Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, just might be my favorite movie in the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit series. Picking up right where the last installment left off, the dwarves, along with Bilbo and Galdalf, continue their journey to reclaim their homeland from Smaug, a dragon (a talking dragon) voiced by the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch.
There are so many things that make this movie great – the dwarves are hilarious and well-crafted characters. There are a lot of fun action scenes involving orcs, elves, and dwarves. Despite its almost three-hour running time, the film moves at a brisk pace. Tauriel, played by Lost’s Evangeline Lilly (and from what I know was not in the book or any other Tolkien writings), provides a sense of romance and adventure that was lacking in the last installment.
The best part of the movie, however, is Smaug. He is the best movie villian in recent memory. Pure evil, frightening, not to mention gigantic and breathes fire. Benedict Cumberbatch was the perfect choice for his voice, especially considering that he and Martin Freeman (Bilbo) worked together on the fantastic ‘Sherlock’ BBC series.
The film ends on a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting more. Luckly the third and final installment of the series is coming later this year.
Grade: A-