OVP: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Film: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Aidan Turner, Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch
Director: Peter Jackson
Oscar History: 3 nominations (Best Visual Effects, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 5/5 stars

As you may recall, I loved the first installment of The Hobbit series, and I'm not really up for apologizing for that, because you're wrong and not me (he said, knowing he was coming across as a jerk).  Just because a film doesn't happen to equal its predecessor doesn't make it terrible (...though I may need to re-think The Godfather Part III after writing that sentence).  The first film tackled a different tone, and while we can debate to the end of time if this trilogy is necessary, its quality in my opinion is cemented.

This is particularly true of this installment, which I thought improved upon the earlier entry in almost every direction.  Tonally, it falls deeper into the world of Jackson's previous trilogy, but it maintains the slight sense of playfulness and innocence that The Hobbit espoused so well.

The film also takes some serious detours, and one has to wonder how much Peter Jackson has been watching Game of Thrones, as you can feel the George R.R. Martin show somewhat permeating this movie.  The edits are swifter, the visual effects smoother, and the focus on character development and story in place of larger action set-pieces works wonderfully.  The film was always at a disadvantage being from a slight source material, but Jackson bravely does what few other directors would dare to do-take a beloved piece of literature and truly bends and molds it to fit the screen.

(Spoilers Ahead) This decision will almost assuredly upset Tolkien fanboys (I have a father who is included in that club, and I am eagerly anticipating his reaction to these changes, which I'm guessing he won't be a fan of but will probably acknowledge as necessary).  I know a lot of Middle Earth die-hards are upset that Jackson messed with the formula, but this is something we should hope for, because the film is a much better movie as a result of these changes.  I spoke with a friend about the film earlier today, and I said that I was enjoying the slow ride into darker territory in the film, and he protested (accurately) that The Hobbit is supposed to be a children's book.  This is correct, of course, and the book itself stands apart as a well-considered piece of literature for young adults (I was ten or eleven when I first read it), but that doesn't mean the movie has to do so.  The film maintains the basic plot structure of the novel, but then fills it with rich goodies and character development and side stories that deliciously meld both worlds of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

My favorite moments in the film come from this combining of the worlds.  I loved the scene about halfway through the film (maybe a little bit more-I genuinely lost track of time) when Gandalf (McKellen, but you knew that) is wandering through what is clearly a busted, stone castle soaked in dark magic.  I remember reading an article once that said a bad sequel never hurts the first movie, but points out its weaknesses.  In this case, a good sequel can point out the greatness of the original film, and you see that here; The Lord of the Rings is at its best when it is showing the cataclysms of evil and the impending need for good.  So many films show good over evil, but few films take the time to show the allure, the mystique, the dominance of evil.  The richer the villain, the better the story, and while Gollum quickly assumed the mantle of the best villain in the original trilogy, this film sheds light on Sauron and his relentless campaign to destroy all life.

The film also has time for a love triangle.  Inventing Tauriel (Lilly) to carry the story surely was the boldest move Jackson made, and in this reviewer's opinion, was a home run decision.  I've always had a soft spot for anyone who filled up my many hours of Lost obsession (still my favorite entertainment venture in any medium, and yes that includes all film and literature, and no, I don't care if you call me a fanboy-Lost forever!), and all the barbs you throw at my Kate Austen only makes us both stronger.  Lilly reaches for a noble playfulness that Liv Tyler could never quite muster as Arwen (though they are admittedly of a different personality), and it makes sense that she sets her eyes on the sexiest dwarf Kili (to paraphrase Mrs. Bennet, "oh Aidan Turner, I knew you could not be so beautiful for nothing!").  This incenses her other paramour Legolas (Orlando Bloom, probably the only disappointment in the film considering how much of a breath of fresh air he was in the original films-ten years of overacting and bad filmic decisions have proven the "if you rest, you rust" adage apt here), but not enough to steal away from the mission at-hand.

Honestly, as I'm writing I keep remembering more and more excellent scenes.  The entire Smaug sequence is wicked good fun-Martin Freeman has found a stronger balance with Bilbo (perhaps the Ring is a solid counterweight to his apprehension) and Benedict Cumberbatch's vocal work is stupendous as the sweeping, massive Smaug.  Were it not for the juggernaut that Gravity is, I genuinely think Smaug would have grabbed The Hobbit the trilogy's first Oscar win based on the dragon alone.  While the film won't compete in Makeup (that branch is so strange), Dan Hennah being snubbed for the best work he's done in the series since Fellowship would be a travesty-the floating city of Esgaroth, Dol Goldur, and the burial site of the Nazgul genuinely erupted an audible "wow" from me, and I wasn't the only one in the theater stating it.  Critics frequently complain when crew members get cited multiple times for the same film series, but I can honestly say that Hennah more than earns a citation for this entry-there's an abundance of fanciful, eye-popping work here and AMPAS would be fools of a Took for not remembering him now.

The ending of the film, more than even The Two Towers (still my favorite entry in the series), leaves us breathlessly hanging for the next moment, and the "you can't end it there" aspect is maybe too much even for a film guaranteed a sequel (though anyone who complains about it and doesn't hate Catching Fire is a hypocrite).  Jackson's decision to stretch the story into a trilogy has been questioned by almost everyone (including yours truly), but like I said in the last review, the problems of filling the final film rest with that work, not this one.  Desolation of Smaug can rest on its laurels like a dragon on gold, knowing that it has accomplished what most thought impossible: a true return to Middle Earth, an expansion of Jackson's tale without sacrificing quality or story, and earns its place as a truly worthy successor of that first feeling in the water.