Around this time last year, New Line Cinema and Metro Goldwyn Mayer presented us with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to big screens. It is the beginning of a series of three films adapted from a book written by J.R.R.Tolkien titled The Hobbit. Tolkien is known for writing the three novels Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King which is part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This trilogy of books was also adapted into a trilogy of films from 2001 to 2003.
Returning to the helm is director Peter Jackson, who was responsible for the Lord of the Rings trilogy films and the first Hobbit film. The second film in The Hobbit film series is titled The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The film reunites Jackson with actors Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, and many more. Orlando Bloom joins the cast by reprising his role as Legolas from the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Also adding to the cast is the beautiful Evangeline Lilly and actor Luke Evans. Jackson co-wrote the film with his real-life wife Fran Walsh, Jackson regular Philippa Boyens, and established director Guillermo Del Toro.
How adventurous is this film and will it disappoint? Do read on...
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| Bilbo, the 13 dwarves, and Gandalf reach a climactic point of the film. |
The adventures of Bilbo Baggins, the 13 dwarves led by Thorin, and the wizard Gandalf continues as they journey to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim what rightfully belongs to the dwarves. Along the way, this band of misfits encounter various obstacles that would challenge their courage and spirit. As a group, they will face the greatest villain of all, Smaug the dragon.
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| Martin Freeman as the hobbit named Bilbo Baggins |
Strong and solid. Enough to garner attention towards the storyline. Good character development. Multiple plot lines were well outlined and enough to sustain interest. Please do note that the inclusion of Legolas and Tauriel, portrayed in the film by Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly respectively, were added by the writers and was not in the book it was adapted from. Just like the previous Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit films explores the themes of brotherhood, teamwork, courage, and determination. Good insertions of comedy.
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| Benedict Cumberbatch voices the villainous dragon Smaug. |
Despite the majority of actors being under heavy make-up and prosthetics, I find their acting to be reasonable good. A good blend of nice performances from an ensemble cast where no one actor tries to outdo another.
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| Actor Luke Evans (left) brings more acting credibility to the film |
Excellent. Director Peter Jackson manages to incorporate new angles and creative action sequences to make the film interesting. The amount of dramatic moments and action are well balanced. Visual effects was awesome. He did all this while still retaining some of his trademark shots (45 degree angles moving constantly) and still is interesting. Stay for the song at the end by Ed Sheeran who sings "I See Fire".
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| Orlando Bloom reprises his role as Legolas from the previous Lord of the Rings trilogy films |
For a film that runs for 161 minutes, it was not boring at all. Though there were some scenes that require a lot of talk and explanation, it did not feel boring.
TONE (MOOD):
An adventure on an epic scale told from the eyes of those considered a 'minority' in a fantasy world.
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| Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins enjoying a moment in the film |
Non-fans of adventure film might not find this suitable. Quite a long film.
UPSIDE:
Great adventure film. Strong underlying themes of the human spirit is clearly evident. Good for kids.
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| Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel and Orlando Bloom as Legolas in a scene from the film |
A must-watch for film-goers. Good popcorn film. Please note that you HAVE to watch the previous film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, before watching this film in order to understand key points of the plot.
RATING:
8.5 out of 10.
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