The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Movie Review

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Movie Review

Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom
Director: Peter Jackson

So, the adventure continues.


It's the second part of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, and all eyes are on the film to ramp up the action and introduce some new characters (one a woman in the form of the elf Tauriel, played by Lost star Evangeline Lilly) as well as move the story on.

At the end of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Bilbo and the company of Dwarves had survived being attacked by Azog and the Wargs and were heading East to the kingdom of Erebor.

But trouble was awaiting them in the form of the sleeping dragon, Smaug, voiced by Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, who was awakening from his slumber in the Lonely Mountain to take on any who would enter...

In The Desolation of Smaug, Bilbo and the Dwarves face yet more peril, as they continue their journey to the Misty Mountain. From a dangerous skin-changer, swarms of giant spiders in Mirkwood and being captured, the Company face threats they could never have imagined. However, it's when they find themselves at the Lonely Mountain that danger lurks - the dragon Smaug....


The second part of the trilogy brings the action - and then some.

It's a great pay-off when compared to the slightly more sedate pace of the first Hobbit movie, which saw some criticise Jackson for stretching the story as far as it could go, without actually doing anything.

But what you come to realise is just how much Jackson invested - and forced you to invest - in the journey of the Company of Dwarves as the Desolation of Smaug plays out. It begins with a prequel in Bree, on the edge of the shire (complete with a cameo from a certain director) and then doesn't let up until its final scenes leave the audience screaming for an immediate conclusion, as the threads dangle precariously in the wind.

As the film zips along, overcoming its narrative constraints (two sequences see the Dwarves captured by different factions, leading to fears of repetition), the world Peter Jackson, J RR Tolkein and Fran Walsh have created is expanded with a rich resonance that's hard to deny. New characters thrive in this second film, which brings tragedy and ominous consequences to the fore - despite occasionally stuffy dialogue being uttered by some (chiefly, Lee Pace's Elven King Thranduil).

See the pictures from the New Zealand premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Newcomers to the world include Evangeline Lilly's kickass feisty female elf Tauriel, who saves the day more than once, manages to give Orlando Bloom's Legolas a run for his money in the swashbuckling, arrow-firing stakes. There's a hint of something between her and Aiden Turner's Kili, which softens some of the harder edges of the years old conflict between the Elven race and the Dwarves, but Lilly manages to make every moment on screen count - even though she's essentially one third of a love triangle with Legolas and Kili. By the end, you'll wonder exactly how she was never part of the original book. But there's also tragedy in this film, with many characters suffering and lamenting a harsh fate in life; from Luke Evans' excellent Bard the Bowman to Richard Armitage's Thorin Oakenshield, even Martin Freeman's Bilbo Baggins are hardened and changed by their journey - and subtle performances all round do much to add to this fantastical tapestry.

Once again, Freeman is mightily impressive as Bilbo; this time around, the Baggins has got some baggage of his own as the weight of carrying the One Ring starts to change him, at once giving him courage and elsewhere leading to uncertainty; and Freeman doesn't shy away from letting the moods change on his face as well as indulging in some quite brilliant physical comedy. Unfortunately though, some of the company of dwarves are this time around sidelined from the film, with there barely being a moment to dwell on their interactions or characters; equally, the main characters merely propel the action rather than be fully affected by it; similarly, a side story thread with Gandalf is more about setting up a pay off in the third film, rather than providing a resolution during the film. It's a shame for a movie on its own, but if you start to think of these films as a series rather than individual stand-alone movies (which they really should be as number two in a trilogy), then you won't feel as short-changed.

The set pieces in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug are thrilling once again thanks to the stunning technology showcased by the 48 frames per second way of film-making; spiders will never seem the same again after a horrifying attack early on causes many a jolt from the seat - and Jackson's eye for intricate action sequences are highlighted in the giddy exciting escape sequence which sees the Dwarves flee the Elves in barrels; from quivering arrows to eye-popping moments, that one chase offers more thrills and danger than anything seen for a while. These sequences are technical marvels, effortlessly weaving the action without overloading the senses. Talking of overloading the senses though, praise must be heaped on the film's score, which is by turns, majestic when it needs to be and graceful in the quieter moments.

However, the finest part of the film comes nearly two hours in - and when it does, you realise just how much you've been waiting to see it - the dragon Smaug. Previously glimpsed in trailers and hinted at, this creature is a marvel of technology, a computer generated serpentine lizard that's as much a symbol of greed as it is a creature of cunning and deviousness. With Benedict Cumberbatch's rich tones adding a sinister and slimy texture to the character, the scenes with Bilbo trying to charm the dragon while finding his booty are rich with menace and ooze impressiveness.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ends on a cliffhanger with the stakes raised incredibly high and Martin Freeman's Bilbo asking "What have we done?" and with you knowing there's at least another 12 month wait to find out. The simple answer though, Bilbo, is that you've created a fantasy film that once again soars above expectations, delivers a magical journey in spades and effortlessly commands and rewards your attention through its 161 minutes run time.

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Pictures from the charity gala premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Pictures from the charity gala premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Wellington's Embassy Theatre gave The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug a thrilling gala premiere tonight in the capital.

Six of the company of dwarves were also in attendance for the charity event - take a look at the pictures below:

Wellington gets ready for Hobbit gala

Wellington gets ready for Hobbit gala

The capital's getting ready for An Unexpected Journey back to Middle Earth tonight.

The charity gala premiere at the Embassy Theatre comes just one year after the first part of the Hobbit trilogy had its world premiere in the capital.

Tonight's event comes just a few days after the Los Angeles premiere of the Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which saw the stars of the second part of the trilogy coming out to play. There's no word yet on whether any of the international cast will be heading back to New Zealand for the event tonight, which aims to raise money for the Island Bay Marine Education Centre.

The main attraction on the red carpet tonight (which could be black a la Los Angeles) will be the contingent of dwarves. Among their number, Jed Brophy (Nori), John Callen (Oin), Mark Hadlow (Dori), Peter Hambleton (Gloin), Stephen Hunter (Bombur) and William Kircher (Bifur) will be on hand to greet fans and sign autographs.

The second film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, has already received positive reviews from early premieres and is due to open in New Zealand on December 12th.

The film follows Martin Freeman's Bilbo Baggins as he journeys with the wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the Lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

Pacific Rim: Blu Ray Review

Pacific Rim: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Warner Home Ent

In this latest from the visionary Guillermo del Toro, an alien force known as the Kaiju have invaded from under the sea via a portal. In order to try and survive the onslaught, humans have created giant robots (aka Jaeger) to take the fight to the Kaiju. But seven years into this war, millions have been killed, cities destroyed and defeat stared right in the face. All that stands in their way is Sons of Anarchy's Charlie Hunnam's Raleigh Becket, who's already lost his brother to the fight to the Kaiju when their robot got smashed to pieces. Leading the charge is Marshall Stacker Pentecost (!) aka Luther's Idris Elba - when the government decides to close down the Jaeger programme, he alone decides to fight on rather than to decommission the robots....

The movie Pacific Rim is simply giant robots vs giant sea monsters - a kind of Godzilla vs Transformers(and woe-betied any piece of masonry which gets in the way).

It's clearly a passion project of del Toro's and a lot of suitably impressive work's been put into the creature features and the battle sequences. So much so, that the semblance of any kind of in depth story or human character / development has gone by the wayside - although, cheesy dialogue a-plenty is there in spades.

And the characters are pretty predictable too - the wounded soldier on a path to redemption, the rookie scientist whose desire to satiate vengeance is her driving goal, the scientists who are a bit kooky and a comedy double act (with Charlie Day channeling Rick Moranis and Torchwood's Burn Gorman going all limpy as the theoretical yin to Day's practical yang) and a commander-in-chief who has the ability to deliver a killer speech when it matters most.

With throwbacks of B-movies and plenty of theGodzilla vs series, del Toro's crafted something which is immeasurably dumb but incredibly action-packed, which will satiate the appetite of those simply searching for a big serving of spectacle. Sure, Pacific Rim is big but not clever, but as blockbuster spectacle goes and for its genre as an FX fest, it's certainly nothing more than it says on the tin.

Extras: 14 featurettes, commentary - a good solid bunch

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Doctor Who: Complete Series 7 Blu Ray Review

Doctor Who: Complete Series 7 Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by BBC And Roadshow Home Ent

So, the last full series outing for Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor hits the small screen. And it's also a farewell to Amy Pond and a welcome to Clara.

Taking in 15 episodes, this set is of a varying quality storywise; from the highs of the Name of The Doctor (with its thrilling opening nod to the show's 50 years) to the lows of the Rings of Akhaten, there's one thing this show is never short on - ambition.

Matt Smith is never less than excellent in this - and Karen Gillan and Jenna Coleman certainly give the edge as the companions, but this series doesn't quite match the highs of previous ones, despite everyone's intent and commitment. The farewell to the Ponds is heartbreaking, but the introduction of Clara and subsequent mystery is a little rushed and leaves you feeling the show wasn't sure what it wanted to be this year.

However, the reintroduction of the Ice Warriors and the Great Intelligence showed the creativity is still alive. Extras to the set are also abundant - with 6 prequels (quite short) 15 behind the scenes pieces, 4 commentaries, making of and some documentaries make up for it. And the fact Matt Smith is on the commentary for Hide is a nice touch - but would have loved more of him.

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Ratchet and Clank: Nexus: PS3 Review

Ratchet and Clank: Nexus: PS3 Review

Platform: PS3
Released by Sony Computer Ent

There's just something about the Ratchet and Clank gaming series that I've always been addicted to.

A heady mix of cartoony fun, shoot'em up and nice succinct storytelling, it's been very rare for the game franchise to file a miss - even a lesser Ratchet and Clank game is something to enjoy; Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal is a game I've played through 3 times.

So another release, Ratchet and Clank: Nexus is bound to be something that I'd enjoy. All the elements are there in this final installment in the Future series; smashing boxes to grab bolts, upgrading weapons, great cut scenes...

The story this time around sees R&C out for revenge after two of their pals are killed when the prisoner they're escorting, Vendra Prog, breaks out. The duo are left stranded and have to fight their way back and save the day - once again.

Shorter than the usual R&C games, Ratchet and Clank: Nexus is no less of a R&C game; all the fun elements are there to enjoy once again; from grav portals to weapons, and a shiny HD feel, there's nothing missing in this latest outing. With an array of weapons that include the Nightmare box that unleashes ghosts and ghoulies on the bad guys, the developers have lost none of the inventiveness and zaniness which have been symbolic of the series throughout its years on PS2 and PS3.

You can pick holes as much as you want with this series - but what you're doing is denying the fun that's to be had with it. Sure, this latest is a shorter game (about 6 hours of your life) and you want more, but there's no way you can't deny you've had fun as it plays out; I've come to love the Lombax and his little robot buddy; from battle arenas to weapons, there's much to enjoy in this outing - and isn't that what counts these days?

I dearly hope this isn't the end of the series - as I said, there's never been a bad Ratchet and Clank game and given that I go back to them time and time again, there's something to be said for the everlasting durability of this series which is extremely hard to deny.




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Need For Speed: Rivals: PS3 Review

Need For Speed: Rivals: PS3 Review

Released by EA
Platform: PS3

The Need for Speed series is back - and with a Need For Speed movie with Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul on the way, you could say its profile has never been higher.

The racing open world game has always been a thrill with its last installment, Hot Pursuit, in Redview County keeping me engaged for hours, as I batted back between police and street racers, trying to catch and wreak havoc in alternate measures.

Need For Speed: Rivals is about offering nothing other than car smashing / car racing activity - and boy, is it as compulsive as ever. You can choose whether to be on the side of the law, with upgrades to technology helping you rid Redview of the racing carnage, or can line up as a street racer, bringing utter speeding chaos as the police try and track you down, and bring your illegal speeding career to an impromptu end.

From choosing different cars, the careers mode offers a lot of deep engaging gameplay thanks to simplicity of racing and crisp clear graphics which stand out. This is all about the chase and it's adrenalin pumping as it kicks into gear. The world around the tracks has been beautifully realised and the game soars because of it. The cars themselves look a lot clearer than they have done for a while, and the HD sparkle is clearly evident from beginning to end. And the scenes when the cars are wrecked are as enjoyable as ever as they career all over the place before settling into their final resting place.

However, it's the AllDrive element which is the most fascinating touch to Need For Speed: Rivals. This seamless mix of online multiplayer and normal campaign mode is an intriguing idea - basically, while playing, if connected online, you get thrust into a game with 5 other players, who are all working on their own campaign and aims; but if you want to shake things up and take out other drivers or work with them, you can.

It's a great idea from the developers and brings another world to the game which is progressive and shows the series isn't resting on its admittedly successful laurels. Hot Pursuit was a great entry in to the Need For Speed series, and Rivals is equally as effective, snaring racers, cops and casual gamers in their web. This is arcade racing at its very best; easy to control, simple to play and thrillingly engaging and effective.

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