I’ll say this: I enjoy The Desolation of Smaug quite a bit more than An Unexpected Journey. Yes, it’s still way longer than it needs to be, it tries to wring too much epicness into a film that doesn’t call for it, and there’s at least an hour’s worth of completely invented subplot material that distracts from the actual story of the book. However, it doesn’t drag nearly as much – it feels like far more physically happens, the action sequences are mostly cool enough to justify their length, and overall, it seems the film makes more of an effort to tell what resembles a cohesive story.
The movie benefits from the fact that the middle chunk of the book has a lot more entertaining plot stuff than the first. For starters, we get the Mirkwood spiders, where Bilbo finds his courage (believably so – I think the butt-kicking Bilbo scene at the end of An Unexpected Journey feels really out of character. He’s too bold, too ruthless, and too successful against a fully grown orc. Here, he gets the job done, but he plainly has no idea what he’s doing, he’s running on fear, luck, and adrenaline, and plus, it’s clear that he’s being affected by both the ring and the forest.)
We also get the wood elves. I’ll admit that, in this sequence, the film-only bits work better than the book bits for me. The barrel scene goes on far too long and far too crazily, but I really enjoy all the elf drama going on while the dwarves are indisposed. Tauriel is a nice addition to the story, and even though I’m sure the last thing poor Evangeline Lilly wanted after Lost was another love triangle (sigh… seriously?), she’s a fine character in her own right, an excellent fighter with a strong sense of justice. I also want to mention Lee Pace as Thranduil. He’s awesome – cold and imperious with probing, ageless eyes that see everything. His scenes were some of my favorites, and it fun to see him get to do something after essentially being window-dressing in the first movie.
And, as the title suggests, we get the big sequence with Bilbo and Smaug, which is even better than Bilbo and Gollum in An Unexpected Journey. I love how smart and quick on his feet Bilbo is, even though he’s obviously terrified. Our little hobbit has such a clever tongue, and he really knows how to keep the monsters talking just long enough for him to find an escape. Not to mention, Smaug himself is fantastic. The lackluster creature effects elsewhere don’t extend to the dragon – he looks great and is well-integrated into the scene. Benedict Cumberbatch is suitably menacing in the role, and both he and Martin Freeman are so wonderful, you’d never guess their parts were filmed separately (well, aside from the fact that Freeman is a speck compared to Cumberbatch’s colossal beast.)
Most of Gandalf’s screentime, unfortunately, happens away from the party in supplementary scenes, so that’s a bummer. Plus, as much as I like to watch elves fighting, their extended presence is really shoehorned in. Lastly, considering where the film ends and the title of the final installment, I have a sinking feeling that the last movie will largely be one never-ending battle (possibly with countless faux-denouements like The Return of the King.)
Warnings
Fantasy violence with lots of battle scenes, and some general scariness.
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