The Desolation Of Smaug kicks off with a much greater sense of threat and urgency (in both editing and narrative) than the first Hobbit film, and maintains and builds on that throughout, making this second film a much more engaging experience. This is a Jackson film in which all the pieces fall into place - stunning design, great score, hugely ambitious and effective set pieces (the spiders and the barrels sequences are top-notch), a not-unbearable high-fantasy script, fantastic action but with some well-placed humour, confident direction - all building to an ambitious and huge-scale finale with a glorious cliffhanger for the final installment. The Elves work - Legolas is still handy in a fight (his CG-action avatar still occasionally rather cartoon-like), and Tauriel is a welcome feisty addition; Richard Armitage and Aidan Turner have more to work with and do so very effectively, the remaining dwarves still background players; Martin Freeman remains perfectly cast and delivers completely; the Orcs are relentlessly, graphically and too-easily disposable; and the crowning glory - Smaug is terrific, both in Cumberbatch's voicing and the impressive realisation on-screen. As the film started, it really did not feel like a year since the first film; the final film in a year's time cannot come soon enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment