The Hobbit: The Desolation of Six Chapters
Christmas Eve day we saw a 10:00am showing of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of
Smaug”. The theater was full but not packed – with plenty of spare seats for
our coats and colas – and but for a dweeb constantly texting in the row in
front of us, it was a pleasant experience.
Don’t worry; he finally stopped
after I someone hit the top of his head with a kernel of popcorn.
I liked the movie. I didn’t like it
as much as the first Hobbit movie – “An Unexpected Journey” – for two reasons:
the darker tone made it less likeable (although not necessarily less enjoyable)
and the cliffhanger ending.
The latter first: This would be a
no-spoiler review, but there is nothing to spoil. It ended abruptly with no
resolution. Some of the audience gasped and groaned. Really, folks? In this day
and age in our State of Moviedom Caribbean ” ended the same way: lots of characters
and plot points with nothing resolved. Bad move, I think. Although there may
well be people who will see the third movie without first seeing the first two,
they will be lost. Lost. “They started the movie with the final reel,” we would
have said in the pre-digital age.
And in a sense the makers of the
third film will have…
It is a darker movie than its
predecessor. While this is not a bad thing, it does take away the fun that
underlay the first movie. In “…Unexpected Journey” we got to return to Middle
Earth and meet friends we thought we never would again – Bilbo, Gandalf, even
Elrond. Plus we were introduced to more dwarves – eating, drinking, singing,
belching and full of life. They were on a quest to reclaim their kingdom and we
went along happily.
But in “…Desolation…” the reality of
the likelihood of succeeding sank in. Previously Thorin told Bilbo (and us)
about the Dwarf race being scattered throughout middle earth and a return to
their former glory as a united peoples by getting revenge against the forces
that scattered them. This theme was echoed by Malekith in “Thor: The Dark World”
to give him a bit of dimension unsuccessfully. He was going to destroy the
universe to avenge his people? I’m not buying it. I’ll buy Thorin (since the
names of the dwarves were taken from Germanic and Norse myths by Tolkien, the
coincidence in Thor and Thorin’s names is canny) wanting to avenge his people.
They were greedy, yes. Did they deserve what they got? Maybe. Are we rooting
for them to get their kingdom back? By the third movie I’ll have spent about $300.00
bucks in tickets, popcorn, gas, after-movie dining and shopping. What do you
think? ;-)
Aside, but not a spoiler: Tolkien
mentioned in his notes and other references that Thror, King Under the Mountain
(Thorin’s grandfather) owned one of the seven Dwarven Rings of Power that gave
him his uncontrollable lust for riches, which thus led to the downfall of the
race. I have been waiting for a reference to that in the movie. If it is revealed
in the third film, slated for July 2014 and tentatively called “There and Back
Again”; you heard it here first.
The movie is dark because the theme
throughout is desperation.
It begins with the dwarves, Bilbo
and Gandalf being pursued by the orcs from the end of the first film. While
they trudged through the tundra I wished someone would have said, “You know, we
could have asked the eagles to fly us to the Lonely Mountain …” “Still your tongue,” says Gandalf. It would have gotten a laugh from the audience and
resolved a big plot hole from both Hobbit and Lord of the Rings…
They get refuge from the orcs at the
home of Beorn, a skin changer. We despair for him as he is the last of his
race. We care for this new and powerful ally.
Gandalf leaves the party as they
enter Mirkwood. In the book we learn he leaves to fight the Necromancer; in the
movie we see the first part of that battle. Gandalf and Radagast go to the
prison/tomb of the Nazgul/Ring Wraiths. They have escaped - more likely they have been released. Gandalf goes alone
to Don Guldur to battle the Necromancer, whose identity is revealed. It ends
with Gandalf pinned to a wall surrounded by an orc army and the Necromancer.
The dwarves are caught by the
Mirkwood spiders in a scene very much like the novel, a unique thing so far in
the movie adaptations. Then on to the elven kingdom in Mirkwood (I can’t find
its name on the internet) where we meet its king, Thranduil. He is desperately
protecting his kingdom from the approaching murk – the spiders are but a sign
of greater evil to come and he eventually closes his kingdom to outsiders. Thorin’s
quest is folly, he believes, and will bring only additional woe to the world.
The dwarves escape in barrels as per
the novel and after another run-in with the orcs make their way to Laketown
with the help of Bard. The people of Laketown despair under an autocratic
regime; the Master of Laketown (played with oily glee by the wonderful Stephen
Fry) is desperately trying to keep control of Laketown despite rumors of …
elections?! And Bard despairs over his life and family – he is on the Master’s
naughty list and has the stigma of being descended from the man who should have
destroyed Smaug but could not.
The dwarves make it to the secret
passageway into the Lonely Mountain
Once Smaug is revealed, we despair
with Bilbo – how will he make it out of Erebor alive? We cheer the dwarves’
battle with Smaug, but do we honestly think they even have a chance?
Hence a movie much darker than its
predecessor.
The film covers six chapters and (in
my edition) one hundred and eleven pages of the novel. The movie clocks in at one
hundred and sixty minutes. That’s about as long as it would take to read one
hundred and eleven pages. As with the previous movie, there are plenty
of scenes not from the book.
As I mentioned in my review of “…Unexpected
Journey” http://michaelgcurry.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-hobbit-expected-movie.html,
I don’t mind that. Two reasons: 1) anyone who goes to movies nowadays expecting
a word-for-word re-enactment of a novel might as well stay home – why do people
like that go to movies anyway? Stay home and yell at the clouds. It will have
the same effect and results; and 2) I enjoy any excuse to stay in Middle Earth.
Peter Jackson keeps the feel and flair of Tolkien’s invented world in his new
material. Fear not – we are in good hands.
The biggest news before the movie
release was the introduction of Tauriel – the head of the Elven guard of Mirkwood.
She and Legolas are … kind of … romantically linked.
Much was also made of Legolas
appearing in the film. Of all the characters from “Lord of the Rings” to appear
in The Hobbit trilogy, he is the most canny – this is where he lived,
his father is the king, he would have been alive during the events of the
Hobbit, so why not? Orlando Bloom is obviously older and a little thicker in
the face here, but that is a minor quibble. His character is also darker and
more cynical – in keeping with his father and his kingdom’s mood. Perhaps his
time with the Fellowship revived (or created) a confidence for and loyalty with
other races.
The orcs continue to torment Bilbo
and the dwarves even in Laketown. In the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy we had
the “Elf Break”. Anytime there were scenes with Arwen or other elves it was a
fine time to go to the bathroom, get a refill of popcorn and drink, go smoke,
make a phone call, and so on. In the Hobbit movies we have the “Chase Break” –
anytime there is a chase scene one can find time to do the same. The chase
scenes are overlong – those criticisms are correct. Thrilling? Yes! Can be done in half the time? Yes.
Oh, I miss some fine special effects and CGI acrobatics, but if ya gotta go ya
gotta go! And I don’t miss much of the plot. “What happened?” I asked my wife
when I got back from the potty during the orc battle/barrel scene. “This,” she
gestured to the screen during the final moments of the orc battle/barrel scene.
Much is made of Bard’s sneaking
around Laketown with the dwarves. Spies were everywhere and the Master and his
lackey showed themselves as self-preserving minor villains. Funny how the dark
aspects of the movie truly reared their heads when humans entered the movie.
Not so funny, really.
And the battle with Smaug in Erebor
was thrilling. The dwarves fought valiantly and Thorin’s idea as to how to
defeat Smaug is obvious but done well. If you read the book, you know how
successful they will be in defeating Smaug, but you will cheer them on and
catch yourself hoping they succeed – which is the point.
The dialogue between Bilbo and Smaug
is overlong and overwrought. But it was that way in the book, too. You don’t
think Peter Jackson would miss not filming the only unnecessary lengthy part of
the novel, do you?
Fili received a near-fatal wound and
had to stay in Laketown with his brother and Tauriel. There is the beginning of
a romance between them in the best Florence
Speaking of Legolas, he is last seen
following the orc band out of Laketown. How much of the third movie will be
dedicated to his plot thread?
There were a few bits that bugged me,
honest critiques of an otherwise great film:
1)
the special
effects are nearly perfect. Nearly. One of the biggest goofs in “The Two Towers
2)
The obvious
foreshadowing of what will happen in the third movie. When Smaug first attacked,
the only things that could pierce his hide were Black Arrows (harpoons) shot
from special harpoon guns. The rumor is that one Arrow managed to flick off a
piece of Smaug’s armor. But the person in charge of shooting the arrows, Bard’s
ancestor, failed to kill Smaug. The citizenry of Laketown still blame Bard. One
harpoon gun remains and it is revealed Bard still keeps one last Black Arrow.
Gee, do you think he will ever find the opportunity to use it? Against … Smaug
perhaps? Will he be able to find that one sweet spot and redeem himself and his
ancestor? If this were marching down Main Street
Minor quibbles really, in the face
of a masterful movie. Go see it and enjoy it!
Copyright 2013 Michael G Curry
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