Movie review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - fantasy takes flight

A cheerful approach to a chaotic trip in a magical land.

If you have seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey you will definitely be excited to watch the second movie of the trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, released in December last year. The movies are based on the novels by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

The second film revolves around the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), a burglar, who meets mythical and mystical creatures, who are often at odds with each other. With thirteen dwarves and a wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) embarks upon an epic journey through the Mirkwood Forest to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their homeland, Erebor and its gold, from the possession of the tyrannical dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), who has gripped everyone with fear.

To get to the daunting dragon, the group of self-serving do-gooders must open the secret door which leads to the hoard of the dragon before the last light shines in the sky. On their way, the wizard Gandalf separates from them to travel south which makes the plot even more mysterious.

On their majestic mission, the group comprised of Baggins, Thorin and the dwarves, is threatened by the Orcs, a group of goblin-like humanoids who want to destroy them. The rise of the Darkness who is the master of the Orcs is another dreaded threat that the team must face. “There is no light that can beat darkness,” says Darkness during a powerful scene. As the group moves forward, barreling through rivers, you will feel immersed into their journey, thanks to Andrew Lesine’s fantastic camerawork.

The movie will captivate you from the beginning with its powerful story line and maintain the suspense till the end. The fact that it is in 3D will make you feel like you experiencing the same adventure as the characters on screen. Instead of being shot at the normal 24 frames per second, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is shot at 48 frames per second, which gives it an added cinematic verve.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. It lives up to the high expectations that were set after the first film of the trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey did exceedingly well at the box office and got nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Production Design).

According to boxoffice.com, the second movie of the sequel has reached the $600 million milestone overseas — a proof that you can rarely go wrong with mystical creatures, feisty fight sequences and secret doors on the big screen. 

Rating: Four out of five stars

Saqib Nasir is a graduate from the University of Warwick and is currently working as a subeditor at The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 16^th,  2014.