The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

At the end of last year’s overlong The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, our heroes stood on a high-rise and looked off in the distance at their destination, the Lonely Mountain. In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, it takes another two hours (which is five hours of total story time, for those counting) to finally(!) reach the mountain. Then, after standing around looking for a way in for 10 minutes (no, really) they meet Smaug, a villainous fire-breathing dragon who’s so verbose he clearly needs a friend. Perhaps that’s why he’s desolate.

With the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy it’s hard to blame co-writer and director Peter Jackson for stretching author J.R.R. Tolkien’s Rings prequel The Hobbit into three films, though even greedy studio execs know that’s excessive. Given that Journey was a lot of exposition and it featured a 45-minute dinner scene showcasing dwarves talking about their feelings, the least Jackson could do was not drag things out more. But he has.

However, given that Smaug includes a number of exciting action sequences and a more purposeful, driven story than its predecessor, this time we at least enjoy going along for the ride. Hobbit Bilbo (Martin Freeman), wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), dwarf leader Thorin (Richard Armitage) and 12 other dwarves are travelling to Smaug’s (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) lair so the dwarves can reclaim their land. On their way they encounter giant spiders, dastardly Orcs, frenemy elves in Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), and Bard (Luke Evans), a helpful local in the lake town that borders the mountain.

The film looks fantastic; it is showing in 48 fps (frames per second running through the projector) in select theaters, which essentially offers twice the visual clarity and crispness of regular theaters. The 24 fps 3-D screening I saw was wonderfully vivid, with no blurring or headache-inducing effects that look cheap. The production design, costume design and makeup are top notch. The entire film sings with vibrant colors and stunning images, but the real showstopper is a sequence in which the dwarves are escaping down a river in wine barrels as elves and orcs battle around them. The music by Howard Shore, along with Jackson’s creativity, pacing and editing make this one of the better action scenes this year.

Regardless of its visual splendor, any time you look at your watch after two hours and are stunned by the realization that there’s still 40 minutes to go, it’s a problem. Smaug is a sequel that’s good enough to keep the Hobbit trilogy going strong, but it’s nonetheless an unremarkable work with an ending that’s still a year away (the ending we do get here is an abrupt cliffhanger, which is understandable). For some, that’s part of the fun. For others who may be less patient and/or more financially conservative, the rental of the first two parts prior to seeing the third installment in theaters next December might be the way to go.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (3) •Directed by Peter Jackson • Starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans •Rated PG-13 •161 minutes •At Century Cinemas Del Monte, Maya Cinemas, Northridge Cinemas, Cannery Row XD.