Directed By: Peter Jackson
Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman & Richard Armitage
I
am an avid fan of Lord of the Rings, both the movies and the books and was
stoked when Peter Jackson announced the making of The Hobbit and that it would
be a three-part film. After I watched The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and
having read the book I anticipated The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug to be
another three hour movie full of walking with a few action parts to keep you
interested.
I
was surprised to find out there was way more action in this second part. Although
the main story line is mildly the same there are added characters not in the
book and the events are not necessarily occurring in the right places. If you
can get past the adaptation not being all that close to the book the film is
truly great. The acting is well done, with the exception of Evangeline Lily
whom can’t act a lick if you ask me. The cinematography is also splendidly
done. There are many parts that link this film to The Lord of the Rings trilogy
in both comical and clever ways. Furthermore the soundtrack is absolutely fantastic
including the song that plays during the credits, “I See Fire” by Ed Shreen, I
found myself singing it over the next few days and had to eventually
download it.
Was
this film a great adaptation of a famous novel? Not so much. Is it worth seeing
anyway? Absolutely. Looking at it from the perspective of a film and not a full
adaptation of a book I give this film 3 out 4 stars.
