The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) Review
Main Character
Martin Freeman is back as Bilbo Baggins and he is really great in the film, he is still such a likeable character but this film shows inkling to the darkness that affects him. The film does a good job in showing how acquiring the ring in the first film is slightly affecting him, he isn't anywhere near Gollum level but it is a nice layer to his character. But Bilbo is just such a charming protagonist and you really want to see him succeed and do well because of how great Freeman is in the role.
Supporting Characters
I'm not quite sure why but it seems that the second films in these trilogies like to side-line Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf, first The Two Towers now this film. He is great when he is on screen, and his story arc is actually pretty interesting it is just the film doesn't use him that much and that is a bit of a let down. Richard Armitage is back as Thorin Oakenshield and I thought he was better in this film, he is much more likeable and actually seems like more of a leader to the group. The relationship between him and Bilbo advances and is developed here which improves both of their characters. Orlando Bloom is back as Legolas and even though this is meant to be a prequel to Lord Of The Rings, he looks way older here obviously and it does take you out of the film for a bit, but he does a good job. He is fantastic in the action scenes and I would even argue that he does more in this film in terms of action then he did in the previous trilogy and it raises the bar so much compared to the action in the first film. Evangeline Lilly plays Tauriel and even though they take the character in some poor direction, which Lilly came out and agreed with, I thought she also does a good job here. She is also really good in the action scenes and her character is given some time to shine here. Luke Evans is here as Bard the Bowman and he is really good too, he is a really interesting character and his dynamic with the dwarves is well handled and he felt like a pretty natural addition to the cast. But then onto the show stealer which is Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug, this guy is awesome and the voice is so imposing and so intimidating providing memorable moments like Gollum did in the previous film.
Story
The story is definitely more engaging then the last film, it is just paced faster and takes us through interesting parts of Middle Earth that we haven't seen before with a more interesting group of characters leading to a great final act. But the issue here, is that there is plenty going on here and certain elements of the film aren't really given much time to shine, it is kind of like they had a short book to adapt and they forced it into a trilogy thus adding story arcs and characters that are nowhere near the boom, plus don't get me started on the terrible romance in the film.
Script
The one thing that The Hobbit films have the same as its predecessor is the well written scripts and the good blend between drama and humour. This film is a more mature film and mostly gets rid of the childish humour and it makes it feel larger in scale and continues to make the main characters feel interesting and worthy of the franchise.
Style
The style of the film is more gritty then the previous film and definitely has more violence to it which is a welcome thing. As I said above the film moves more quickly and keeps its pace going throughout which is a vast improvement from the previous film. Though like the previous film, I thought the CGI wasn't up to scratch here, apart from Smaug who looks amazing, the rest just looks pretty poor, whether it be the gold or background it just looks like CGI which is the worst thing that you can say about CGI.
Overall
Overall, this is a great sequel that improves most of the elements of the previous film and is more exciting. Don't expect Lord Of The Rings level of quality but if you are still on board with this franchise then give this film a watch.
Rating - 8/10
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