Oh. Heck. Yes. Yeah, Peter Jackson is still awesome. With
Desolation of Smaug (do you say it “Smowg” or “Smog”), Peter Jackson is once
again in top form. I loved nearly everything about this movie. LORD OF THE
RINGS IS BACK BABY. I know, I’m such a fangirl. I apologize. Seriously though,
this movie nails everything. Yeah, fine. I’ll get on to the review.
So, as you can tell, I like this movie. A lot. Like, a heck
of a lot. Everything An Unexpected Journey did wrong, this movie gets right.
The formula from the first movie remains largely unchanged, but it is
significantly improved upon. We still don’t get to see a lot about the
personalities of the dwarves. But we get to see a few of their personalities,
and that technically constitutes character development. Right? Right. Don’t get
freaked out, it’s okay. I answer myself all the time. The emotional depth is
there this time. It’s FINALLY THERE. The movie tries to tie itself to Lord of
the Rings in even more dramatic ways this time. But it works this time. Oh, how
beautifully it works.
It’s a prequel in all the right ways this time. A lot of
people despise this movie because of how it differs from the book. Honestly, I.
Just. Don’t. Care. It’s not like any major story points are changed. Heck, if
you ask me, the book was improved upon. It was just never that deep or even
exciting. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book. But the story is just so much
better in this movie. While An Unexpected Journey ultimately just felt a little
like a slightly dull CGI-fest, this movie is involving in nearly every way. It’s
funny when it needs to be, exciting constantly, emotionally moving at the right
moments, and ultimately it’s just a far stronger entry. It’s the Empire Strikes
Back of the Hobbit trilogy, if you will. It’s far darker, and there’s just so
much more at stake this time. The actors still continue to impress, with Martin
Freeman still delivering in the role of Bilbo. Richard Armitage also gets a bit
more of a chance to shine in this movie, as Thorin’s personality becomes a bit
deeper. Howard Shore continues to greatly impress, his score this time around
being even more impressive than his previous one. It’s just a very well-made
film, and even those who hate it would probably not deny this. If this movie
has a flaw, it’s that it begins to drag on a bit when the dwarves finally
confront Smaug. However, this sequence is still astoundingly well executed, and
ultimately, this is the only problem I have with the movie. It’s worth
suffering through the first one to get to this one. Trust me. 4.5/5 stars.
Nearly perfect.
Also. SMAUG THOUGH.
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