Yes, I was late to the Hobbit party I know. It came out at the end of 2013, but then Christmas happened and if I'm honest, I wanted to wait until some of the fuss had died down before I saw it. Having not been overly impressed with An Unexpected Journey, I wasn't in any rush to see Smaug, although I did want to see what happens next, if that makes sense.
Although I have never read The Hobbit, I am aware that Smaug takes some liberties with the book, introducing characters such as Legolas (who does not appear in the novel) and changing some of the story to fit such inclusions. To be honest, as I'm not familiar with the book, I'm not precious (excuse the pun) about the changes made, I just want to see what becomes of Bilbo and the gang.
In this second installment we pick up where An Unexpected Journey left off, which, if you're anything like me, you won't remember, so here's a refresher...
Hobbit Bilbo Baggins sets out on a journey to the Lonely Mountain with a group of Dwarves to reclaim their stolen home from a dragon named Smaug. In An Unexpected Journey we left the group on a hilltop having just been rescued by giant eagles, with the Lonely Mountain in the distance (so not even half way there basically). In this installment they reach the mountain (yipee) and face the dragon within, and lots more that it would take far too long to go into.
As mentioned above, this installment introduces some new characters, as well as some old LOTR faces such as Legolas. I must admit that it was nice seeing him there, wielding his bow and arrow, whether he was meant to be there or not. I also immensely enjoyed Evangeline Lilly as a fellow elf, and Luke Evans as Bard, who is basically this trilogy's Aragorn.
The film moves the story on but I can't help but think that without the inclusion of elements not in the book, they could have easily made The Hobbit into two films rather than three. It does seem as if the reasoning behind the three movie deal was just to make more money, which sours the experience somewhat for me.
Despite this train of thought, it is clear that Jackson has a lot of love for these books and this shows in the world he has created for these characters. The sets, costumes, props etc are all fantastically detailed and really do deserve the highest praise. I'd just prefer it if the films weren't so long that by the end I've forgotten what happened at the beginning. Oh and I'd also prefer Peter Jackson to stop putting giant spiders in his films. I don't cope well with little ones, so big ones coming out of the screen are unbearable. Thankfully I was with my best friend who told me when it was safe to look at the screen again.
An enjoyable second film but I kinda just want them to get to the climax already. 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 2nd January 2014
UK Release Date - 13th December 2013
Cast Overview:
Gandalf ~ Ian McKellen
Bilbo ~ Martin Freeman
Thorin ~ Richard Armitage
Bofur ~ James Nesbitt
Fili ~ Dean O'Gorman
Kili ~ Aidan Turner
Legolas ~ Orlando Bloom
Tauriel ~ Evangeline Lilly
Thranduil ~ Lee Pace
Galadriel ~ Cate Blanchett
Smaug / Necromancer ~ Benedict Cumberbatch
Radagast ~ Sylvester McCoy
Bard / Girion ~ Luke Evans
Master of Laketown ~ Stephen Fry
Director ~ Peter Jackson
Writer(s) ~ Peter Jackson (Screenplay), Fran Walsh (Screenplay), Philippa Boyens (Screenplay), Guillermo del Toro (Screenplay) and J.R.R. Tolkien (Novel The Hobbit)
