The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Adventure and fantasy. By Peter Jackson's very resume, he is really into this particular genre BIG time. I say this because so few filmmakers can really pull this off well in Hollywood today. So when one does come along, we want to jump on that 'wagon' and enjoy the ride. He repeats his fantastical storytelling with "The Hobbit"'s next installment properly titled, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug".

After successfully crossing over (and under) the Misty Mountains, Thorin (Richard Armitage) and his band of dwarves must seek aid from a powerful stranger before taking on the dangers of Mirkwood Forest-- without their wizard, Gandalf (Ian McKellen). If they reach the human settlement of Lake-town it will be time for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) to fulfill his contract with the dwarves. The party must complete the journey to Lonely Mountain and burglar Baggins must seek out the Secret Door that will give them access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). And where has Gandalf got off to? And what is his secret business to the south?

Others to round out the cast are Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel, Lee Pace as Tranduil, Luke Evans as Bard/Girion, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Stephen Fry as Master of Lake-town, John Bell as Bain, Ken Stott as Balin, Graham McTavish as Dwalin, William Kircher as Bifur, James Nesbitt as Bofur, Stephen Hunter as Bombur, Dean O'Gorman as Fili, Aidan Turner as Kili, John Callen as Oin, Peter Hambleton as Gloin, Jed Brophy as Nori, Mark Hadlow as Dori and Adam Brown as Ori.

This was directed with the expertise we've all come to know and expect from Peter Jackson (" Braindead" '92, "Heavenly Creatures" '94, "The Frighteners" '96, "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy '01-'03, "King Kong" '05, "The Lovely Bones" '09, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" '12). His ability to pace his actors in a film, especially with the magnitude of this production, is amazing and does keep the audiences attention. This was written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro which is based on the novel, "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. Considering the 161 minute running time, one can realize that it's credible to believe that a project would or could take this many writers to pull it off, however I wonder how much tighter the script could have been with half the writers? This was a little long-in-the-tooth which can cause a script to be less tight, so if about 15 minutes could have been eliminated, I believe it would have moved a bit quicker on so many levels. Of course, one of the real 'stars' here is Weta Digital, Ltd. who created the visual effects and animation ("The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy). They were seamless as usual, and will undoubtedly receive a nod come Oscar time.

For those who are into adventure and pure fantasy, this is the film for you, especially considering it's presented on a huge screen and 3D. Of course, there are a ton of Tolkien fans out there eager to see films based on his work, and Hollywood knowing this, these films will be made forever.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                         Rated: PG-13                          161mins.