The Desolation of Smaug

Part 2 of the Hobbit is just as long as part 1, but much more tedious.

I was sceptical when I found out that one book was being spun out into three long films. But part 1 did a pretty good job of winning me over: there was a lot of character development, and plenty of action, to go with the stunning visuals you expect from Peter Jackson. I think that film worked.

Unfortunately The Desolation of Smaug just seems like filler. Yes the visuals are still stunning, and there are bits of action, but the film takes nearly two and a half hours to get going... and then just stops!

I actually felt really fed up at the end. Like I'd been teased with a treat which was just snatched away. All the good parts leading up to that were largely forgotten. What a rubbish trick.

Does it make me eager for part 3? No. I haven't read the book but I think I know pretty much what is going to happen now. I can certainly wait another year to rent the third movie without needing to see it at the cinema. I will watch it, for completeness, but wont be paying out again.

Peter Jackson made a shed-load of money for some people with The Lord of the Rings. That was an epic story that needed three epic films to tell it. Those people obviously thought that PJ could magic another shed-load of money by turning a much shorter story into another three epic films. They were wrong. This franchise looks increasingly like a vanity project backed by greedy fools, preying on genuine J. R. R. Tolkien fans.

It is sad that The Hobbit wasn't made as a single epic film with the same actors as The Lord of the Rings. Together those films would have made a very nice set.