Nerds That Geek Movie Review - 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'

Written by Shae Rufe

​Alright, now, before I start the review, I should warn everyone that I am a a HUGE Tolkien nerd. No, really...I even have the book of Tolkien languages. No, I don't know Elvish....yes, it's on my list of things to learn before I die. See? Nerdy? Almost painfully so.

That being said I liked this movie but at the same time I kind of didn't. The second installment of the trilogy carries on with a flashback. We see how and why the Dwarves are off on their journey and learn that there's a bounty on Thorin's (leader of the troupe and future king) head. We then flash forward to the present where the Dwarves, their Hobbit, and Gandalf are still on their journey. Seriously, there's a LOT of walking in these books/films.

The things I did like about this movie were a lot of the parts that were actually in the book but expanded upon. Seeing the giant spiders come to life was pretty cool. Bilbo's corruption thanks to the Ring was also subtle but nice to see. I also love the utter beauty that is Middle Earth. Which puts New Zealand on my top ten travel list! The movie was beautiful, there is no doubt about that. Some of the additions made were pretty cool too. Legolas and Tauriel made a fantastic fighting pair of Elves; Legolas's dad is a total tool, and I now see why Aragorn went for an Elven wife, they're totally awesome.

Plot wise, though, I felt like three hours was a bit long. For the entire movie only three major plot movements were accomplished. 1. We set up a relationship between Kili and Tauriel. 2. We introduced one other major character. And 3. We finally made it to the mountain and saw Smaug. That last part was frustrating though because it was towards the end of the film. That being said, I want to commend Benedict Cumberbatch on his amazing performance. He truly brought Smaug to life with his amazing voice. The entire cast of The Hobbit is so perfect I really am just in awe of them all. Every actor brings such life to these characters; far beyond what I could ever imagine from the novel.

That being said, the only thing I didn't like about the film was that Smaug was not in it longer. Seriously, Benedict's voice is so amazing I could listen to him talk forever. Also, Martin Freeman is the perfect Bilbo. In the end, while we didn't hit a lot of major plot points in the movie, there is so much action that the time does fly by at many parts. (Unless you're a Shae and you drink a large Icee....or two in the theater…) It is a good movie, and it definitely motivated me to reread the novel. 

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