post a Comment