The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Desolation Of Smaug is the second entry into the Hobbit series and it is the best, though not flawless either. It most often gets things right though, more so than its predecessor and sequel. It importantly captures the right tone of fun in the dwarves quest which is essential to The Hobbit which is suppose to be a more lighthearted adventure story opposed to the Lord of the Rings. It also has the very best expansion in the form of Bard, whose made a great character rather than being absolutely nothing which was the case of the novel. Now there is still some unneeded additions, the love triangle is pointless, the constant orc attacks become quite tiresome, the addition of the opening flashback is mindboggling to say the least, it still focuses on Gandalf's side quest(though thankfully in its most limited quantity here). More often than not though the film does work particularly when it focuses on the main party, and Bilbo. Bilbo's initial scene with Smaug is great though even the film does make this go on for too long when the rest of the party gets involved in a pointless action scene. This one more often than not captures a real sense of fun, and it works for what it is. What's wrong with the trilogy is still quite present, but what it could have been can also be seen.
3.5/5