Fantasy films - 2013
| The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Oz the Great and Powerful |
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Depending on your perspective, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug either goes a long way towards rectifying the pacing problems of its predecessor or simply provides further evidence that the events of the series could (and should!) have been arranged much more effectively. There’s no dull exposition in this second movie—Rather, the whole film is an action-packed, perilous adventure that is at once entertaining, absorbing, and perhaps a bit dizzying. As this film gives us no pause for air, one wonders why some of its events could not have been included in the slow-paced, dull-by-comparison Unexpected Journey.
For viewers unfamiliar with the books, this second installation in the Hobbit series should produce a new appreciation for Bilbo Baggins as an action hero. After a reluctant beginning in the last film, Bilbo really comes into his own, displaying extraordinary bravery and cleverness, rescuing his companions many times, and even becoming the driving force behind the dwarves’ quest when others have given up. I personally left the theater markedly less impressed with Frodo and his hobbit companions, after seeing what Bilbo had been able to accomplish. Even more than The Lord of the Rings series, The Hobbit is about the tremendous heroism of the smallest people.
Fans of Tolkien’s book, however, will inevitably find plenty of controversy in this film. First and foremost here is the creation of Tauriel, the female captain of Thranduil’s elvish guard—complete with interspecies love triangle. While the character does not appear in Tolkien’s Hobbit (or any of his other books, for that matter), director Peter Jackson insists that she is plausible and true to the spirit of the author’s Middle Earth. Whether or not this is the case, I’ll leave to viewers’ judgment, but Tauriel—along with partner in crime Legolas—is undeniably fun to watch, a principled, impulsive character, and a skilled archer in the same vein as recent female action heroes Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games - 2012 and Catching Fire - 2013), Merida (Brave - 2012), Neytiri (Avatar - 2009), Susan Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia – 2004), and Guinevere (King Arthur – 2004)… Seriously: What is it with women and bows? Less believable might be the abrupt and somewhat underdeveloped romance in which she becomes involved—but perhaps we should wait for events to unfold in the next film before passing judgment.
Jackson has also included a fair amount of other material not found in the original book, which mostly appears to serve the purpose of connecting the film to the previous Lord of the Rings series. While friends more familiar with Tolkien’s writings tell me that some of these incidents are found in The Silmarillion and the Appendices, I found them distracting—which is perhaps why Tolkien did not include them in the main narrative to The Hobbit. Two films into the series, I am still left with the impression that The Hobbit could easily have been accomplished as one or two movies without losing anything essential. Instead, we’re treated to a number of self-indulgent liberties taken by the director, along with digressions into unnecessary side stories that interested viewers could learn about by reading the supplementary material.
Overall, The Desolation of Smaug is a highly entertaining movie and a huge improvement on its predecessor. However, it still suffers from some familiar problems: the inclusion of excessive, unnecessary details and a lack of restraint on Jackson’s part. One gets the impression that the film is such a labor of love for its director that he could not bring himself to do the hard, but necessary work of trimming the fat. And what studio would restrain him, especially when adding three films to arguably the most renowned fantasy series of our time virtually guarantees higher profits?
- Kathryn Carty
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Disney Studios, director Sam Raimi (director of Spiderman (2002), The Evil Dead (1981), and producer of the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess TV series), art director Robert Stromberg (Avatar (2009) and Alice In Wonderland (2010)) and composer Danny Elfman (soundtracks for Batman (1989), Dick Tracy (1990), Spiderman (2002), Sleepy Hollow (1999)) take us back to the mystical land of Oz, 20 years before the events chronicled in the classic tale, The Wizard of Oz.
The film introduces us to Oscar Diggs (James Franco) - Oz, for short - as a carnival magician, con-man, and womanizer who idolizes Houdini and Edison, dreams of greatness, and might have a shred of perceivable goodness in him - though it's hard to tell by his actions. A miraculous turn of events sends him to the Land of Oz. Once there, at first he merely follows his old habits of seeking to profit himself from the situation as he is taken to be a prophesied savior. But as he forms relationships with the people of Oz, he finds himself moved to become something greater.
The look of this film is truly spot on. The choice to shoot the beginning of the film in black and white, switching to color once in Oz, as in The Wizard of Oz (1939), was a nice touch. Raimi also used the approach of having real world people have Oz counterparts. The look of Oz itself was also excellent. The Land of Oz isn't the kind of mystical kingdom of a Tolkien or a Lewis. Baum's mystical land is more fanciful, even innocent, in spite of its genuinely dangerous and evil elements. Its more fanciful look was entirely consistent with the underlying mythology. And there are so many wonderful effects to see - the balloon voyage to Oz, the appearance of the Wicked Witch of the West in all her furious glory, and the climactic confrontation between good and evil at the end, to name my own favorites. Elfman's score accompanies the sights and events perfectly.
The theme of choosing one's path - for good or bad, courage or wrath, selflessness or selfishness - is played out in our primary characters. Some may find this corny, but these are the battles waged in every human heart every day. If that's corny, maybe we all need a bit more corn in our diets.
The performances in Oz aren't stellar, but one would hardly expect that. One must concede that the characters in the Land of Oz are fairly two-dimensional. James Franco has never seemed like that impressive of a performer, but for this he was just fine if not terribly convincing. A slightly better actor might have conveyed a bit more of a sense of incredulousness regarding his surroundings which the audience would have sympathized with ( I mean, a guy from 1905 Kansas confronted with talking animals, a Yellow Brick Road and an Emerald City?). Actors who had been previously considered, Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp, might have been alright but haven't we seen them in enough things of late?
All in all, the kids should be swept up in the wonder of things and the larger than life characters and the story, effects and nods to the source literature will work on the adults. More Oz movies are planned. Here is hoping they will all be such marvelous additions to the library of fantasy film.
- JC
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