The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Review

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


Release Date: 26th December 2013 - Australia


Production Companies
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
New Line Cinema
WingNut Films

Distribution
Roadshow Distribution


Genre: Fantasy

Rating: M

Runtime: 161 minutes


Budget: $225,000,000

Box Office Gross: $958,366,855
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Continuing on their epic
quest of adventure to bring
back the lost Dwarf
Kingdom of Erebor. Bilbo
Baggins accompanied by
the wizard Gandalf and
his thirteen Dwarf allies,
led by Thorin Oakenshield
are journeying through
track of peril and must go
to the dragon Smaug, who
still conquers their rightful
home. In order to reclaim
it, they must defeat and
slay Smaug and avoid
many obstacles as they pass.


Cast
Martin Freeman - Bilbo Baggins
Ian McKellen - Gandalf the Grey
Benedict Cumberbatch -
Smaug/The Necromancer
(Voice)
Orlando Bloom - Legolas
Evangeline Lilly - Tauriel
Luke Evans - Bard the Bowman/Girion
Stephen Fry - Master of Laketown
Ryan Gage - Alfrid
Cate Blanchett - Galadriel
Lee Pace - Thranduil
Mikael Persbrandt - Beorn
Sylvester McCoy - Radagast
the Brown
Manu Bennett - Azog
Lawrence Makoare - Bolg
Ben Mitchell - Narzug
Stephen Ure - Fimbul
Craig Hall - Gailon
Robin Kerr - Elros
Simon London - Feren
Dallas Barnett - Bill Ferny Snr
Matt Smith - Squint
Mark Mitchinson - Braga
Kelly Kilgour - Soury
Sarah Peirse - Hilda Blanca
Nick Blake - Percy
John Bell - Bain
Katie Jackson - Betsy Butterbur
Richard Whiteside - Butterbur
Brian Sergent - Spider (Voice)
Peter Vere-Jones - Spider (Voice)
Stephen Colbert - Laketown Spy (Cameo)
Jabez Olssen - Fish Monger (Cameo)
Peter Jackson - Albert Dreary (Cameo) (Uncredited)

The Company of Dwarves
Richard Armitage - Thorin Oakenshield
Graham McTavish - Dwalin
Ken Stott - Balin
Aidan Turner - Kili
Dean O'Gorman - Fili
Mark Hadlow - Dori
Jed Brophy - Nori
Adam Brown - Ori
John Callen - Oin
Peter Hambleton - Gloin

William Kircher - Bifur
James Nesbitt - Bofur
Stephen Hunter - Bombur


Crew
Screenplay/Producer/Director - Peter Jackson
Based on Novel "The Hobbit" - J.R.R. Tolkien
Screenplay/Producer - Fran Walsh
Screenplay/Co-Producer - Phillippa Boyens
Screenplay/Project Consultant - Guillermo del Toro
Executive Producers - Carolyn Blackwood,
Toby Emmerich, Callum Greene, Alan Horn
& Ken Kamins 
Producer - Carolynne Cunningham
Producer/Unit Production Manager - Zane Weiner
Co-Producer - Eileen Moran
Casting Director: U.S. - Victoria Burrows
Casting Directors: UK - Amy & John Hubbard
Casting Directors: New Zealand - Liz Mullane &
Miranda Rivers
Supervising Dialect Coach - Roisin Carty
Dialect Coach - Leith McPherson
Movement Choreographer - Terry Notary
Production Designer - Dan Hennah
Conceptual Designers - John Howe & Alan Lee

Storyboard Artist (Uncredited)/Splinter Unit Director - 

Christian Rivers

Supervising Art Director/Set Decorator - Simon Bright

Set Decorator - Ra Vincent   
Costume Designers - Bob Buck,
Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor 
Director of Photography - Andrew Lesnie
Second Unit Director - Andy Serkis 
Stunt Coordinator - Glenn Boswell
Special Effects Supervisor - Steve Ingram
Visual Effects Supervisors - Joe Letteri,
Eric Saindon, R. Christopher White and
Jeff Capogreco
Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital - Matt Aitken
Animation Supervisor/Visual Effects - David Clayton
Animation Supervisor - Eric Reynolds
Film Editor - Jabez Olssen
Music - Howard Shore


Review
Continuing on this trilogy of the 'LOTR' prequels, 'THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG' pops in with another breath for visual eye-candy and spectacular new layer of translation. Director Peter Jackson has got cultivation to tinker yet again in nearly completing a heavy forgoing saga with one final chapter left to go. I have not yet seen 'The Return of the King'. Owing the return of Orlando Bloom's character of Legolas is enough to contemplate the movie's good parts; he's my favourite 'LOTR' character. The last and neatest detail would be British actor Benedict Cumberbatch lending the terrifying performance of the dragon Smaug to the audiences with not just his mo-cap (motion capture) technique. His deep and intense vocabulary also makes him in the top spot highlight; particularly this Smaug succeeds to be the greatest visual counterpart of a dragon shown on cinemas.

'THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG' is a hypnotic volume which proves far or less like the other 'LOTR' instalments. This is a finest hour that takes fans through a fantasy world again and it is with relief that I can say this film is better than the first prequel.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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