DESOLATION OF SMAUG

I'm back! And I can't think of a better way to come home than to regale you with my thoughts about the second Hobbit movie! Which I got to see on opening day with some of my favorite people in the whole wide world - in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

What can I say? The best way to sum it up would be this: "Two hours and forty minutes of pure, epic, awesomeness." Honestly, as my brother put it after we left the theater, "If J.R.R. Tolkien had been able to watch that movie, he might have been a little disappointed with the way he wrote the book - because he would have realized he could have written it better." :)

And those, my friends, are quotes coming from a couple of self-proclaimed "purists" when it comes to the realm of Middle Earth!

SPOILERS AHEAD - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

First of all, I highly recommend watching the Extended Edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey before you go see movie two. There are some very helpful additional lines of dialogue that will help you understand the things that Gandalf and Radagast are doing during the second movie. Even for crazy rabid fans such as myself, I think Gandalf's doings in movie two would have confused me if I hadn't re-watched the first part (and particularly hadn't seen the extended scenes). For those of you who don't like LOOOONG movies (crazy people), no worries! The extended edition is only 13 minutes longer than the theatrical version.

Okay, now that we've cleared that up. On to my thoughts of the second movie. I'll try not to be too terribly haphazard. :)

Bilbo - LOVED him in the first movie. REALLY LOVED him in this installment. What a marvelous actor. Freeman does a phenomenal job showing how quickly Bilbo grows up in the second part of this journey. No longer is he the homesick, bumbling hobbit who isn't really sure he wants to be on this journey. He truly steps up and into his own during this part of the adventure. He's still not a seasoned warrior, nor are his plans always perfect (as he does forget to get into a barrel himself in order to leave the Wood Elves' palace), but he has a much more "can do" attitude about the whole thing. He is committed to seeing this adventure through, and does not let his fears rule him.

Thorin - I have always loved Thorin. But the portrayal of Thorin in this series goes beyond my wildest dreams and imaginings. In the book, the dwarves are just... well, they're a little bit silly. There is nothing SILLY about Thorin Oakenshield in either movie, but particularly in this installment. I love his nobility. His courage. Really, everything about him is just awesome. Every time he talks I just wanted to jump up and down and yell, "YEAH!!!!" (I didn't...)

The Dwarves - I love how their personalities continue to emerge. I'm still not certain I know exactly who is who, but I definitely have a good picture of many of their characters (moreso than in the book). Mostly, I love that again, these dwarves are not SILLY. They may be a bit rough and not have the most refined tastes or manners, but they're not just ridiculous. I also love how much they LOVE Thorin. Every time he's in danger, every single one of them jumps in front of him - willing to protect him with their very lives. (And, of course, every single time, he ends up pushing his way through them to face the danger anyway).

Legolas and Tauriel - I have to put them together. I know they're not in the books (and that Tauriel is a complete fabrication specifically for the movie) but WOW, I just don't care. Because they are AWESOME. I love that Legolas is younger, brasher, and every bit as disgusted with dwarven-kind as any other elf. And yet, I love how you can see in his moments of nobility and courage glimmerings of who he will become in the Lord of the Rings. This is just fantastically done. I also love the conversation between Legolas and Gloin about the pictures of Gloin's family: AHHHH fangirl moment!

And Tauriel. Ah, Tauriel. I shouldn't love her, because she wasn't in the book... but she should have been! (and, no, I actually think it's pretty cool that Tolkien's books don't have many female characters... I have no problem with that at all). But for some reason, I just love her addition to the story. I love that she is capable and deadly and yet also very feminine. I love that she is a healer. And, yes, I'll admit, I am even enjoying the totally random love-triangle-thing with her and Kili versus Legolas. It's cute, and it makes all of the Dwarves seem more like real people - because it shows that they DO see and appreciate beauty. (Which one would assume to be true, by their love of gems and beautiful objects, so it seemed like a neat way to show that in a different way). I also enjoy that she's a redhead... gives the elven kind a bit of variety. haha

Beorn - If there was one thing at all in the movie that was even remotely disappointing, I'm afraid it has to be Beorn. While Beorn's bear form was stunning and spot-on - and I loved how he was portrayed as Extremely Dangerous in his bear form... the man-form depicted in the movie left rather a lot to be desired. I thing the main problem for me with Beorn was this:

You see, this is the way I have always pictured Beorn - because this was the illustration in the version of the Hobbit that I grew up reading. In the book, he's described thusly:

"Standing near was a huge man with a thick black beard and hair, and great bare arms and legs with knotted muscles ... and was leaning on a large axe. ... 'Who are you and what do you want?' he asked gruffly, standing in front of them and towering tall above Gadnalf. As for Bilbo he could easily have trotted through his legs without ducking his head to miss the fringe of the man's brown tunic."

So, when he shows up as a sad-seeming man who might be just slightly taller than Gandalf (and who apparently didn't have the foresight to build himself a house that he could stand upright in... just sayin'), it was mildly disappointing to me. I thought they got his character fairly well, specifically the sad side of his story... but I would have appreciated seeing the twinkle in his eye and his love of a good story as well.

However, all things considered, at least Jackson didn't just cut him completely like he did Tom Bombadil!

Gandalf - I really enjoyed getting to see what Gandalf was up to after he leaves the company at the gateway to Mirkwood. Maybe that's not what he was really doing in the book... but I am really enjoying how Jackson and company are turning "The Hobbit" into one long story all of a piece with The Lord of the Rings. I also was thankful that Radagast's silliness was downplayed in this section of the movies.

Bolg taking Azog's place in pursuit of the dwarves - Okay, you may remember me complaining about Azog's inclusion in my review of An Unexpected Journey, and I have to admit, that the second Azog handed the reins of his quest for vengeance over to his son, I was appeased. :)

There were many other things that I loved about this movie. I loved the way it begins with Gandalf meeting Thorin at the Prancing Pony and how it showed that Gandalf's quote in The Lord of the Rings of, "If you're talking about that matter with the dragon, I was barely involved." was an outright, bald-faced, lie. :) I thought the whole scene where they finally get the door open and the dwarves all go inside the secret hallway was beautifully poignant, and, I have to admit, I may or may not have been tearing up at that point.

Bard - Everything about Bard - and the set-up for his role in movie three. I liked his role as smuggler/rebel/warrior. I loved that P.J. gave him a family and a history as rich and deep as anyone else in the story. I look forward to seeing more of him in the final chapter.

The One Ring/The Arkenstone - Another thing that struck me as truly marvelous was during the scene where they are all battling the spiders. In that scene (though again, a deviation from the book), Bilbo loses the Ring. It falls on the ground and some creepy spawn of Ungoliant (it didn't look like a spider to me, more like a fleshy crab of some sort) scuttled towards it and almost puts its talon through the Ring accidentally. Bilbo loses all sense of reason and just absolutely slaughters the creature, focused intently on one single purpose: reclaim the Ring. (The Dwarves are all off fighting for their lives, and the film cuts back and forth between the two battles, displaying the differences). When Bilbo gets the Ring back, he says, "MINE!" and then sits down and sort of comes out of the fog he's been in. I loved how we, as the audience, got to see him sort of realize what he just did, and the confusion on his face as he looks at the Ring and wonders why it has suddenly become so important (dare I say, "precious"?) to him.

Cut to nearer the end of the movie, and we get to see that Bilbo is glimpsing the hold the Arkenstone has over Thorin's thoughts. I believe we are meant to believe that Bilbo understands this hold because he is beginning to understand the Ring's hold over himself. This will, I BELIEVE, set up the third movie for when Bilbo gives the Arkenstone to Thranduil. Not out of malicious intent, nor even to prevent a war. But to protect Thorin. Bilbo, like everyone else on the quest, has come to the point where he loves, admires, and respects Thorin so much that he is willing to put himself between Thorin and whatever danger threatens. But in Bilbo's case, that danger is Thorin himself. Which is what makes Bilbo the most courageous of all the company.

But that's just my own little "hope" for which direction the third movie will take.

Ah, we're running out of time... but if you'll stick with me for just a moment more, because I cannot... absolutely cannot... close this review without talking about....

SMAUG - (despite the fact that everyone in the movie pronounces his name incorrectly). I want a trilogy just about Smaug. Anybody with me? I mean, really, there has to be more to his story... before he attacks Erebor.

Seriously. Smaug was epically impressive.

I was a little worried, when I saw the trailer that revealed Smaug. I thought that the movie-makers had tipped their hand a little, and was worried I would be disappointed with Smaug - because I'd already seen him, and the build-up wouldn't be as effective.

Boy, was I wrong.

Wow. I gotta admit, at this point, there's a teeny, tiny bit of me that's rooting for Smaug. I think he could eat Sauron for breakfast. :) I love how arrogant he is, how totally confident of his own invincibility. And I love how his massiveness and cunning evil and sheer power only serve to highlight the absolute and utter courage of the Dwarves and Bilbo. No, they cannot hope to defeat this staggeringly formidable leviathan of a dragon. But that doesn't stop them from trying for a single instant.

I love that Smaug basically has the last word in the movie, that it ends very "Empire Strikes Back" - with the good guys apparently on the losing side....

Five Dragon Eggs (six, if I could!)  :)

I honestly cannot WAIT for........