The Desolation of Smaug - REVIEW

I rarely do book or film reviews on this blog (although I do a lot of book reviews on Goodreads), but after watching the second installment of The Hobbit, I felt inspired to share my thoughts. 

I write LOTR fan fiction after all, so this review is 'in theme'!

Of course, it's difficult to write a detailed review without giving away too much of the plot, or spoiling it for those who haven't yet seen the film - but here goes.

The Desolation of Smaug was a vast improvement on An Unexpected Journey.

Here are a couple of things that made this a much better film than the first installment of the Hobbit:

1. The tone was generally darker and more forbidding
2. The additions to the original story (generally) added to the film this time around
3. The characterisation was much better; characters such as Bard the Bowman, Kili and Thorin were developed well
4. The depiction of the Elves of Mirkwood: Thranduil, the Elven King was fantastically chilling, and Legolas was different to the character we see in The Lord of the Rings. Also, I was dreading the addition of the female elf, Tauriel - but she actually ended up being a great addition to the story. Plus, the twist to her character development - which I will not reveal here as I don't want to spoil things for those who haven't seen the film - was a pleasant surprise
5. Apart from the comical scene where the dwarves escape in barrels from the elves - which Jackson just gets away with - there was an absence of the slap-stick, over the top element that really grated on me in the first film. As I noted above, this film is much darker, and as a result I found myself much more invested in the fight and action scenes. Many of these frankly bored me in the first installment.
6. Smaug. The dragon is just fabulous. I'd watch this film again just for him!
7. Lake Town: This setting was brought to life with real attention to detail; it made you believe this town actually existed.

The only negative points I would raise is that some of my favourite scenes in the book - such as the capture by the spiders in Mirkwood, and the escape from the elves, seemed rushed. I also think that some of the New Zealand landscape (I'm a New Zealander so this is hard to admit!) wasn't quite right for this film. The landscape and forest of New Zealand are relatively young, and some of it didn't seem ancient enough in the film, particularly the forest scenes. New Zealand has dark, primeval forests, whereas Tolkien would have been inspired by the old forests of northern Europe. 

Minor points though, which hardly detract from the film.

So, do I recommend watching this film? Absolutely! It's a 'must-see' for an Tolkien fan but also an entertaining film for anyone who loves fantasy adventure. I'm already planning on going to see it again!