Back in the Hobbit

Because the original Lord of the Rings trilogy came out before I started this blog, many may not know that I have never been a big Tolkien fan. It's mainly based on the fact that the fantasy genre is one that I have never found overly compelling (it's the same reason you'll never see me talking about Game of Thrones on the blog either). Despite the fact that I am not a fan, I did see all three Rings movies mainly because I have friends who enjoy them and I'd rather do something with them than sit at home alone. Well a similar situation arose this weekend when I had a friend ask me if I wanted to join him to see the second installment in the Hobbit trilogy. Given that I had not seen the first one that came out last year, I opted to rent that one so that I would be able to follow along with the story. So without further ado, here's my quick and dirty reviews for both of those films

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Like many I struggled with this first film for the sake that it felt like it contained too much superfluous content. I mean, it takes 45 minutes before the characters actually decide whether or not to take the titular Journey. As we watch this collection of dwarves, Gandalf, and the hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins, head on out we get some brief moments of excitement that end up getting stretched out for far too long. The best moments come when we see appearances from familiar faces. Although it goes on too long (a recurring theme), the scenes between Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and Gollum are a lot of fun and remind us once again as to how good Andy Serkis is in this type of role. I also really enjoyed the scene between Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Elrond (Hugo Weaving), and Saruman (Christopher Lee). Even though there's very little action going on here, you enjoy seeing these great actors sharing dialogue. Despite some bloat, it does a decent job of establishing the quest that these characters will be encountering. I did have to laugh, however, as one character states near the end of the film that they believe the worst is behind them. It is quite clear that there's a lot more story and a whole lot more peril yet to come. Grade: B-

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - The second film features a similar and yet slightly different problem. Most of the action in this film flows better and is more engaging, yet it suffers from being the middle portion of the story. As a result, all of it is mere set-up without any decent pay-off. The film's closing feels particularly cheap knowing that there's still one more lengthy movie to go before we get a true resolution. Prior to that point, there are several impressive sequences that involve spiders, elves, orcs, and a wild river ride in a barrel. The introduction of the aforementioned elves including Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and new character Tauriel (played by Evangeline Lily) bring both some exciting action and an unconventional love triangle. In addition to all that, we get some major scenes involving an impressive looking dragon, known as Smaug. Voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, the creature is not only visually impressive, but provides some key dramatic tension in the film as well. While still far from perfect, this movie is an improvement over the first by virtue of its tighter storytelling. It is strongly advised, however, the you watch the first one before this or else you will struggle with following along with the plot and these many characters. Grade: B

A space time continuum

One of my most enjoyable movie watching experiences was with the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise. Director J.J. Abrams had the unenviable task of trying to reboot an iconic franchise for a whole new generation. While it is always daunting to try and take on a role played so famously by someone else, it was the cast that made that movie work. They not only had great chemistry with each other, but they all seemed to find a way to balance paying homage with infusing something new into their characters.

Four years later, the Enterprise crew is back for a new set of adventures in Star Trek Into Darkness. Once again, Abrams directs this likeable cast of explorers as they battle an enigmatic villain named John Harrison. Played with scowling menace by Benedict Cumberbatch, Harrison wreaks havoc on Starfleet with attacks on several of their buildings. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew are tasked with taking out the threat but they learn there's more to this character than just being your average terrorist. Of course, I can't say too much more about him without spoiling key pieces to the film's story

Without going into too great of detail to the movie's plot points, I can say that I don't feel the story holds up well under scrutiny. Whenever you're dealing with big budget action picture, there are likely going to be some plotholes. Those don't bother me as much as the familiarity factor. Too much of the overall story, as well as individual set pieces feel cribbed from other films. Take for instance the scene where the Enterprise crew has midway through the film captured Harrison and placed him in a "secure" cell so that they can interrogate him. This setup has been done way too much recently in films including Skyfall, The Avengers, and The Dark Knight. Anyone with half a brain can see exactly what will happen next.

The writers not only borrow material from other franchises, but from their own as well. Several of the film's key plot points were done in previous Trek films. If you recall in the 2009 reboot one of the twists was that the timeline had been altered thanks to Spock going through a wormhole. This was how the film could justify having both Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy both play Spock. I guess the writers felt this gave them justification for revisiting storylines from the original series and films and giving them slight changes. It's too cute of a concept and just comes off as being lazy rather than clever. The fact that it took this group four years to make a film that at times feels like a remake of Wrath of Khan is rather disappointing.

The issues of disappointment, however, really only come after you have left the theater. In the moment, Star Trek Into Darkness holds up as a thoroughly entertaining film. Once again, the interplay between the cast is what works the best. The actors have great comedic timing with each other during the film's lighter moments. And yet when things get more serious, you largely buy into the emotions (or in Spock's case lack of emotion) that they try to convey.

From a technical standpoint, the movie is also a winner. I know some get irritated with Abrams' use of lens flare, but it's only noticeable if you want it to be noticeable. The rest of the visual effects are impressive and give the film an added sense of drama. You appreciate the detail that goes into each location whether it is the intricacies of the construction inside the Enterprise or the unique, strange planets that the crew travels to. Watching it, I wasn't only impressed with what I was seeing, but also excited about the prospect of Abrams being able to bring that same creative vision to the Star Wars franchise in a few years.

Like the vast area that the Enterprise travels through, Star Trek Into Darkness is an empty thrill. It's a well made film that really does not offer viewers anything new. The excitement that the 2009 reboot offered has begun to wane. All of the parts are there to allow this to remain a successful franchise, but future films need to be smarter with the stories they tell. This sequel offers few surprises and telegraphs the few that it does have with unnecessarily heavy amount of scenes of exposition. With J.J. moving over to Jedi country, hopefully some new voices can come in and do something great with the solid foundation is in place. As for this film, while very entertaining as summer popcorn fare, its story boldly goes where too many men have gone before. Grade: B

Star gazing

Your first look at the new Star Trek sequel has finally arrived. It's not much, but still manages to get me hotly anticipating its arrival next summer. If this isn't enough to whet your appetite, you can see a 9 minute preview of the film in IMAX starting next week with The Hobbit