The Hobbit 2: Dwarves, elves, hobbits and the abomination that is Smaug

It has topped movie charts and earned $404million in two weeks. Believe me when I tell you, it is highly recommended!

This sequel to The Hobbit trilogy will excite and captivate both, the ardent fans of the book as well as the casual moviegoer who wants to see a fantasy based, Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) rich, action-filled, powerhouse that it is.



Directed by the able Peter Jackson, of Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, has now become as synonymous with being associated with everything ‘Tolkien’ related as the Hobbits themselves. With a running time of almost two and half hours, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a big feature film by Hollywood standards and one won’t be bored by its long duration since there is something for everyone, from kids to adults alike. There’s even a love triangle for those heartless romantics out there but let’s just keep it at that on an off chance of revealing any potential subplots.

Director Peter Jackson has won three Oscars for this work in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Source: IMDb

Some might say that Mr Jackson has taken some creative liberties, and added some plots and characters in the movie, which have no footing in the original book written by J R R Tolkien, who also wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy and won three Hugo awards. Fortunately he doesn’t steer too far from the original source matter.

J R R Tolkien, authour of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogy. Photo: Reuters



The base synopsis of the movie is that Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and company, a group of dwarves, are on a perilous journey to Erebor, the ‘lonely mountain’ to reclaim their home, birth right and treasure which was taken away from them by Smaug. They encounter many obstacles and hindrances in between.

(Above) Thorin and company (Below) The lonely mountain. Source: IMDb

There are many instances in which the audience will be awed by the sheer grandeur and scale of the movie, especially in those scenes where Jackson shows his technical and visual prowess of delivering some of the most visually striking moments of the motion picture. The ‘barrel scene’ is an example; another one is but of course the dragon itself.

Unarguably, the high point of the movie is the unveiling of the dragon, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch from the series Sherlock). ‘The chief and greatest of calamities’, as Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) puts it when he is conversing with the mighty beast in order to appease him but failing miserably in the process.

Smaug is horrifyingly nightmarish and the electric voice of Cumberpatch adds the icing on the cake. There is little doubt that it’ll send shivers down the spine of those who’ll witness it. The repartee between Bilbo and Smaug is stupendous.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug) and Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins). Source: IMDb

The CGI team deserves a standing ovation for conceiving this abomination that is Smaug; each emotion, each scale on the dragon, the movement, the wings and the fire effects has been exhaustively and meticulously shown in great detail. The audio score of the movie is also exceptionally good and resonates well with the on-going theme, whether it be action or emotional.

Photo: Reuters



In a nutshell, movie goers won’t be disappointed and will have their money’s worth when they see this movie. The movie studio is celebrating all the way to the bank as it is making an incredible amount from the box office business throughout the world.

It has topped movie charts in the United States and Canada, earning a worldwide total to $404 million just after two weeks. So believe me when I tell you, this movie comes highly recommended.

Photo: AFP