Nearly everything about "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" represents an improvement over the first installment of Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved creation, writes Todd McCarthy.
As ever, in terms of logistical mastery and marshaling of resources in service of a grandly involving bigscreen entertainment, one couldn’t ask for a better ringmaster (so to speak) than Jackson. There’s an unmistakable pleasure in being transported back to his Middle-earth, in being cushioned by the lush strains of Howard Shore’s score and dazzled by the elaborately detailed sets created by production designer Dan Hennah and his team, seamlessly integrating Weta’s topnotch visual effects.
EDIT: holy shit, Empire just gave it a relatively uncommon 5/5 stars, saying Peter Jackson's at his best.
And once he does, the film kicks into full throttle for an immense, half-hour finale that threatens to bring down the mountain itself. It’s Jackson once more at the top of his game; God knows what he has in store for part three.
Verdict
Middle-earth's got its mojo back. A huge improvement on the previous instalment, this takes our adventurers into uncharted territory and delivers spectacle by the ton. And in case you were wondering, yes, someone manages to say the title as dialogue.
As good of word of mouth this is receiving early on before its release, and considering the Academy's appreciation for the LOTR films...I wonder if this film could have a chance to get a Best Pic nomination. The issue, it seems however, is that 2013 is a stacked year for film, and AUJ's average critical reception seems it might hold DOS back.
I don't necessarily know if they can change the look of the technology, but they can certainly try to find a color grade/look that best caters to 48fps, and multiple reviewers have mentioned HFR looks much better this time around.
"For me, it never sagged once in its mighty two hour 40 minutes running time and the high-frame-rate projection for this film somehow looks richer and denser than it did the last time around. Maybe I'm just getting used to it."
From Peter Bradshaw writing for The Guardian (who gave it 4/5 stars)
