LEAD
CAST: Ian
McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline
Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, Orlando Bloom DIRECTOR:
Peter Jackson
SCREENWRITER: Peter
Jackson PRODUCER: Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner, Fran
Walsh EDITOR:
Jabez Olssen MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Howard Shore
GENRE: Action
& Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Lesnie DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bors.
Pictures
LOCATION:
New Zealand, United Kingdom, United
States RUNNING
TIME: 162
minutes
Technical assessment: 4
Moral assessment: 3
CINEMA rating:
V 14
The story opens with Gandalf
the Grey (Ian McKellen) and dwarven king Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage)
clandestinely meeting at the Inn of the Prancing Pony. Gandalf senses a dark force lurking in
the world, and advises Thorin to vanquish the dragon Smaug who had originally usurped
from them their mountain fortress, and to reclaim their domain Erebor. A year later, the 13 dwarves, the
hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the wizard Gandalf trek up the
treacherous mountain to its lone peak where the fire-breathing Smaug resides.
Although those who have read
the book swear that it is far superior to the film version, most viewers will
agree that one need not read Tolkien’s creation in order to enjoy the film.
The Hobbit: the desolation of Smaug’s appeal rests
on the novelty of the otherworldly milieu it presents. Never mind that it’s all fiction, and
fraught with bloodletting and violence—as long as it engages the imagination
and puts the viewer smack in the middle of the action. The serial offers ever-new perker-uppers
to keep viewers hanging on, but maybe two are outstanding: the dwarves’ bout
with the giant Mirkwood spiders that see their captives as “fat and juicy”
snacks, and their dicey escape riding in wine barrels bouncing along the rapids
down the river, a Bilbo Baggins stroke of genius. Indeed, the journey to Erebor to reclaim the dwarves’ lost
kingdom is so perilous that towards the end the dragon Smaug seems no more
menacing than a house lizard.
Is all that excitement—in a
world populated by trolls, goblins, skinchangers, elves, wild and wooly orcs
and monstrous talking spiders—meant as mere entertainment? All that gore—impalements by arrows and
spears, beheadings, stabbings, skull bashing, albeit decimating the number of
the bad guys—could make the viewer wonder, “What for?” Justice for the dwarves—in recovering a
“stolen” kingdom? Extraordinary
power for the victors? The message
is clear: it’s the ageless fight between good and evil, and the victor emerges
even clearer—noble heroism over greed and selfishness. The possession of power may be used for
good or bad, so what would you do if
you were part of that quest?
