The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

December 12, 2013

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It’s rather devastating to report that Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth saga finally steps wrong with “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” part two of the director and co-writer’s “Lord of the Rings” prequel trilogy. “An Unexpected Journey,” the first installment of the “Hobbit” three-parter, may have had its detractors groaning about pace problems, but its richness is much preferred to the comparative bustling of “Smaug,” which seems to pander to a blockbuster crowd that wants little more than nonstop action.

Dazzling scope and technological wizardry have always been high points of what Jackson and his New Zealand-based team have conjured, but, like J.R.R. Tolkien’s storytelling, the pizzazz has been transcendent only when paired with a sense of history, intimacy, and vivid characterization. Fuzzy-footed hero Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), the hobbit who finds the One Ring that will come to be vital, is sidelined here for a parade of characters who aren’t rendered well either. Short of leader Thorin (Richard Armitage), the band of dwarves at Bilbo’s side are largely indistinguishable, as Jackson would rather serve up hectic set pieces than familiarize viewers with his players.

There are certainly segments that capture the mythological and genealogical hallmarks of Tolkien’s work, as well as the stunning aesthetic talents of the returning “Rings” crew. Headed toward their home of the Lonely Mountain to reclaim it from the greedy dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), the dwarves, with Bilbo in tow, encounter Tolkien’s pet themes of greed, power, and the alternating sins and glories of the past. And when Bilbo at last encounters the magnificent dragon, it’s an astonishing sight to see, as Smaug is one of the greatest CG creatures ever to hit cinemas, and his fight with our heroes is breathtakingly awesome.

Still, even while this movie incorporates exciting links to the “Rings” franchise, including a shocking encounter between Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and the true, ever-growing enemy of these tales, many seem somewhat garishly proud of themselves, a flaw akin to Jackson’s mainstream-actioner compromise. “Smaug” lets Middle-Earth appear as it never has and never should: Common.