The second part amends the fiasco of the first one. Spectacular and, again, with several moments of the already classic "platform-like" fights on the run from these series of movies that could be enhanced if some sense would be given to them. Still, the staging of every location and, remarkably, Smaug, is worth seeing.
7 out of 10 stars would normally be considered quite okay and I guess you could say that this movie is quite okay. However, it has a reputation to live up to. As a movie in the Tolkien universe and with LOTR and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey this movie have a lot to live up to and, as far as I am concerned, it does not. As an action/adventure/fantasy movie it is a quite okay movie. It has a lot of action of course, a lot of adventure and a lot of special effects. Of course everything plays out with the Tolkien universe as a back-drop. I guess it is rather superfluous to mention that the movie is based on the book The Hobbit by Tolkien. However it is here the problems start. In my review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey the first thing that I mentioned was that you should be aware of the fact that the movie did not follow the book in any great detail and that this was quite okay since the extensions were well made. Well, it should be no surprise that the first part of this statement is valid for this movie as well. Unfortunately, whereas the first movie felt like a fluid extension of the book this one feels like it is just full of fillers. There are a lot of cool scenes and a lot of action but it really feels like it was just put in there as fillers to showcase the special effects. Speaking of special effects, quite a few of them where rather unimpressive I have to say. The scenes where the dwarfs went down the rapids in barrels frequently looked plastic and artificial. The scenes with Smaug was not too bad even though he was quite overused but the parts around the forges was just plain ridiculous. I know it is fantasy but come one, getting them started and producing tons and tons of molten gold in a few minutes not to mention riding on molten metal without getting burned was just silly. On the whole I found it an enjoyable movie but I was expecting more.
Jackson turned a great story into just another Prates of the Caribbean. Jumping, sliding, gags, etc. All the thinking parts are gone.
I'm happy to be back in this world, but _Empire_ this ain't. _Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._
Still very good, but I found 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' to be a step below the preceding 2012 release. The conclusion is what affects it the most, in my opinion. It isn't anything bad, but it goes on for too long - yet the ending itself comes out of nowhere a little. It's iffily crafted, with the entertainment value not enough to cover it up. Again, nothing anywhere near terrible... just not as great as I wanted/expected. I also kinda wanted more scenes with Martin Freeman (Bilbo) across the midway point. I like the focus on Richard Armitage (Thorin) & Co. but I felt there needed to be more with the lead - and with Ian McKellen (Gandalf), for that matter. I've led with my negatives first, but I have many positives too. I enjoyed the scenes in Esgaroth with Luke Evans (Bard), all of the stuff there looks awesome. The character of Tauriel, played by Evangeline Lilly, is cool. Orlando Bloom (Legolas) remains fun to watch. Everything else, including the score, is very nicely done - as anticipated. Love the end credits song ("I See Fire") by Ed Sheeran, by the way. Not quite as grand and great as "May It Be" from LOTR, but it's pretty close!
I'm afraid I still really struggled with the lightweight casting here, but once I'd convinced myself to get over that, I found this to be a far more characterful and entertaining adventure. With the dragon "Smaug" now safely in possession of the gold, it falls to "Thorin" (Richard Armitage) and his band of dwarves to make their way - via the misty mountains and the realm of the elves - to the human settlement of "Laketown" where the nimble-fingered "Bilbo" (Martin Freeman) must find and use a secret way into the lair so he can try to repossess the "Arkenstone". Meantime, the mischievous "Gandalf" (Sir Ian McKellen) is off having escapades of his own in the South? Will they rendezvous in time to thwart the increasingly narked fire-breather. What is clear here is that some of the philosophising from the book is very much on the back burner. This is an out-and-out action movie with loads of combat scenes, some very clever visual effects that almost rendered me a bit sea-sick at times - all built around a solid story of companionship and determination. Characters are playing to their strengths and weaknesses; relationships are being forged and challenged; courage is being found - and lost and it's all enjoyable and engaging to watch on the big screen. Maybe I could have been doing without the romantic interludes (yuk!) but for the most part this is a great looking and visionary interpretation that just happens to have a cast that really should have been so much better. A good, not a great, watch that tees us up nicely for the finale.
During a dark time in the Heian period, when evil forces threaten the kingdom, the emperor relies on the Onmyoji to keep the supernatural forces in line. But as political events become highly charged, friction within the order leads to betrayal. Now, Seimei (Mansai Nomura), a talented member of the clan, must face down his master, Doson (Hiroyuki Sanada), in the hopes of restoring peace to the kingdom.
Movie Star Rating : 6.2 Read More
Der Struwwelpeter is a popular German children's book. It comprises of ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children. Each has a clear moral that demonstrates the disastrous consequences of misbehavior in an exaggerated way. Writer/director Fritz Genschow adapted Hoffmann's book to the big screen. He made a career doing such films, he had done Hansel and Gretel and would go on to adapt Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and other family films. Der Struwwelpeter, however, is weirder and darker than the Grimms' tales. They are heavy morality lessons in which children are burned to death, starved to death, or have their thumbs cut off. In Hoffmann's world the punishment usually far outweighs the crime. Genschow provided a happy ending: through the wonders of reverse action children are brought back from their fiery deaths, their thumbs are reattached, and their misdeeds undone through the power of St. Nicholas and some sort of Christmas miracle. (via forcesofgeek.com)
Movie Star Rating : 6.2 Read More
Nicolai Dalchimski, a mad KGB agent steals a notebook full of names of "sleeping" undercover KGB agents sent to the U.S. in the 1950's. These agents got their assignments under hypnosis, so they can't remember their missions until they're told a line of a Robert Frost poem. Dalchimski flees to the U.S. and starts phoning these agents who perform sabotage acts against military targets.
Movie Star Rating : 6.6 Read More
A common fire-breathing enemy unites rivals in the Dark Ages.
Movie Star Rating : 5 Read More
Bernard is in love with a water spider. He wants to replace his wife Catherine with the spider because she bores him. The spider transforms into a tarantula and later in a mysterious mute girl named Nadie. He falls in love with the girl/spider and finally he has to choose between his wife or the spider.
Movie Star Rating : 5.3 Read More
On the day Tōma Kamijō and Index see Academy City's space elevator, Endymion in the distance, they meet a Level 0 girl with an amazing singing voice, Arisa Meigo. As the three enjoy their time together after school, magic-user Stiyl Magnus suddenly attacks them. His target: Arisa. Why would a girl from the science side be targeted by someone from the magic side, Tōma wonders. In the chaos of Stiyl's attack, he tells Tōma, Index and Arisa that she might cause a war between the magic side and the science side.
Movie Star Rating : 7.1 Read More
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycle race. As their consumption of drugs increases at an alarming rate, the stoned duo trash their hotel room and fear legal repercussions. Duke begins to drive back to L.A., but after an odd run-in with a cop, he returns to Sin City and continues his wild drug binge.
Movie Star Rating : 7.2 Read More
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