Going beyond two movies for a 300-page book... lies the greatest danger of all.
This may be actually the first time that I'll complain of an adaptation (of a book that I love) being unnecessarily prolonged. Seriously, a trilogy? Of one little book? While the first installment was enjoyable though in a juvenile way, it becomes apparent in Desolation of Smaug the fillers that Peter Jackson has to add just to make the main plot last all the way to the third installment. And that irks me. It really does. It would have been kick-ass if it was a two-part adaptation, but a trilogy it never should have been.
The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.
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| Directed by: Peter Jackson Screenplay by: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro Music by: Howard Shore (LOTR, The Aviator, High Fidelity) Cinematography by: Andrew Lesnie (LOTR, I Am Legend) Editing by: Jabez Olssen (The Lovely Bones) Running Time: 161 mins Budget: $225 million Box Office: over $600 million |
