The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

By
⭐8/10

This movie is good! Is that a hot take? Is anyone thinking about the Hobbit movies these days?

Either way, I had a ton of fun watching this. This movie has a ton of awesome stuff. The problem, of course, is that is also has a ton of bad stuff. Again, I didn't love this movie when I first watched it, but I would say many of my thoughts have changed, and the parts I once thought were dumb are now my favorite sequences. 

The famous (maybe infamous) barrel scene is a perfect example. It is ridiculous, it's not in the book, and it's mostly about characters not in the book like Tauriel, Legolas and Bolg. But you know what? It's fun! And it's consistent with the tone of the book and I loved it. What a beautifully choreographed and realized scene (go-pro footage aside) and Bombur's sequence made me laugh out loud. 

Still, a lot of negative weighs it down, and honestly i feel like it's a lot of stuff that could be straight up cut and you would never know. I like the Gandalf side quest, but I'm not sure I love the execution. Bard's family dynamic definitely didn't land. I think the worst of all, though, is the drawf/ elf romance. I get the need for romance and female characters, but whew boy it just is not convincing and it's a shame. 

I also think it looks and sounds fantastic for it's time. This movie is over a decade old now, and it looks better than most CGI-heavy movies today. I think Smaug is amazing, looking even better than those late season-Thrones dragons (also I love Smaug in general here). Great edible pairing. 

So yeah, it's a flawed movie to be sure, but a fun one. I wish I would have appreciated it more in its time. Bless PJ, and bless Bard's sexy locks. 

Comments

  1. Tim Dyck8 January 2025 at 07:31

    I remember specifically not liking how Bard's kids call him "Da". In fact, why make him a family man at all? The casting is perfect, they just went overboard giving him more to do.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tim Dyck8 January 2025 at 07:31

    I also remember being very confused that the dwarf plan is constructing a big golden dragon for Smaug to look at, and then it melts?? Not sure what the logic was there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Joe9 January 2025 at 08:21

    It's kid movie logic! I thought it was dumb but fine for this, pretty cool sequence. I also totally understand how they wanted Bard to be a person. I was pretty shocked how little he is in the book when I reread it

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

By
⭐ 6.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) Watched this for the first time because we wanted a comedy, and it was fine. I laughed a couple times, mostly at Paul Rudd, whose character was amazing. Otherwise its just a 2000s raunchy comedy. These Apatow movies are way too long for comedies, and the feel-good endings take too long to get to. I liked the idea of a fake NBC show that Kristen Bell stars in, and those clips made me laugh. Jason Segel is fine, and he fits the depressed guy thing they are going for here. I will never understand why the two women in this movie are so beautiful and the two guys are pudgy idiots. I guess I do understand, given the target audience for these movies. Another thing, they clearly were in Hawaii for filming a bunch of this, but then there are a couple scenes that are clearly using a green screen for the background. Pretty weird, since I assume they were in Hawaii, so maybe reshoots? Felt kinda cheap. Anyways, good for a couple laughs, don't ever nee...
Read more

July Reading Favourites

By
Image
Look at that cover! This is a YA horror book written by a trans Canadian author that knocked my socks off. A small town has secrets it's trying to hide, and after the death of a boy and a newcomer arriving, things start slipping out of control. It's a book about being trans or queer and living in a small town, and how a community creating a facade of a perfect town can backfire. Also maybe closing your eyes to anything that's "not your business" is not good actually! It's violent and full of rage, and I loved the way it played with time and perspective. Check the triggers, but if you're interested in reading it, I'd recommend going in blind without looking at reviews or a longer description! This is a short book of essays about ableism and disability justice, specifically relating to technological advances for disabled people. Most of the essays focus on a different type of technology for different disabilities (prosthetics, hearing aids, cures for aut...
Read more

Magdalene's Favourite Books of 2024

By
Image
In 2024 I read another ABSURD amount of books, and I will not be commenting on what that says about me, my decisions, or the state of my mental health. So I'm just going to go straight into my favourite books of the year! I've posted about a lot of these in my monthly faves, but now you get to see which ones made it to my favourites of the year list! They're in no particular order. A Pacific Islander-inspired fantasy with unique, refreshing vibes. Hanalei returns to her home island, Her childhood best friend is looking for a dragonfruit to heal his mother, and Hanalei will use her connection with the seadragons to help. Lucier has a pretty simple way of writing, but the story was fun and beautiful, and it really took me on an adventure. Sid is a Korean adoptee living in a very white town that is over a crack where magic can get through. One day a Guardian falls, releasing magic and zombies, and it becomes a fight to survive. This is such an interesting blend of fantasy and ...
Read more