The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

ACTION/ADVENTURE, SCI-FI/FANTASY

Into the Fire

7.75 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: PG-13 Frightening images and fantasy action violence

Release Date: December 13, 2013

Runtime: 2 hours 40 minutes

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Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien
Cast:  Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Dean O'Gorman, Aiden Turner, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Luke Evans, Sylvester McCoy, Barry Humphries, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly

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SYNOPSIS:  The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.

REVIEW: Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Lovely Bones, returns to the reins of the story that made Jackson such a premiere and acclaimed director of our time. Writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Jackson reunite to delve back into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien and the realms of Middle-Earth.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), his dwarf company, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) narrowly escape from an Orc ambush. Still being pursued, the company of dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard make their way ever closer to the Lonely Mountain. On the road they travel through more Orc infested hills, the giant spider infested Mirkwood, elf guarded forests, and an ailing fishing town at the base of the Lonely Mountain under the keep of men. During their travels Gandolf the Gray must say goodbye to the company in order to prove his own worries of a darkness that may becoming back into the world. With the evils of Orcs, the threat of the dark Necromancer, isolated Elves, and the greed and sloth of Men, Oakenshield, Bilbo and the rest of the company of dwarves may never reach the secret passage to the Lonely Mountain in time to face Smaug the Dragon.

Picking up immediately after the end of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug serves as the heart of The Hobbit trilogy of films. Using the same formula as Peter Jackson's original Lord of the Rings trilogy, hobbits, dwarves and wizards spend much of their time running toward their final destination, being captured and imprisoned, fighting off all manner of evil menace, and dealing with close minded and isolationist kings and kingdoms. Most return to the second film, and some new characters are introduced or pulled from the The J.R.R. Tolkien source materials.

Martin Freeman's Bilbo Baggins finds himself better prepared for the task of this adventure. He found something in the Goblin mines - namely his courage and an odd little ring. The company of dwarves, led by Thoren Oakenshield's Armitage, continue their venture as well looking more haggard and weary than Bilbo. McKellan's Gandalf is as enwizened and curious as ever, still able to wield a powerful staff and sword. Luke Evans plays Bard, a barge operator barely making a living in the small town of Laketown at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. Alan Cumberbatch lends his voice to the centuries old Smaug. Evangeline Liily is a new She-Elf name Tauriel, a captain of the guard of the Wood Elves. Orlando Bloom returns - for the first time - as Legolas the prince son of the Wood Elf king Thranduil (Lee Pace).

Peter Jackson's second installment of The Hobbit is as epic as ever, coming in at two hours and 40 minutes. With impressive vistas and long rolling shots of the hills and dales of the world of Middle Earth, the tale seems to have lost some of its urgency and magic. WingNut worked overtime to create more elaborate and epic CGI sequences. From the extended escape in the barrels from the Wood Elves and Orcs to the elaborate and gorgeous rendering of Smaug in his stolen under mountain treasure vaults, most of the effects are wonderful. And while the effects get better the repetitive nature of the film's storyline makes some of the quieter moments stale. Tauriel walks a fine line of repeating some of the same work that Liv Tyler's Arwen did in LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring. Even Stephen Fry's Master of Laketown is in possession of a wormy servant name Alfrid (Ryan Gage) a la a certain pale apprentice to Saruman in LOTR: The Two Towers.

Fans of the stories will appreciate all the love and care that Jackson, Walsh and Boyens put into The Hobbit. Newcomers to the franchise may be unprepared for the film's length or that it is the centerpiece of a three part single story. Beautiful and epic, Jackson makes fantasy as real as possible.

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The Three Musketeers (2011)

Blades and Breasts

Director: Paul W. S. Anderson

Writers: Alex Litvak, Andrew Davies, Alexandre Dumas
Cast: Matthew Macfadyen, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans, Ray Stevenson, Orlando Bloom, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Freddie Fox

SYNOPSIS: Athos, Aramis and Porthos are three brilliant and savoy musketeers who were betrayed, resulting in a critical failure on a mission for the French king. A year later, the son of a musketeer, D'Artagnan, comes to Paris to become a soldier like his father, meeting up and aiding the Three Musketeers in a cause to save the king and country from a diabolical plot to overthrow the throne.

REVIEW: Alexandre Dumas' novel "Les Trois Mousquertaires" has spawned many iterations and adaptations, both cinematic and literary. No less than 20 films have been made with one or more of the lead characters attached. Athos, Aramis, Porthos, and D'Artagnan have become part of the lexicon for period swashbuckling and honor-bound heroes, maybe second only to Errol Flynn's Robin Hood, Douglas Fairbanks' Zorro, or Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow.

Director Paul W. S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Event Horizon) takes a stab at a canon of characters that most recently (in 1993) were embodied by Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Oliver Platt, and Chris O'Donnell. With a script from Alex Litvak (Predators) and Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones's Diary), Anderson continues the Musketeer trend of daring sword fights, action, intrigue, and levity.

In the late 17th Century, musketeers Athos (Matthew MacFadyen - Robin Hood (2010)), Aramis (Luke Evans - Clash of the Titans (2010)), and Porthos (Ray Stevenson - Punisher: War Zone), in the employ of the French crown and with the help of double agent Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich - Resident Evil), try to retrieve Da Vinci's plans for a war machine. Double-crossed, the three musketeers, find themselves ousted from the ranks of the corp under the banner of the French crown. A year later, the son of a retired musketeer, D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman - Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief), travels to Paris to follow in his father's footsteps. Crossing paths with captain Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen - Clash of the Titans (2010)) of the Cardinal's royal guard, D'Artagnan bumps into the musketeers at their lowest points, and finds himself in the center of a under-handed plot to wrestle control of the french crown away from young King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox). As the musketeers venture forth, the involvement of Milady de Winter, Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds), and the English Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom - Lord of the Ring trilogy) comes into question.

Swashbuckling, at its heart, is clashing swords, drunken prose, and beautiful damsels - all with tongue-in-cheek levity. This year's The Three Musketeers is no different. Flashes of hardened steel, coupled with flashing smiles of swordsmen who love their work, fill the silver screen. When swords are sheathed, corseted ladies in waiting heave heavily, a French king worries about English fashion and the love of his queen, and a cardinal plots the overthrow of an entire nation.

Macfadyen, Evans, and Stevenson step into the musketeer boots as if they were born to play the roles. Athos broods, Aramis repents, and Porthos pines for the finer things. Young gun Lerman' D'Artagnan charms his way through the movie, even as his father's blade slices through the air and his opponents. Jovovich is gorgeous and dangerous. Christoph Waltz plays the Cardinal with superiority and subtlety. Orlando Bloom provides enough venom and contempt to possibly shed his naive Will Turner or his virtuous Legolas. And Freddie Fox plays King Louis XIII of France with aplomb and fancy.

A funny, fast-paced, action-packed popcorn flick, The Three Musketeers will entertain. Some cinema-centric people will see the gadgets of the musketeers and be reminded  of Will Smith's Wild, Wild West - but in a good way. Others will watch the cathedral top sword fight and think about Brandon Lee and The Crow. If you like swashbuckling and swordplay, The Three Musketeers will fit the bill. All in all, this film is all for one, and one for all!

WORTH: Matinee or DVD