The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Movie Review

When walking out of the screening for “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug”, I came across a poster in the lobby which promoted a double feature of the new film and the previous one.   Sitting through one of these seemingly never-ending things can be trying. I could not even imagine sitting through two of them in a row.  I know that the films based on the J.R.R. Tolkien books have a huge following and are beloved by many. I am just not one of them.  I could not get into the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “The Hobbit” films aren’t doing it for me either.  Thankfully, there is just one more film to go before it is all over (hopefully).

Picking up where “An Unexpected Journey” left off, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), Thorin (Richard Armitage) and his company of dwarfs  continue on their journey to help the dwarf king reclaim his lost kingdom.  through this nearly 150 minute long test of patience, we are treated to endless speeches and repetitive battles.  Although there is one sequence in which the dwarfs are riding down river in barrels while they and the Elves  fight Ogres  that is quite awesome.  Unfortunately nothing else here is as entertaining as that.  Orlando Bloom reprises his role of the elf Legolas from the original LOTR trilogy and he doesn’t look like he has aged a day.

By the time we get to the actual dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), things seem like they might be picking up a bit, that is until Samaug begins to speak, and then decides never to shut the hell up.  The last thing I expected was for the big furious dragon I was actually looking forward to seeing, would bore the hell out of me with its never-ending jibber-jabber.  I guess if you are going to pay big bucks to an actor to voice the dragon, you are going to want to get your money’s worth. 

Keep in mind that I am not a fan of these films, so this is one of those few times that you cannot go by my review.  I am sure the fans are going to dig the hell out of ” Desolation of Smaug” and admittedly it is better than the “An Unexpected Journey”.  Jackson has yet again, created a beautiful world which include stunning visual effects.  The cast is great too.  I just wish that the story interested me, even just a little.

By: Marc Ferman