Critics review 'Desolation of Smaug' | POSSIBLE SPOILERS

bungobaggins wrote:This review gave me a good chuckle (especially the first two paragraphs).

http://screencrush.com/the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-review/

That's probably the best DOS review I've read so far. I'm not surprised that the initial wave of gushing praise is starting to recede, but it is a little disappointing. :/ Although I've got to say, this part is really insightful:

As someone who has sympathy, but not empathy, for those who have such proclivities, I can get why someone might come away liking this picture. But that is more of an involuntary reaction to exposure to certain elements, not the summation of a film.

Just think back to how many people said of AUJ (or DOS) that they loved it mainly because they got to "visit Middle-earth again". Exploitation films for Ringers indeed.

Exactly.

That's one thing you pick up on about these movies. They have certainly been made with the fanbase in mind.  

The problem is mainly that just returning to Middle Earth doesn't impress hardened critics, neither does pandering to ones fan base.

But...but...but...NON-STOP ACTION! LOVE TRIANGLES! MOLTEN GOLD!!!

Eldorion wrote:

bungobaggins wrote:This review gave me a good chuckle (especially the first two paragraphs).

http://screencrush.com/the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-review/

That's probably the best DOS review I've read so far. :lol:I'm not surprised that the initial wave of gushing praise is starting to recede, but it is a little disappointing. :/ Although I've got to say, this part is really insightful:

As someone who has sympathy, but not empathy, for those who have such proclivities, I can get why someone might come away liking this picture. But that is more of an involuntary reaction to exposure to certain elements, not the summation of a film.

Just think back to how many people said of AUJ (or DOS) that they loved it mainly because they got to "visit Middle-earth again".  Exploitation films for Ringers indeed.

Yup, that part was pretty insightful. I remember reading someone's comment last year about how Radagast mentioned Ungoliant, and they basically had some sort of nerdgasm. Yeah, this reviewer has the fanbase pegged pretty well.

Two new reviews from Guardian and Indiewire.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/review-peter-jacksons-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-starring-martin-freeman-ian-mckellen-more-20131206

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/08/the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-review

Indiewire wrote:So while ‘Smaug’ has forward-momentum, and is replete with battles and evil conflicts (Orcs, giant spiders, a Necromancer, a pointless digression with a shape shifter that hates dwarves, suspicious and selfish elves), it’s actually the lesser and emptier of the two films (though I concede most audiences are probably not in need of much more and are likely going to enjoy this episode better).

Noooooooo. This is what I was worried about. All action and no characterization.

To be clear, I'm still withholding final judgement until I see the movie, but I think I let the burst of optimism from the initial positive reviews infect me despite my best efforts, and now I'm coming down from it.

Just you watch, now that the reviews are mostly coming out positive, they're going to be all the rage on torn. Unlike last year when it seems the general attitude was, "who cares what critics think?"

Eldorion wrote:
Noooooooo. :(This is what I was worried about.  All action and no characterization.

To be clear, I'm still withholding final judgement until I see the movie, but I think I let the burst of optimism from the initial positive reviews infect me despite my best efforts, and now I'm coming down from it.

You can do this Eldo. I know you can! Just keep saying to yourself, "Pacific Rim...Nothing to do with Tolkien....Pacific Rim...Nothing to do with Tolkien...Pacific Rim...Nothing to do with Tolkien....Pacific Rim..."

RT is starting to post the reviews.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_hobbit_the_desolation_of_smaug/

80% for critics. Hm...

There are only 5 reviews so far...

Protip: Look at the "Average Rating" directly underneath the tomato instead of looking at the big percentage next to the tomato.

Another line from the Screencrush review. Indeed very insightfull:

There comes a time when we must stop kidding ourselves. These ‘Hobbit‘ films – with ‘The Desolation of Smaug‘ representing the shank of the trilogy – are not real movies. These are exploitation films for Tolkien nuts, for enthusiasts of the original ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies and for audiences so hungry for high fantasy they’ll gobble up whatever is served to them and ask for seconds.

http://screencrush.com/the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-review/

Interesting to see what the ratio will be after the 13th.

David H wrote:You can do this Eldo. I know you can! Just keep saying to yourself, "Pacific Rim...Nothing to do with Tolkien....Pacific Rim...Nothing to do with Tolkien...Pacific Rim...Nothing to do with Tolkien....Pacific Rim..."

Hey, I had very personal and (IMO) well-articulated reasons for liking Pacific Rim despite its glaring flaws!

I thought your argument Eldo largely boiled down to "Its big robots fighting! Yaaaaayy!  " Didn't it?

I'm not going to dignify that with a response.

A smattering of additional reviews and quotes that jumped out at me.

Total Film 4/5 stars

While it’s packed with incident, TDOS lacks its own satisfying narrative arc. Picking up immediately where An Unexpected Journey left off, we join Bilbo (Martin Freeman) as he continues his quest with the company of Dwarves to help them reclaim their homeland, Erebor, which is currently being inhabited by fearsome dragon Smaug, who’s using their Scrooge McDuck-esque treasure piles as a nap room.

Time Out London 4/5 stars

Exhaustion starts to set in by the time Bilbo and his friends encounter Smaug around the two-hour mark, so it’s a good thing that’s also the point at which Jackson goes full bore with the adrenalising, digitally-augmented braggadocio. In short, you want a fire-breathing dragon, you get a fire-breathing dragon. Rising from beneath an ocean of coins like a scaly mutant version of Scrooge McDuck, Smaug taunts and stalks his terrified prey around the cavernous ruins of Erebor in the film’s lengthiest, most purely pleasurable action sequence.

HitFix B+

As with "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," this movie ends at the exact right second to lay in the deepest possible hooks leading into the conclusion of the series. When the credits begin, it's a huge cliffhanger moment, and all the characters find themselves in impossible situations. This time, though, I care. I want to see what happens next. I want to see how all of these threads come together. The first film almost shook my faith in the overall story arc of "The Hobbit," but this second film connects this completely to the "Lord Of The Rings" tone that made that first trilogy work. Andrew Lesnie's photography and Howard Shore's score also make this explicitly feel like we're right back in the thick of things, and I suspect that even the people who were disappointed the first time around are going to be impressed by how much fun this one is. I still think that three films is too much for these stories and that this would have been well-served by making some tough choices about how to tell the story, but at least for this middle movie, "The Hobbit" seems to be firing on all cylinders, and if they keep this up, "There And Back Again" could be tremendous entertainment.

The Wrap Too cool for scores

Nevertheless, it’s triumphantly engaging in a way that rivals Jackson’s magnificent “Two Towers” — and best of all, it makes you eager to see the next film in a way that “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” didn’t. Powerful and provocative, “The Desolation of Smaug” not only surpasses its predecessor but also stands on its own; where “Journey” took material audiences thought they knew and made it feel foreign, this one creates a uniquely original experience that also feels securely familiar.

The Wrap also points out that most of the Dwarves fade into the background while the emotional and story emphasis is placed firmly on Thorin and Kili (insofar as the Dwarves are concerned).

Thanks, Eldo.

It's starting to look like DOS will do better overall.

My pleasure, bungo. Critically yeah, it seems to be the case that DOS is better received.  Though it will be curious to see what the reviews that come out over the next week will be like since we're still in the first day of reviews being posted.  It's generally expected that more negative reviews will follow the initial flurry.

Financially, it's a different picture.  Big blockbuster movies like these are usually judged by their predecessors.  AUJ was a bit of a weird case since it came nine years after its predecessor, but given its lukewarm reception I would not be at all surprised if DOS only manages the same gross or even falls off a bit.  Of course, it's also possible more people will show up this time to see the dragon, but that depends on how much general audiences are aware of this (I'd say the marketing has been pretty good though) and how much they care and/or are offended by the decision to split the films.

In terms of fan/audience reception, it remains to be seen.  It's also hard to say whether a film's long-term reputation will bear any resemblance to its initial reception among fans.  AUJ was actually quite well-received at first, until more people had time to reflect on it and grew disenchanted.  Or maybe the excitement of being back in Middle-earth just wore off.

Eldorion wrote:AUJ was actually quite well-received at first, until more people had time to reflect on it and grew disenchanted.

That's basically what happened to me.  

It happened to quite a few people who were posting here at the time, too, though I suspect not all of them would want to admit it.

It's funny, I'm more than willing to admit that I had that period of really liking AUJ (admitting it at least on the internet). In real life I haven't told anyone how I really feel, maybe it's because I talked about how much I enjoyed it last December/January. It might also have to do with the fact that no one would really care.

Yeah, my family lumps me in with all the other "Hobbit fanatics" they know regardless of opinions on the movies, since I'm still talking about it and looking forward to seeing the movie.

The way I see it, it's an experience.  For good or bad, it's something that we won't have any more once this trilogy is over.  I was in elementary school when LOTR came out so I want to make the most of the releases this time, even if it's not reaching the same levels of pop cultural event status.  And regardless of whether I'm totally disappointed by DOS or I find things I like in it, I still get to discuss it with people and that's always fun. After five years of waiting, I intend to at least enjoy the experience.