Movie Review: The Hobbit, Desolation of Smaug

   Hello! We are so sorry for the crazy delay of posts... We've had a bit of a stomach bug going around the house and have been unable to write them. Anyway, we feel much better now, so here's that Movie Review we promised!

Title: The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug

Rating: PG-13

Our Rating: 5/5

Plot: Bilbo Baggins continues on his journey with 13 dwarves and the wizard Gandalf. He encounters giant spiders, the wood elves, the skin-changer Beorn, and a mysterious man named Bard. All to retrieve the Arkenstone from the clutches of an evil dragon called Smaug; and reunite the dwarf kingdom under the reign of Thorin Oakenshield.

   We thought that this movie was amazing! It really kept you on the edge of your seat until the very end. We talked about it for about three days after we watched it, and are greatly anticipating the release of the third and final movie in this trilogy.

Bilbo: Bilbo is a rather comical character, being a home-body who has no taste for adventures in the beginning, the poor fellow goes through a great deal of discomfort. In this movie, you begin to see his adventurous side as well as his cunning abilities.

Smaug: Smaug is the evil dragon that stole the dwarve's Arkenstone and destroyed their kingdom. He now guards the Lonely Mountain (the dwarve's previous home), and lives among the mountains of gold and jewels there. He will not give up his riches without a fight.

Gandalf: Gandalf is the wizard that brings the dwarves together to regain their kingdom. He is also the one that pulls Bilbo into the story as the group's "burglar" :). Gandalf is much more than he seems, and fights fearlessly to defend his friends.

The Dwarves: Thirteen dudes of pure awesomeness. These guys are seriously hard core and will fight even a dragon to take back their beloved kingdom. Thorin is the leader, and the rightful ruler of the Lost Kingdom Under the Mountain.

Tauriel: Tauriel is a wood-elf who sets out to defeat the evil that is encroaching on her kingdom. She also develops feelings for the dwarf named Kili. She is willing to go against the wishes of her king if it means that good will prevail over evil.

Legolas: Legolas is the prince of the Wood Elves and leader of their army. He joins Tauriel in looking to defeat the growing evil around their kingdom. He has growing feelings for Tauriel, but his father disapproves.

Bard: Bard is a bargeman that lives in the town near the Lonely Mountain. He helps the group enter by smuggling them into the town and hiding them in his home. He has reasons of his own for wanting to defeat the dragon.

Elinor's Thoughts: When I saw this movie in December when it came out, I absolutely LOVED it! At that point my sister was a bit unsure of the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit movies, she didn't really know if they were something she would like; but when I went on and on about how great this movie was, I talked her in to watching them with me and now she loves them just as much as I do!

I love this movie and everything about it! Being that I am currently working through the book, I loved seeing how well the actors portrayed the characters and truly bringing them to life. I will warn those that have read the book however, that there were several elements to the movie that were not included in the book. There wasn't a change the actual story, but there were some new turns to the story. This didn't bother me at all (in fact I rather enjoyed the new plot twist), but if you are a huge fan of the book and wouldn't want changes to it I thought I might point this out. I would definitely recommend this movie, but (depending on maturity level and fear of orcs) probably a 12+ audience.

Marianne's Thoughts: This. Movie. Is. Awesome. Ha! That's pretty much the best way to sum it up! While the first Hobbit movie (The Unexpected Journey) was great, this one totally passed it and I can't wait to see the next!  I've seen all the Lord of the Rings movies and didn't think this would top them... I'm not sure if it tops the third Lord of the Rings (Return of the King)  but it comes really close! Now, I will warn you, there are some rather frightening/violent scenes in this movie, and it is not appropriate for children, but it is SO worth your time! It's about 3 to 3 1/2 hours long, so you need to be able to just sit down and enjoy watching it. It is an amazing movie that combines action and adventure with a super complex and interesting story-line. It's absolutely WONDERFUL! One of the only things about this movie that doesn't make it better than the Lord of the Rings, is the absence of Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's best friend. I know they couldn't have put him in this movie, after all, Bilbo is Frodo's uncle, but still, I just kinda missed Sam (you can read about him in our fourth Book Friends post). :) But overall, this is definitely one of my all-time favorite movies!