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The Smaug of War

The Peter Jackson J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations have almost become a brand. Ever since 2001's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (Has it been twelve years? We were all so young), it's been clear that the former slop-horror director had an unexpectedly mature and singular vision for Middle Earth and the talent to bring it to vibrant, epic life. He was also clearly incapable of creating a movie less than three hours in length, but that's another story. Clocking in at a comparatively lean 160 minutes, the second entry in the "Hobbit" trilogy, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug", is a worthy entry in the Jackson/Tolkien canon. But with a plot both simplistic (get to the Lonely Mountain, stat) and esoteric (there's a "darkness" building in an abandoned fortress), "Desolation" also brings into question its own raison d'être.

"Desolation" bears less resemblance to the source material than any of Mr. Jackson's other films. Fans of the book will recognize key touchstones of the story (a perfunctory visit with Beorn, a run-in with huge spiders in the forest, a watery escape in barrels, and of course the titular dragon). Most else in the film may be somewhat unrecognizable to all but the most ardent Tolkien scholars.

As a Tolkien fan myself, it's hard to imagine how the uninitiated audience member will approach extended sequences in Laketown or Dol Guldur. Similarly, I can understand how hard-core Tolkien purists will take offense to beefed up scenes with characters like Radagast the Brown or the addition of "Lord of the Rings" fan-fave Legolas (Orlando Bloom, nicely tweaking his previous performance), as well as entirely fabricated characters like the "She-Elf" Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly from "Lost").

Mr. Jackson finds himself in a tough spot in that he's making a film mostly geared towards Tolkien fans while at the same time alienating them by making such wholesale changes.

Still, for fans of fantasy, "Smaug" is rarely dull and is beautiful to look at. Mr. Jackson has refined his 3D techniques since "An Unexpected Journey". There are fewer confusing action sequences, more sweeping wide shots, and the effects, as always, are gorgeous. Smaug, in particular, voiced with gusto by go-to-Brit Benedict Cumberbatch, is a wonder. The film looks particularly good in IMAX 3D (which is how I saw it) with HFR (High Frame Rate). There have been some critics of the 48 frame/second HFR technology, particularly with the last "Hobbit" film but I and my BPBS partner Chris Boylan both thought the film looked stunning in HFR IMAX 3D. I recommend seeing it this way if you can.

With less slapstick this time around, the dwarfs have begun to settle into a groove. Though they're still mostly indistinguishable, they at least feel more like people. Likewise, Martin Freeman is more comfortable in the role of Bilbo, which means Bilbo is becoming more like Martin Freeman. This time around, Mr. Freeman adds far more of his signature reactions (made famous in "The Office"), as well as a few comic bits right out of the Lou Costello handbook. The good news is, it works.

It's Evangeline Lilly that has the toughest job. Saddled with a role that's created out of thin air, the "Lost" actress acquits herself admirably. She's aided by a script that clearly sets her up to be a kick-butt hero on par with her He-Elf counterparts. Sadly, she's also immediately given a love triangle (literally in her first scene). But Ms. Lilly is up to the challenge, displaying a depth of range she had never tapped in her TV work.

It all builds to an unconscionably inflated climactic battle which ends, as it must, with a cliffhanger that feels more arbitrary than it should. But when a film is as well-known as this one, we're prepped for that.  And if anyone going into "The Desolation of Smaug" isn't aware that this is the second part of a continuing story, that's their own fault. Still, it doesn't seem fair. After almost three hours in the theater, ending a film in the middle of an action scene is like ending a movie review in