The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug, by Peter Jackson

 I saw The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug last Saturday with my wife, and I really wanted to love this movie–but I didn’t. If I hadn’t read the book, I would have thought it a typical adventure fantasy movie – not terrible, but not great, either.

When I was younger, I was very interested in special effects–numerous times during the movie, in the back of my mind I was thinking “yep, that’s CGI of Legolas doing such-and-so” or other things.  Which only happens when the movie hasn’t pulled me in.

The only riveting scenes (for me) were the river and the very end, where I realized that Peter Jackson had thrown the source material out the window.  I was curious to see what his master plan with the forge was.  And when I finally saw the result, I was disappointed that Thorin even thought that had a chance of working.

Balin: [sees a chamber full of dead dwarves, with their only means of escape blocked] The last of our kin. They must have come here hoping beyond hope. We could make for the mines. Might last a few days.
Thorin Oakenshield: No. I will not die like this, cowering, clawing for breath. We make for the forges.
Dwalin: He’ll see us! Sure as death.
Thorin Oakenshield: Not if we split up.
Balin: Thorin, we’ll never make it.
Thorin Oakenshield: Some of us might. Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon. If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together!

As I say, I wanted to love it, but I didn’t.  I’d only give it a C+.

Cast of characters

• Ian McKellen (X-Men: The Last Stand) … Gandalf
• Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) … Bilbo
• Richard Armitage (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) … Thorin. The rightful king of the Dwarves. Who has an insanely stupid plan to kill the dragon.
• Ken Stott … Balin
• Graham McTavish … Dwalin
• William Kircher … Bifur
• James Nesbitt … Bofur
• Stephen Hunter … Bombur
• Dean O’Gorman … Fili
• Aidan Turner … Kili
• John Callen … Oin
• Peter Hambleton … Gloin
• Jed Brophy … Nori
• Mark Hadlow … Dori
• Adam Brown … Ori
• Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean) … Legolas. Didn’t show up at all in the source material. here to draw audience. And to part of the needless love triangle.
• Evangeline Lilly (Lost, Ant-Man, Real Steel) … Tauriel. New character created for the movie, to be part of the needless love triangle.
• Lee Pace … Thranduil
• Cate Blanchett (Thor Ragnarok) … Galadriel. Not in the source material for The Hobbit.
• Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) … Smaug / Necromancer (voice)
• Mikael Persbrandt … Beorn
• Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks) … Radagast
• Luke Evans (Dracula Untold) … Bard / Girion
• Stephen Fry (V for rVandetta) … Master of Laketown
• Ryan Gage … Alfrid Lickspittle
• John Bell … Bain