Director: Peter Jackson
Talent: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott
Release Date: 13th December 2013
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was a meandering film about the first bit of a fun book and a load of stuff from some other not-so-fun books. Its sequel, The Desolation of Smaug, is a fun film about the latter half of a fun book: it’s a lean, mean orc-smashing machine. Smaug begins as Bilbo and company make for the Mirkwood, and here the film succeeds where its predecessor failed in showing us its characters rather than telling us about them (and their great-grandparents (and their dogs)). For example, we know that Bilbo is now braver because he stabs a giant spider in the eye: it’s not very sophisticated, but it works a damn sight better than a filmed version of a reading from The Silmarillion.
Peter Jackson and his team obviously paid great attention to the ‘Time Flies When You’re Having Fun’ page in last year’s Idiom of the Day Calendar because, despite its hefty running time, The Desolation of Smaug goes by in a flash. Featuring white water rafting, abundant archery and a dragon, it’s a cartoon roller-coaster ride of a film that dispels any lingering worries about viability of a third instalment in the franchise. -LM
