After getting a Lord of the Rings movie for three successive Decembers from 2001 to 2003, it almost seemed like a J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation became a Christmas tradition. I actually felt like the holidays were missing something in 2004. So I was quite excited Peter Jackson decided to make another trilogy out of Tolkien’s prelude novel The Hobbit. Not just because I loved his Lord of the Rings pictures, but because it seems like a long-lost seasonal tradition has been rekindled.
Last year’s first installment An Unexpected Journey was much brighter and less gloomy than Lord of the Rings. The narrative was that of a quest, not a brutal war, so there was more of a sense of adventure. There was time for fun and humor alongside the thrilling moments, which weren’t quite so intense. Well, there’s still some room for all that in The Desolation of Smaug, but things do start to darken. Not as dark as The Two Towers, the middle and by far grimmest entry of the last trilogy. There’s still adventure, but the drums of war start to beat.
The story finds Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his Dwarf allies continuing their trek across Middle-Earth to reclaim the vast treasure trove stolen by the dragon Smaug (voiced and performed by Benedict Cumberbatch). En route, they face several dangers, while also coming across some new lands and faces (and at least one familiar one). But while the company’s greatest worry is Smaug, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) seeks answers about an evil force plaguing the land.
That's where the darkness comes in, and where things deviate from Tolkien’s written word substantially. Jackson’s previous films all altered or simplified the books’ events, but with a few exceptions, the narratives stayed mostly on track. This time, though, the film travels into completely new territory to mold the story into a much more direct lead-in to the events of Lord of the Rings (the book had some such prequel elements, but only in passing as Bilbo's quest was the main focus).
Last year’s first installment An Unexpected Journey was much brighter and less gloomy than Lord of the Rings. The narrative was that of a quest, not a brutal war, so there was more of a sense of adventure. There was time for fun and humor alongside the thrilling moments, which weren’t quite so intense. Well, there’s still some room for all that in The Desolation of Smaug, but things do start to darken. Not as dark as The Two Towers, the middle and by far grimmest entry of the last trilogy. There’s still adventure, but the drums of war start to beat.
The story finds Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his Dwarf allies continuing their trek across Middle-Earth to reclaim the vast treasure trove stolen by the dragon Smaug (voiced and performed by Benedict Cumberbatch). En route, they face several dangers, while also coming across some new lands and faces (and at least one familiar one). But while the company’s greatest worry is Smaug, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) seeks answers about an evil force plaguing the land.
That's where the darkness comes in, and where things deviate from Tolkien’s written word substantially. Jackson’s previous films all altered or simplified the books’ events, but with a few exceptions, the narratives stayed mostly on track. This time, though, the film travels into completely new territory to mold the story into a much more direct lead-in to the events of Lord of the Rings (the book had some such prequel elements, but only in passing as Bilbo's quest was the main focus).
Plenty of other characters have their roles and depictions altered, too. A completely new character (Evangeline Lilly’s Elf warrior Tauriel) is even thrown in to make a romantic subplot, as is Orlando Bloom’s Legolas for no real reason other than he’s a popular character. None of this is done badly, but it’s all a little intrusive, as if they shuffled a few unrelated scripts in with one following the book. I won’t go so far as to say it disrespects the source material (Jackson’s love of Tolkien’s work is all too apparent for that to be the case). Still, it seems just a bit like they piled on more subplots than needed so they could stretch it out to three films, instead of the originally planned two.
But extra plots aside, the main storyline of Bilbo and company’s journey is excellent. It’s easily the most broken narrative Jackson’s given us, starting abruptly and ending on a full-fledged cliffhanger instead of a moment of rest like its predecessors. It makes up for that, however, by offering little but the good stuff, all the most exciting parts of the story (well, almost all of them; some were saved for next year, no doubt). We even get some character moments when things slow down, specifically the subtle awakening of Bilbo’s bloodlust as the One Ring he found last time starts to take hold of him, and how greedy lust for gold begins to corrupt the charismatic Dwarf leader Thorin (Richard Armitage).
But the star of the whole thing is the dragon, and he’s quite an awesome specimen to behold. It’s probably the most amazing, awe-inspiring CGI creation since the first Jurassic Park. Yet, Smaug’s as fully realized a character as Andy Serkis’ Gollum, not some soulless special effect. Just the half-hour or so he’s onscreen is worth the lengthy runtime (shorter than previous entries but still rather long), although there’s plenty more amazing visuals and exciting sequences, as well. Other highlights include a very spooky forest full of oversized creepy crawlers, and a river battle that boomerangs from thrilling, to silly, to hilarious comedy, and back again.
Such moments are what matter most, I think, for these movies are as much about story as spectacle. But it’s spectacle done with love and imagination, not empty blockbuster flash. It’s obvious Tolkien is near and dear to Jackson and his collaborators. It’s fun to travel with them to Middle-Earth, even if the journey veers off the author’s pages.
But extra plots aside, the main storyline of Bilbo and company’s journey is excellent. It’s easily the most broken narrative Jackson’s given us, starting abruptly and ending on a full-fledged cliffhanger instead of a moment of rest like its predecessors. It makes up for that, however, by offering little but the good stuff, all the most exciting parts of the story (well, almost all of them; some were saved for next year, no doubt). We even get some character moments when things slow down, specifically the subtle awakening of Bilbo’s bloodlust as the One Ring he found last time starts to take hold of him, and how greedy lust for gold begins to corrupt the charismatic Dwarf leader Thorin (Richard Armitage).
But the star of the whole thing is the dragon, and he’s quite an awesome specimen to behold. It’s probably the most amazing, awe-inspiring CGI creation since the first Jurassic Park. Yet, Smaug’s as fully realized a character as Andy Serkis’ Gollum, not some soulless special effect. Just the half-hour or so he’s onscreen is worth the lengthy runtime (shorter than previous entries but still rather long), although there’s plenty more amazing visuals and exciting sequences, as well. Other highlights include a very spooky forest full of oversized creepy crawlers, and a river battle that boomerangs from thrilling, to silly, to hilarious comedy, and back again.
Such moments are what matter most, I think, for these movies are as much about story as spectacle. But it’s spectacle done with love and imagination, not empty blockbuster flash. It’s obvious Tolkien is near and dear to Jackson and his collaborators. It’s fun to travel with them to Middle-Earth, even if the journey veers off the author’s pages.
No comments:
Post a Comment