I came into the movie theater to see “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” like a Hobbit who is anticipating second breakfast. My first figurative breakfast had been baked in the oven of my love for J.R.R. Tolkein’s masterful prequel to the “Lord of the Rings” series and seasoned with my childhood enamorment with Peter Jackson’s amazing adaption of that series to the big screen. True, I had a bit of a bad taste in my mouth from the first installment of “The Hobbit” titled “An Unexpected Journey,” which left a lot lacking, but like any good Hobbit, I was sure that the second time would be better then the first. However, upon leaving the theater, not only had my figurative breakfast left me sick to my stomach but angry as well.
If you go to see “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” and expect a movie that will at all honor the book upon which it is based, you will be disappointed. If you go to see the film and the expect mature themes, and subtle humor which Tolkien is remembered for, you will not get what you came for. Instead, buy your tickets expecting an adaption which is 99% a Peter Jackson fanfiction at best, with base humor, shoddy special effects, and no adherence to the plot of the book by J.R.R. Tolkein.

The film almost painfully follows the basic outline of the book as the twelve dwarfs and the hobbit Bilbo set out on the second leg of their adventure to reclaim the dwarves’ homes and gold which have been stolen by the evil dragon Smaug. However, Peter Jackson has chosen to take many deviations from the plot, adding new characters which do little to add to the story. Many new scenes and characters have been added as references to the Lord of the Rings series, which are not in the original “Hobbit” book and make the pacing feel strained.

Because of these additions to the plot, many of the original storylines become rushed and the characters diluted. Thorin Oakenshield, for example, is turned into a stereotypical selfish leader who is far crueler than he was in the books. Similarly, scenes such as the fight with the spiders in Murkwood seem eerily short while others such as the famed barrel escape are so enhanced by Peter Jackson (Orc vs. Elf vs. dwarves and hobbit in barrels anyone?) that they lose their original charm. The main character, Bilbo, barely even gets any screen time and Gandalf is pushed to the side like some senile wizard that no one wants anymore.

Overall, “The Desolation of Smaug” is hardly one of Peter Jackson’s triumphs. While his massive funding allowed for the creation of amazing effects such as the dragon Smaug, a lack of skill for basic story telling and pacing leaves viewers scratching their heads and rubbing their eyes from the high frame rate. When Bilbo tells Gandalf that he found his courage in the goblin mines, Gandalf replies “Good. You will need it!” So too, will any Tolkein lover need their courage to face the strange version of a classic story which Peter Jackson has chosen to inject his own ideas of storytelling into. In truth, this movie would be better titled “The Desolation of Peter Jackson” than that of Smaug.