The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Published 2021-09-07
Film info
- Title The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Director Peter Jackson
- Year 2013
- Run time 2hr 41m
- Genres Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Tagline Beyond darkness, beyond desolation, lies the greatest danger of all
- Cast Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry
The hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf and 13 dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, continue their journey to reclaim the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. Along the way, they encounter skin-changer Beorn; giant Spiders of Mirkwood; Wood-elves led by Legolas, Tauriel and King Thranduil; and a mysterious Man named Bard, who smuggles them into Lake-town. Finally reaching the Lonely Mountain, they face their greatest danger - the Dragon Smaug.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 4:53 | If he knew that someone wanted Thorin's head, why was he surprised in the first one that they were being pursued? |
| 15:55 | Very much like the Hulk, to be fair. |
| 18:31 | Oh god, 200 miles out of the way? Go through the forest Bilbo! |
| 26:17 | Not the spider again. |
| 32:25 | Wait, Legolas is in this??? |
| 49:50 | Bilbo has actually turned quite vicious with his sword. |
| 1:09:15 | I want off this boat, being covered in fish is grim. |
| 1:15:20 | "Da, why are there dwarves coming out of our toilet?" |
| 1:25:46 | How dare you, he's not driven by greed but by revenge. |
| 1:30:48 | Twice now they have failed to wait for Gandalf. Why won't they learn? |
| 1:43:17 | "I promised I would do this. And I think I must try." |
| 2:02:12 | I wonder what the physics of a gold coin swimming pool really are like. |
| 2:03:32 | Another piece of jewellery that corrupts people. |
| 2:13:27 | The pillow of walnuts looks distinctly uncomfortable. |
| 2:24:00 | I don't understand what the forge plan is. |
| 2:29:52 | So actually all they managed to do was make a golden dragon. |
Thoughts
This was a step up from the previous film, a lot more entertaining, and mercifully, the movies are just getting shorter as we move through this trilogy. I was very surprised at the return of Legolas, because he certainly wasn't mentioned by name in the source material, but I think he and the new character of Tauriel added a lot to the chemistry of the characters.
Some of the set pieces felt a bit shoe-horned - the bear story went absolutely nowhere, the spiders were endless and creepy, and them only managing to make a golden dragon at the end was really frustrating. I'm also not sure, at this point, that I fully understand the power of the ring, why it's not affecting Bilbo as much as everyone else despite how much he wears it, and also what is going on with Sauron. But hey, there's one more to go and we left on a dragon-shaped cliffhanger, so let's get this done.
Rating: 3 / 5
