‘Desolation of Smaug’ is like an extended tour of Jackson’s middle-earth, and it’s fun

Fans of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings prequel trilogy will be thrilled by his second instalment, an adventure packed with visual goodies that make you feel as though Christmas has come early. The Desolation of Smaug opened last Wednesday (Friday the 13th in the US), drawing large crowds eager for the second part of The Hobbit film series.

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) continues his journey to the Lonely Mountain with a company of thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), to help reclaim their dwarven kingdom and homeland, currently occupied by the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). Guided by wizard Gandalf (reprised by Lord of the Rings veteran Ian Mckellen), they eventually pass through the darkened forests of Mirkwood where they encounter elves ruled by the Elvenking Thranduil (Lee Pace), elf prince and familiar face Legolas (another Lord of the Rings reprisal, by Orlando Bloom), and a new character, the Elven warrior maiden Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly).

Though based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 children’s book The Hobbit, many elements are reworked to fit with Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptations, so as to put both trilogies in the same Middle-earth. Still, the Hobbit series is proving a touch more playful in tone and is better for it.

The Desolation of Smaug provides all manner of adventure, with everything that makes Jackson’s films great to watch: the action is wonderfully choreographed, so that every sticky situation the dwarves fall into is exciting as it is fun. Scenes are masterfully shot, a seamless blend of the well-chosen location in Jackson’s homeland of New Zealand where the film was shot, and the handsomely designed sets. Characters are a successful collaboration of acting, costume and make-up. There’s a delightful unity and consistency in the film’s visuals. In fact, all the visuals are so beautifully crafted that you might want to watch it again to catch all the details. If anything, the dragon of the film’s namesake will make you pause to catch a breath.

Plot-wise, the story rests heavily on both your having watched and understood the first instalment and being willing to catch the third and final part. Desolation errs on being the middle portion of a tale, with multiple plot points and character arcs running at once and not really being resolved by the film’s end. There are several new characters introduced, adding to more dynamics to the mix that are interesting but might come off as excessive. There is a lot going on, and a lot to take in, and maybe not a lot of resolution until the final piece of film is in place.

Gandalf’s journey splinters into his own adventure, for example, when he pursues the mysterious Necromancer and the story has to return to him every now and then, and is somewhat forced in its insistence of prefacing events of The Lord of the Rings. The (re)introduction of the elves brings several things to the table, including tense Dwarven-Elven relations and a romantic subplot (!). The people of Lake-town are also introduced with their own histories and motivations, notably Bard (Luke Evans), with his connection to the time when Smaug first burned down Dale, and the town’s Master (Stephen Fry), with his slimey political provocations. With all this to juggle, the film’s 161-minute run time is well-paced but very packed. Still, when all is said and done, there is a lot of amusement to be had out of the film simply because it is a tale told with a lot of enjoyment.

Desolation is quite a different creature from the source material of Tolkien’s book, and fans of the children’s classic who missed it with the first instalment may be even more surprised this time around. Still, there is plenty to relish in the film, satisfaction that will stem from experiencing a living, breathing realisation of Middle-earth. Telling a story in three movies where one or two would have done may seem unnecessary, but this film manages to take its story and get away with it. After all, why would you spend only an hour romping through the greatest playground ever when you are allowed to spend three?