The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug Review

My yearlong anticipation ended last night with the premiere of The Desolation of Smaug ! I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Hobbit double feature in HFR and Dolby surround. Here is my Review! With Spoilers !

               The film looked and sounded amazing? Having been in NZ twice and anticipating a 3rd trip it is so wonderful to see that once again Peter Jackson has used the countryside of New Zealand as almost another character! The landscapes are so beautiful and he really captures it beautifully!  I enjoyed the opening scene between Thorin and Gandalf at the Prancing Pony. In fact I really enjoyed the film including the New made for film only character Tauriel, up until Laketown. there the movie hit a wall. I got bored. Didn't care about Bards Family, nor did I enjoy the whole scene with the Dragon. I'm talking about the action sequences, not the Bilbo/Smaug interactions. Richard Armitage is fantastic, powerful and magnetic, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Sir Ian Mckellan is once again simply  Great. One of the finest actors Ive ever seen. I love Gandalf ! Loved his scenes in this film ! I hope The next movie which as a longtime fan, I'm sure will be the best of all three. !

Hobbit casting News

According to several sources Sir Ian Mckellen has been asked to reprise his role of Gandalf in The Hobbit. Now I'm reading the Andy Serkis and Viggo Mortenson have been approached. Fantastic news. Please please please Viggo say yes. Aragorn can't be played with someone else. Gollum wouldn't be the same also, Andy must come back. ( Rumours say Serkis has already signed). Viggo, I beg you, plead with you, pray you sign on. I have also just read the Bilbo will be played by Martin Freeman, I don't know who that is, but that could be a good thing. He can create the role, and bring a fresh perspective to it. I'm sorry , but I do feel Sir Ian Holm is too old to play a young Bilbo. more news soon to come. Namarie