The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the second installment in the trilogy that started with The Hobbit (2012) and continued with The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). This fantasy action-adventure film is directed by Peter Jackson, written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro, and Peter Jackson.
produced by New Line Cinema and Wing Nut Films, based on the book The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. In this post, we look at the story and short reviews of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2014). In our final installment in our review series, we examine the finale of Peter Jackson’s second trilogy.
Contents
The Plot of the Movie
Assist Thorin in reclaiming Erebor and the Lonely Mountain. Twelve months after the last film, Azog and his Orcs pursue Thorin and his men. He brings them to Beorn’s house, a skin-changer who can shift into a bear. That night, the Necromancer summons Azog to Dol Guldur. Azog then gives Bolg Thorin’s chase. Taking Beorn, Gandalf discovers Black Speech carved on an old ruin near the Mirkwood border. Galadriel has also requested him to inspect the Nazgûl tombs.
He departs, advising them to keep on the path. They are lost in the woods and are caught by giant spiders. Invisibility ring Bilbo goes out to free the dwarves. To get the Ring, he brutally kills a monster. Tauriel and Legolas’ Wood-elves repel the last spiders. And they bring Thorin to Thranduil. Like the other Dwarves, Thorin is imprisoned after his battle with the Elvenking. Bilbo arranges an escape using empty wine barrels.
Kali gets injured by a Morgul shaft as Bolg and his Orcs attack. The Dwarves manage to elude both sides in a three-way pursuit down the river. As she leaves to aid the Dwarves, Legolas follows. Meanwhile, Gandalf and Radagast examine the empty Nazgûl tombs. The party is smuggled into Esgaroth by Bard. Thorin gives the Master and Laketown a share of the mountain’s riches. Smaug may be destroyed by the last black arrow held by that Bard, Dale’s last ruler. Fli,
In, and Bofur keeps an eye on Kli while the rest of the party departs. Radiant goes to tell Galadriel about the Nazgûl tombs while Gandalf travels north to Dol Guldur’s ruins. Azog ambushes Gandalf amid the Orc-infested ruins. The Necromancer defeats and overpowers Gandalf. Shortly after, Bilbo and the Dwarves return to the mountain forge, seeking to bury Smaug alive in the molten gold. Smaug arises from the gold, descends from the mountain, and flies out to destroy Laketown.
The Climax of the Movie
The climax of the movie is a significant turning point in the story. It is where things start to go wrong for the protagonist. In the case of the story, the hero has a last chance to stop something terrible from happening but fails and is subsequently left with no choice but to do something terrible. In this way, the climax symbolizes an event that causes a shift in how things work or change, after which there can be no turning back.
The climax of the movie is Bilbo’s confrontation with Smaug. Bilbo plans to destroy the dragon all along, but he doesn’t know how to do it. He gets help from the dwarves and Gandalf, but they are ultimately unsuccessful.
The dragon destroys Laketown, killing most of the people there and causing a lot of destruction in the surrounding area. This finally prompts Thorin to order Bilbo to kill Smaug himself; however, before Bilbo can do so, the dwarves manage to get him away and escape back up into the mountain with their treasure intact.
In the context of the story, the climax of the movie represents Bilbo’s failure to save people and turn things around in his favor. It is a turning point in the story where everything goes wrong for him, and he has to face retribution for his mistakes.
The Storyline of the Movie
The storyline of the movie follows the journey of a young hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, as he travels to Lonely Mountain to seek help from the dwarves in order to defeat their giant dragon- Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo meets several interesting characters and experiences many unexpected events that lead to some dramatic consequences.
The climax of the movie occurs when Bilbo and the dwarves are forced to flee from the dragon after it destroys Laketown. This finally prompts Thorin to order Bilbo to kill Smaug himself- a task which he ultimately fails to achieve. Despite this, the story concludes on a happy note with Bilbo and the dwarves returning safely home with their treasure intact.
The Characters of the Movie
The main character of the movie is Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who journeyed to Lonely Mountain in search of help from the dwarves in order to defeat their giant dragon- Smaug. Other key characters include Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the dwarves; Gandalf the wizard; Balin Breezecaller, captain of the guard; and Fili and Kili, two young dwarves. Each of these characters plays an essential role in contributing to or influencing events throughout the story.
Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins
Martin Freeman is the perfect actor to play Bilbo Baggins, as he perfectly embodies the character’s lovable and humorous personality. His portrayal of Bilbo provides the movie with a touching sense of humanity that makes his journey all the more relatable.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the second part of the Hobbit trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, and Benedict Wong.
The movie is based on the book The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is set in the land of Middle-earth, which is ruled by the dragon Smaug and his son Thranduil. Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit wishing to journey to the dwarves to collect their gold back from dragon Smaug, is forced out of the Lonely Mountain along with his friends Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield after it is destroyed.
The film follows Bilbo’s journey as he encounters evil beacons of the desolation of middle-earth before finally reaching Erebor, where he confronts and slays dragon Smaug. Martin Freeman’s performance as Smaug is one of the film’s highlights. He effortlessly convinces audiences that this giant dragon is both deadly and formidable- qualities that make him a compelling threat to our hobbit heroes.
Ian Mckellen as Gandalf the Grey
Ian McKellen is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors of all time, and his portrayal of Gandalf, the wizard, is fantastic. As the headmaster of the dwarves’ mountain home, Gandalf plays a pivotal role in helping to guide Bilbo along his journey. His wisdom and guidance are essential to overcoming several tough challenges that hobbit and dwarf face on their journey.
Tauriel as Dwalin Daughter of Dáin Ironfoot
Tauriel played an essential role in saving Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee from being killed by Orcs during the Battle of The Pelennor Fields. Her fierce determination and brute strength are valuable assets to the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain, and her performance as a warrior is impressive.
Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield Ii
Richard Armitage’s performance as Thorin Oakenshield is excellent. He convincingly portrays the character’s determination, courage, and strength- qualities that make him a formidable opponent to the hobbit heroes. Thorin is also responsible for leading the dwarves to reclaim Erebor from the dragon Smaug.
John Bell as Gollum
John Bell gives an outstanding performance as Gollum, who loyally serves Bilbo throughout his journey but eventually turns on him due to jealousy of Bilbo’s great riches. John Bell perfectly captures the character’s sadistic and calculating nature, making him a formidable foe to the hobbit heroes.
Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman
Luke Evans’ portrayal of Bard the Bowman is superb. Throughout the film, he convincingly portrays the character’s complex emotions- from glee at the first sighting of the Hobbit to sadness and regrets over his role in the Hobbit’s journey. Bard is an essential member of the Fellowship, and his skills as an archer are invaluable to their quest.
Overall Review
The Hobbit and the dwarf journey are tough ones, and the heroes face several complex challenges along the way. Regina King brings her A-game to the role of Tauriel, Richard Armitage shines as Thorin Oakenshield II, John Bell delivers an excellent performance as Gollum, Luke Evans cemented his status as a great actor with his portrayal of Bard the Bowman, and all together they make for a fantastic cast. The film’s overall quality makes it well worth watching.
Audience Review
The Hobbit is a film that fans of the hobbit trilogy will love. The acting by the cast is excellent, and the storyline stays true to the book. While the film is not without its flaws, they are relatively minor and do not detract much from the overall experience. Overall, The Hobbit is a great film that fans of the hobbit trilogy will love.
Critics
Empire’s Nick de Semlyen gave the film five stars out of five and commented, “Middle-earth has regained its luster. The film “takes our explorers into new terrain and provides spectacle by the ton,” according to Richard Corliss of TIME, who also named it one of the top ten films of the year, writing, “In all, this is a wonderful effort, near to the grandeur of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films.”
“After a rocky start with An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson’s ‘Hobbit’ trilogy finds its feet in this far more thrilling and meaningful second chapter,” Variety’s Justin Chang observed. “Nearly everything constitutes an upgrade over the first episode of Peter Jackson’s three-part version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s cherished masterwork,” commented Todd McCarthy of Hollywood Reporter.
He also said that The Desolation of Smaug’s High Frame Rate was superior to An Unexpected Journey’s. Mark Hughes, who reviewed the film for Forbes, was enthralled by it and felt it was a must-see. “It’s pleasing to see a filmmaker this in love with storytelling, this committed to creating entire worlds that’s a rare thing indeed, and for it to turn out so well is even rarer,” he said before concluding.
“The Desolation of Smaug is another grand entry in the Tolkien saga, raising the emotional and physical stakes while revealing more of the sinister forces.” It’s a beautiful site to see, and you won’t be sorry you went.”
Acting Performance
In this installment of the Hobbit trilogy, we see a different side of Bard. He is more confident, he has a lighter tone, and he is more open to helping people. He also becomes friends with Tauriel, a strong female character. At the beginning of the movie, Bard has a very tough time dealing with the loss of his brother. He has to learn how to be a leader and how to make decisions that affect others. The film shows his growth as a character, and it is very inspiring to see.
Box Office
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug earned $959 million globally, including $258.4 million in North America and $700.6 million in other countries. Deadline Hollywood estimates that the picture produced a profit of $134.1 million once all expenditures were taken into account.
It was the fourth highest-earning picture of 2013, making $209 million in its first weekend globally. The Desolation of Smaug grossed $8.8 million in North America at its midnight premiere, making it the second-highest December opening ever, behind only the first installment.
With $31.2 million on its first day, the picture was the biggest hit at the box office. [42] It stayed in the top position for the whole opening weekend, making $73,645,197, down 13% from its predecessor. For three weekends in a row, The Desolation of Smaug was the top-grossing film at the box office.
Ratings
Based on 250 reviews, the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 74 percent approval rating with an average rating of 6.80/10. “While still somewhat hampered by “middle chapter” narrative concerns and its imposing length.
The Desolation of Smaug provides a more confident, thrilling second chapter for the Hobbit trilogy,” according to the website’s consensus. The film has a Metacritic score of 66 out of 100, based on 44 reviews, which indicates “generally good” reviews. Audiences gave the picture an “A-” according to CinemaScore surveys.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of The Hobbit, then The Desolation of Smaug is definitely worth watching. It’s one of the best movies in recent years, and it is based on one of the most popular books in history. While the movie follows the storyline of The Hobbit, it also takes some liberties with specific elements and characters. But don’t let that stop you from seeing this movie! It’s worth watching because it has amazing action scenes and an excellent storyline. Let us know if you liked this movie or not.
FAQs:
1.What Happens in the Hobbit Desolation of Smaug?
Ans: In The Hobbit Desolation of Smaug, the dragon Smaug is released from his imprisonment and begins to terrorize the inhabitants of Lake-town. The dwarves plan to capture Smaug and bring him to Thorin Oakenshield, their leader, so that he may be killed.
Meanwhile, Bilbo Baggins is traveling with the wizard Gandalf and the Hobbit Thranduil through Mirkwood Forest in an attempt to find a way out. They are captured by elves and taken to their stronghold, Woodland Realm. They meet Elrond Half-elven, who tells them about the quest to reclaim Erebor from the dragon Smaug.
2.What Is the Desolation of Smaug Based on?
Ans: There is no one answer to this question based on the book “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien. However, some possible interpretations could be:
1) The desolation of Smaug could be based on the events that take place in the book when Bilbo Baggins and his company are captured by the dragon Smaug and are forced to make a harrowing journey into its lair.
2) The desolation of Smaug could be based on the final battle between Bard the Bowman and Smaug, in which Bard fatally wounds the dragon with a single arrow.
3.How Was Benedict Cumberbatch’s Performance as Smaug?
Ans: Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance as Smaug was incredible! He captured the dragon’s essence perfectly, making him seem both terrifying and lovable. We couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the role!
4.Why Did They Cut Out So Much From the Book, and How Does It Affect the Story?
Ans: The decision to cut out so much from the book affects the story differently. For one, it reduces the scope of the overall plot and the number of characters involved. Additionally, it alters how events play out onscreen sometimes changing them altogether.
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