![]() Conrad Pope is as capable a conductor and orchestrator as he is a superb composer in his own right, and The Desolation of Smaug fits seamlessly within Middle Earth’s universe with no change in quality in the slightest. The slightly hysterical fears some had that this would “ruin” the score are entirely unfounded. Much was made prior to the score’s release of the fact that, for the first time in the series, Shore delegated some of his tasks to others, passing the conductor’s baton to Conrad Pope, and giving orchestration duties to Pope and his associate James Sizemore. It’s visually spectacular, of course (although the orc leader Azog still looks like a bad video game rendering), has a wonderful supporting cast that includes Stephen Fry, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans and a returning Orlando Bloom as Legolas, and – most importantly from this website’s point of view – sees Howard Shore returning to Middle Earth for the fifth time as composer. The film is a significant improvement over the first installment, eschewing some of its comic action material and embracing a more serious tone that befits a story that touches on much more adult themes involving obsession and corruption. ![]() Meanwhile, much to Gandalf’s consternation, the shadowy threat of a mysterious necromancer continues to grow, looming large over all of Middle Earth, and threatening its long-lasting peace. Along way, however, the heroic company must traverse any number of dangers, including vicious orcs, unfriendly elves, a treacherous forest, and the inhabitants of an impoverished lake town in the shadow of the lonely mountain. ![]() Tolkien’s The Hobbit is The Desolation of Smaug it picks up immediately where the first film in the trilogy, An Unexpected Journey, left off last year, with the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) journeying to the ancient dwarf stronghold of Erebor in the company of the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), dwarfish king-in-waiting Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), and his band of adventurers, to take back their homeland from the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). The second film in Peter Jackson’s new Middle Earth trilogy based on J.R.R. ![]()
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