Review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) by Adpirtle — 14 Aug 2014

The second film in this trilogy dispenses with the relative reverence of the first, and that turns out to be a good thing. Its predecessor suffered a bit because it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a scene-for-scene retelling of the novel or a looser, action-oriented adaptation. This film resides firmly in the second camp, and everything works better for it. For example, the escape from the Woodland Realm is every bit as over the top as the last film's escape from Goblin-town, but it doesn't feel so out of place, so it's easier just to kick back and enjoy the ride. The changes from the book once again mostly work, and in this case actually make more sense. Bard the Bargeman might not be as awesome as Bard the Bowman, at least not yet, but he is much more fleshed out, and the film finally gives the Company a decent reason for needing a burglar. I could have done without the dwarf-dragon battle at the end, I really liked the addition of Tauriel.

My biggest objection continues to be the over-reliance on CGI. Make no mistake, the Smaug of the title is every bit as incredible as I ever imagined he could be, but decision to animate Azog's son doesn't work out so well. I understand that it was a late decision to give what was originally a live performance a computer makeover, and it shows in how unrealistic he looks next to Daddy.

Overall, this is another fine addition to Jackson's Middle-earth saga, expanding on the previous film while avoiding its pacing pitfalls.