With my impression of the first film being that it held no climax or build-up of tension, I hoped that the second would finally bring the climax I'd missed out on, without the need for pointless exposition.
Perhaps the film would have been better named as 'The Desolation
Caused by Smaug' or even 'Another fail for climatic cinema', because once again Peter Jackson failed to fulfil my expectations or even my vision - particularly in 48fps 3D. An entire 2hrs and 41minutes of nothing, was never going to be made better by looking like a 'b reel' home video - just with a few more dwarves.
Credit where credit's due, the VFX were slightly better than 'An Unexpected Journey'. In 48fps, the fire in the first instalment, looked unbelievably artificial however, in round 2 they did manage to step it up - probably quite important in a film about a dragon.
Perhaps taking its place at the top of the failometer was he use of the GoPro underwater shots that made it seem as though we were watching Blue Peter, rather than a fantasy epic. It completely ruined the aesthetic of the film, that in 48fps was already not up to scratch. Enhanced frame rates allow the tiniest flaw to magnifies to such an extent that we find ourselves removed from the fantasy that should grip our every fibre. The 3D aspect is pointless and could even be recognised as a hinderance as we were dragged into a world of poor visual effects and seemingly ungraded compositions that instead of capturing us, threw us out of the fantasy we wished to be captivated by. There were moments within the film that were pleasing to the eye, just not necessarily in 3D and most definitely not at 48fps. Instead, we are forced to reckon with the realisation of the never-ending running time and plot flaws that pay no heed to audiences whose bums are number than ever.
For me, the riddle on top of the mountain at the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor, was one of those flaws. Rather than build the tension to that point, we endure a slow-paced build towards nothing... for a very long time anyway. For example, the amount of time it took for the riddle to be solved to open the door to Smaug's hide, was far too long. The dwarves began descending the mountain so much so that they were out of sight. the moon took far too long to appear, leaving Bilbo dilly-dallying on his own, ridding us of our excitement for the doors discovery. By the time the dwarves return - we no longer care whether the door is open or closed. It also takes away from the moment we should really feel the magic for our heroes' return to their kingdom, instead it seems comedic that it is something they have treacherously fought to reach, yet they will give up and leave it behind. Our feeling is more one of irritance than excitement, as we have now endured a scene twice as long as it could have been: another anti-climax. It should be instantaneous, the sun goes down, the moon comes up and hey presto! Film lends itself to such timing - timing which Jackson seems to have no grasp of at all. After all, the film's length alone says it all doesn't it? Especially when NOTHING HAPPENS.
I also found the sub-plot a little pointless. As much as I enjoyed the visuals of Gandalf almost falling to his death within a crumbling mountain - I do not recall a purpose. His climb up the mountain and venture down within it, seemed more about wasting time, to allow Bilbo and friends to appear at their next destination. It also seems he was in the film more for the fans, than for the plot.
My favourite character redeemed the plot a little however, thank god! Bard, from the moment we saw him won over by the dwarves to cross the lake, was a character we couldn't wait to return to. As we witness the pompous Master of Laketown (Stephen Fry) converse with his servant about the misfortunate existence of Bard the bowman, we cannot help but fall prey to loving the underdog. As we witness his witty remarks, quick-thinking plans and love for his children we are finally plunged into a relationship worth getting our teeth into. Although, his roots are pretty clear to see, as soon as the legend of Smaug and the failure to kill him once before is told, we cannot wait for his time to shine. Needless to say, we never got to see it, as Jackson leads us to the most pointless third instalment I think I may have ever seen. It is obvious that Smaug will be killed by Bard the Bowman and Laketown will be saved - even if it comes off a little charred. Needless to say also that we shall sit our seats for another long-winded mountain trail towards the summit we will have been waiting for for two whole years.
It did help the film a little that I have a rather unexpected crush on Richard Armitage as a dwarf and there were some comedic moments that allowed us to venture away from focussing on the negative aspects of the plot. For example, the love that blossoms (albeit rather quickly) between elf Tauriel and dwarf Kili is an affair we cannot wait to unfold - and we don't wait long. It seems that Jackson fails to recognise exactly what the plot's climatic moments should be as he lets them dissipate into nothing as quickly as they come. The attack of the spiders, the escape from the elves, the romance, the entrance to the Erebor - all examples of things we should have loved but that were taken away from us too quickly (or destroyed by GoPro shots).
The one thing that should have had us on the edge of our seats was Smaug. The voice acting from Benedict Cumberbatch was top notch, although nowadays it's rather hard to tell what is acting talent and what is technologically enhanced. I also, could not really see the advantage of motion capture in terms of Smaug's facial movement. He was... ok, for me. Others have loved him and been wowed by him. I went in expecting a dragon, I got one. Well done Jackson, you did actually meet one expectation. Although WHY DID YOU NOT KILL HIM AND SAVE US ALL 3 HOURS OF OUR LIVES?! The audio of the coins within the chamber of Erebor was one of the greater moments for me, as you could hear every coin fall as Bilbo tries not to wake the sleeping dragon. That is about the only tension I felt within the film so a job well done there.
The other thing I seem to have liked so much I cared to remember it is the moment that finally our gaumless hobbit picks up a sword and uses it!
That...and this....just because it's pretty.
All in all, the visuals and plot were certainly better than the first film. It's just a shame that Peter Jackson dragged it on for so long. I would have loved it a lot more had all this happened in two films. Instead, we must now endure a finale where we already know what happens. Oh well - bring it on I guess.
6/10
All image rights reserved by MGM & New Line Cinema.
An intriguing review, well done
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