Movie Review-The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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Finally, Part Three of The Hobbit has arrived! What did I think of it? In a sentence, there was a whole lot more to like in here than the first part, but also a lot more to get used to. You see, Peter Jackson decided to take many liberties from the original material, introducing characters and story-lines that never existed. Is this a bad thing? For Tolkien purists, yeah, they'll be riled up. But if you're willing to accept the movie for what it is, it is FANTASTIC.

Warning: If you have been trying to know as little about the movie as possible, read no further. If however, you've been watching the trailers and hearing news about it, I don't think I'll surprise you with new information. 

Things I Had Trouble With

As I am a big Tolkien fan and absolutely adore, I was full of mixed feelings and complaints after first leaving the theater. The story had so much added and changed content! So as a book retelling, its pretty independent.

I would have loved to see more of Beorn's House and the Elven King's halls. Only glimpses of these were seen, though very pretty glimpses.

One thing that took major getting used to was how they portrayed the Elven King. I won't give away spoilers, but I will say they gave him some background that gives him a very interesting personality. My opinion on this depends entirely on the condition that they reveal the noble guy he is in Part Three.

Also, this isn't something I'm having a major problem with now, but it is probably the main sore spot for critics. Tauriel, a elf-maiden warrioress, has been entirely created for the movie. And despite what Peter Jackson said, she and Legolas obviously are interested in each other. When I first heard of Tauriel, I rebelled against the idea and snarled that she better not be a romantic interest for Legolas. Now I say that since we knew zero about Legolas's private life as prince, it's not unreasonable that he falls in love. And if he's going to fall in love, Tauriel is the girl for him. I actually really like her, despite the cheesy way in which she often enters the screen. Despite being a gutsy warrior, she's sweet and compassionate. However, things aren't going smoothly for my favorite cinematic elf prince. His dad disapproves of the girl (lower-class, you see), and plus Tauriel seems to be developing feelings for a certain cute dwarf (rather they're romantic feelings or not is as yet undecipherable) causing Legolas to get a bit jealous (but not jealous enough to be a jerk, thank heavens).

Things I Absolutely Loved!

Smaug.

Smaug was the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (meant in the best possible way). O Smaug the Mighty. The unassessably wealthy. The Impenetrable. Dazzlingly marvelous! Perfect! Flawless! Stunning!

I. Loved. Smaug. All I'm going to say. I won't spoil anything for you.

Also, the events within Dol Golder with a certain Necromancer is fantastically done with creepy good effects. Once again, I can't spoil too much, but it was awesome. And a certain quote from Azog in reply to a certain someone made my mouth drop open. "We are legion." Direct quote from the demon who answered Jesus. I'm pretty sure that was intentional.

Bard the Bowman was wonderful. He quickly escalated to one my favorite characters in the movie. Plus, making him a caring father added such a warmth and realness to the movie, despite that this wasn't shown in the book. I adored having his kids as characters.

And the battle scenes with the elves were really cool. We even get to see a bit of elf/orc hand to hand combat, which was surprising and also kind of fun.

Things Viewers Might Like To Know

There's violence. I've heard it argued that its the most violent one yet. I'm not sure about that, but there was some gross orc beheadings that happened smack-dab in front of you, close enough to feel blood splatter. :P Plenty of orcs are skewered by elf arrows. But here's the reason why I don't have a problem with that. Orcs being skewered by elves. Much better than the other way around, yes? I probably flinched the most when an arrow is violently snapped off while in a hero's leg. Looked really painful.

Also, there's a large scene with spiders everywhere. Kind of freaky, even for someone who isn't terrified of spiders. My dad absolutely hates them, but he handled the scene pretty well.

Final Thoughts

Did I love it? Yes, I did. And after just finishing it the second time, I love it even more! I can hardly wait for The Hobbit: There and Back Again. That will be one intense movie, considering where this one leaves off. Wait, where does this one leave off? I guess you'll have to watch it, heh, heh, heh.

Exciting Upcoming Releases!

The future is full of things to look forward to. In fact, there are more things to look forward to than I can name. But here are some things that I'm eagerly anticipating!

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is releasing December 13th. SQUEEE! I'm so excited! Whether Peter Jackson is sticking to the children's book or not, he is at the very least, creating an exiting fantasy adventure to join in. And to the delight of my elf-loving heart, it looks like there's going to be a LOT of elf action in this movie.

An absolutely awesome poster of some absolutely awesome elves.

 Yes, yes, I know. Along with probably every other Tolkien fan, I rebelled against the idea of Tauriel. I still don't entirely approve, but I've resigned myself to her addition. To be honest, now that I'm resigned, I'm actually looking forward to her. So Peter Jackson created a fan fiction character to help the movies along. All right. As long as he doesn't go against the spirit and quality of the books, I'm willing to see what he comes up with.

Here's the link to the oh-so-exciting trailer 2!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=186079584912410

And I can't wait for the upcoming Disney fairytale remake of the Snow Queen--Frozen!
http://movies.disney.com/frozen/video/trailers/

Also, Jill Stengl, the mother of my very favorite author, Anne Elisabeth Stengl, is returning to writing novels! Her first novel in several years is going to be releasing this November! And from what I hear, it's going to be her best one yet! She's certainly picked a dramatic time...the French Revolution. Yikes! Here's an article she wrote about writing this novel that I found interesting.

What about you, oh readers of mine? Are there some things you're especially looking forward to in the near future?

A Hobbit Birthday

Gillian Adams, the creator of the blog of "Battles, Dragons, and Swords of Adamant" just had a birthday.

Happy Birthday, Gillian!!!

And in hobbit theme, Gillian is hosting an extremely generous giveaway! She will be giving away a book from a list of excellent novels to three lucky winners! Go over to her blog HERE to enter the giveaway!

Favorite Book #4--The Hobbit

"In a hole, in the ground, there lived a hobbit."

And thus begins one of the most beloved fantasy classics of all time. It is a famous line, one that sticks with you forever, but I love the next sentence just as much.

"Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort."

Image taken from Amazon.com

The book then goes on to describe how wonderful a hobbit hole is; it is a place you would never want to leave. But of course, Bilbo Baggins, the respectable owner of the said hobbit hole, is scooted out the door by a wizard named Gandalf, and is sent forth on a most uncomfortable adventure. Although it is most discomfiting, he will become very proud of it, especially of the battle at the end which he was "most fond of recalling long afterwards, although he was quite unimportant in it."


Bilbo is completely loveable. All he wants to be is quiet and respectable, and then he is facing trolls, escaping goblins, outwitting a slimy creature, quite a few elves, and a terrible dragon.

Above all, though it is a seemingly random event in the story, he finds a magic gold ring.

And of course, this sets the stage for the greatest fantasy epic of our time, The Lord of the Rings. 

The Hobbit, the prequel to LOTR, is far more whimsical then its successor, and in some ways I like it better. Mostly because it is so funny! There are very few books more charming then this one. I've heard many people say they can't get through the first chapter, but I find the first chapter delightful!
J.R.R. Tolkien was a incredible author, and he went on to publish many stunning, brilliant, but often dark stories and histories.

For me, The Hobbit, will be the one of the most beloved of his works. However, The Lord of the Rings, had a more profound effect on me, so it is one place ahead of the Hobbit in my listings, as you will see.

By the way, readers, what did you think of the movie The Hobbit: There and Back Again? I was  pleased with it, overall. I have a few qualms, but nothing serious. I cannot wait for the second installment! Because, well, I'm crazy over elves, over one in particular, and there are a lot of elves coming up!