Smaug in High Frame Rate 3D!

"Thieves! Fire! Murder! Such a thing had not happened since first he came to the Mountain! His rage passes description—the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have never used before or wanted."                         ~ The Hobbit: Inside Information

After what seemed like ages (but in actuality being only three days) I decided it was time for a second viewing of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug at my local cinema.  Now, I have never been a fan of the 3D fad that many of the new action films are shot in.  They cost more money and most of the time my eyes refuse to focus and this usually results in a headache.  However, while looking up the showtimes for a Monday evening (which may be the first time I've ever even been to a theater on a Monday) I noticed that The Desolation of Smaug was being offered in High Frame Rate 3D.  Last year before An Unexpected Journey was released, I read several articles detailing this new method of shooting that Peter Jackson chose to adopt for his Hobbit films.  Instead of the traditional 24 frames per second that most movies are shot and viewed in, P.J. decided it was time for the future to arrive in his movies and shot the Hobbit films in 48 frames per second - now termed High Frame Rate or HFR.  Unfortunately, my local cinema did not offer An Unexpected Journey in this format last winter, so I was never able to experience it for myself.  This year, however, Regal Theaters upped their meager 100 cinemas that showed the Hobbit in HFR last year to a whopping 400 theaters this year.  Luckily, my theater was one of the added ones; thus, I thought I would experience this next step in cinematography for myself (but I mainly just wanted to see the movie again!)

In my previous post I discussed some of my initial thoughts and perceptions of the Desolation of Smaug but concluded right before I brought up the most exciting component of the overall movie: the dragon itself.  This time around, I wanted to give a full scoop on what I think about Smaug the Tyrannical in his new feature film.  To begin with, we got a few brief glimpses of the dragon in An Unexpected Journey.  In the prologue, the wrath of Smaug is on full blast as he demolishes the city of Dale on the outskirts of Erebor (for no reason other than sport) and he is then quickly seen as he barges into the Dwarven stronghold and conquers it, becoming the new king under the mountain. Finally, at the very end of An Unexpected Journey, we see another very brief glimmer of Smaug as he lies dormant in his vast wealth underneath the Lonely Mountain.  So, these brief instances in which the dragon was made visible in the first film really built up a level of excitement for his scorching onscreen debut.

The Company of Thorin has successfully found the hidden keyhole by using the last light on Durin's Day, and with a steady heave, Thorin himself pushes open the stone side door.  The adventurers step into the mountain; for some it has been decades since they walked the underground Dwarven halls, and for others it is the first time ever.  Bilbo is suavely reminded that he is indeed the burglar of their outfit, and Thorin wastes little time in sending him deeper into the mountain to search for the priceless jewel that resides below, the Arkenstone.  Bilbo has a whispered conversation with Balin about what he might find in the depths of the mountain, but the courage of Hobbits endures and Bilbo begins his quiet descent into the unknown.

After reaching the great Dwarven halls below, Bilbo begins to pilfer about in the extensive heaps of treasure that he sees in all directions.  As he curiously searches about, he loses sense of his surroundings and disturbs the mountain of treasure around him.  The treasure begins a slow but steady avalanche, revealing what lies dormant underneath it... the dragon!  The commotion builds and soon, the still air of the looming hall is shaken by the first movements of the colossal monster.  Smaug awakens.  Bilbo does his best to hide amidst the racket of movement, but it is too late...

"Well, theif! Where are you?"

We see Smaug the Mighty in all his glory for the first time as he cascades out of the treasure horde and sweeps his immediate surroundings looking for the one who awoke him.  Bilbo, who seems but a small, over-sized squirrel now, is terrified of the beast, but after sneaking about for a good while, he musters enough courage to talk with the dragon.  In an iconic scene that is far too short, Bilbo tries to smooth talk the dragon as it were while sprinkling in a few riddles to keep him interested (as well as to keep Bilbo from being devouring.)  Smaug's outstanding visage is perfectly accompanied by his deep, menacing voice.  Benedict Cumberbatch, who is ever on the rise to fame from his popular B.B.C. show Sherlock, puts forth an absolutely stunning portrayal of the dragon.  His voice is powerful, threatening, cunning, and intriguing all at once.  But this voice could only be effective if its emitted from an awe-inspiring fire drake of the North... and it certainly is.  

Smaug dominates the screen in every shot that he is in.  Not only is he immensely large and thunders about in all directions, but he is brilliantly rendered in every possible way.  Weta Workshop, in all ways, perfected Gollum for An Unexpected Journey.  I was beyond amazed at how organic and life-like they made the old villain look in his underground cave.  But, Smaug... Smaug is truly out of this world.  He really comes alive on screen, which aside from the terrific rendering effects, can be attributed to Cumberbatch's motion capture of the dragon.  Perhaps my favorite aspect of the dragon is how his serpentine throat, chest, and abdomen all flame up before he emits an all-engrossing barrage of flames.  I also really like how the thorny scales around Smaug's head will "frill out" when he is alerted or angry. All in all, I do believe Weta Workshop may have trumped their cinematic poster boy Gollum in the creation of Smaug.  He really is magnificent, mighty, and terrible all at once!

Taking a brief aside from the current topic, I really enjoyed the HFR 3D version of this movie as it drew near to its closing scenes.  I felt like the 3D was never used as a cheap gimmick as it often is, and it really did enhance some of the action sequences.  All in all, however, I still think I prefer my movies in 2D because even though I did enjoy the HFR 3D, I still found myself adjusting my glasses occasionally to focus on objects, which of course does subtract from the overall experience. 

I'll do my best to conclude this post here by briefly delving into the massive plot deviation that the movie takes from the book.  In the relatively short novel, the Dwarves hide on the outskirts of the mountain until Smaug violently descends upon them from the air, forcing them into the small walkway for many days.  I had a feeling that the movie would take a different direction than this because let's be honest, it's rather lackluster and boring.  Instead, the Dwarves storm down into the mountain to assist Bilbo (who they believe is in danger) and they all confront Smaug as well.  The climax of the movie revolves around the Dwarves being chased about the underground kingdom by the fire drake, and even though it is a bit bombastic and far-fetched throughout several of the sequences, it was all very fun to watch and experience.  

The movie culminates on a massive cliffhanger with Smaug taking a break from trying to roast those pesky Dwarves and venturing out of Erebor with his deadly gazed fixed on Lake-town.  I have a feeling the final Hobbit movie is going to be even more action packed than this one!  Thanks for reading and take a second or two to leave a comment on what you thought of Smaug the Magnificent!

Smaug Destroys Lake-town  by John Howe