I am in love with the Lord of the Rings film series. The captivating scenery, well-written characters, and intriguing action scenes all combined to make a great film franchise. Now that we are the second film into the prequel trilogy, The Hobbit, things are starting to get a little less exciting. It's not to say the magic of watching these films are gone, but I just feel like so much of it is just turning into one big blur.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is relentlessly entertaining, for the most part. The visuals and scenery are of course at the huge expectations I held it at. The film making and screenplay is excellently crafted and I was constantly drawn into the film. The 3D was also brilliantly used in this installment, making even the smallest things pop off into the screen. Of course, overall, the 3D isn't completely necessary but it does make for a more captivating time. The music is also a huge plus, like it usually is. It blends beautiful harmonies we know from the previous films and adds a tint of eerie mystery, creating for some great world-building, even when we aren't aware of the huge effect the music has on us.
The script can be summed up as 'pretty good.' There was definitely nothing that really stood out to me as incredibly well-written (though the scenes with our dragon, Smaug, were fantastic and packed with increasing suspense.) I'm also usually accepting of open endings, but this ending seemed way too abrupt. I was expecting it to end after some kind of big finale, but there wasn't one, to me at least. I think this is also due to the fact that this story should not have been split into three films when they're adapting it from one single book.
Characterization has also been something that's lacking in this franchise. I know they're trying to start adding some subplots and back-stories on these characters, but nothing is solidly working. Everything feels like it's just made for fun entertainment, which isn't bad yet doesn't match the same tone nor quality as the Lord of the Rings film series did. And I think that's where a lot of the problem lies. If you go in expecting the Oscar-worthy material of Lord of the Rings, you'll likely be disappointed at the lack of depth Smaug brings. But if you go in ready for a good time filled with some great screenwriting, visuals, and world building, you'll be satisfied. B
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