Flatters to deceive

‘The Hobbit : The Desolation of the Smaug’ is the second part of the trilogy which began with ‘The Unexpected Journey’ and will end with ‘There and Back Again. But director Peter Jackson shot all three together and then did the division. If this second part is 161 minutes long one can imagine the length of all three together.

Hobbit Bilbo Baggens (Martin Freeman) travels with wizard Gandolf (Ian McKellen) and the 13 dwarves led by Thonn (Richard Armitage) enter into the kingdom of Ecdar taking them through Mirkwood, Esgaroth and Dale to combat the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). In Mirkwood, they are attacked by giant spiders and then captured by Wood Elves.

Bilbo is not among them and therefore helps them to escape where they meet the Lord of Dale who provides them with a boat and provisions to journey on to meet their nemesis Smaug. It is a picturesque boat ride before they get to the door in the mountains and meet Smaug.

Here the locales are excellent, mostly shot in the 63,000-acre federal protected wilderness located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountain that has now become a backpackers’ paradise. These locales and the charming creatures are the strength of the film but Jackson spends far too much footage on the action.

There is no need for excessive FX because the quaint netherland is enough for children below 12. They are not accustomed to seeing nature in its pristine beauty. Jabu Olssen could have been more severe with his scissors, especially with the unduly drawn out middle during which the attention span is put to test. It is a comedown after the clever establishing shots.

As for the acting it is more or less average with Ian McKellen and Benedict Cimberbatch a cut above the others on a film which promises only to deceive.