Bilbo Baggins and the Dwarves of Erebor, continue their journey across Middle Earth to reclaim the Lonely mountain from the dragon, Smaug.
Unlike most middle movies, these two trilogies, Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, do not suffer from the middle movie slump, in fact I think in the future we will look back and say that these are the two best middle movies of all time.
Out of the many ways to see this movie I saw it in two similar fashions, in 3D and in IMAX 3D, no 4k in our area, unfortunately… maybe. I favor the look of the IMAX so that is what I will be referencing.
For those that are following along with the book, there were some interesting divergences and additions, and to be honest I am okay with all of them. But I have a severe question about one addition, that might clash with the way the story unfolds in the Lord of the Rings, even though it was an astounding scene, it begs a lot of questions about one of the characters, unless it is resolved in the third film. I think most of you will know the scene I am referring to, if you have seen it, or will know when you do.
The thing that got me the most excited while watching, was the extension of the Smaug sequence. Partially because he looked amazing, and then there was the comedic interaction by Bilbo, but mostly because I love dragons, and they finally did one right in a movie. The change in the barrel scene and the addition of Legolas also added quite an interesting aspect to the movie that the book didn’t have, it is also obvious that the director never wanted you to have a moment to breath and always wanted you to feel in danger, because the barrel raft scene, in the book, although tense was one scene where you felt like you had a breather until they reached Lake town.
I think the biggest problem I had with the movie was the filter they used on the Greenwood… huh, oh sorry I mean Mirkwood, to make it look sick, it just kind of washed everything out to a grayish tint, that succeeded in making it look very sick, so it was good but bad. Something that was odd to me was how big Dol Guldur was, it looks like a single watchtower from one side, but from the other side it was a huge complex on the side of a cliff. I mean it served its purpose of misdirection perfectly, I was shocked at its true size.
So quick summary the story was good, the changes are acceptable, the dragon was amazing, and there are many questions to be answered in part three.
I highly recommend this movie to all that love fantasy, and to all those that like adventure, but you were or have already gone, I’m sure.
I give it a 4.5 out of 5
Written by Jeff Potts
