Strangely, not as enjoyable as the first one

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2013)

First of all, I have to say that I am a LOTR fan (both movies and book). So I was pretty excited when I heard that Peter Jackson is going to make The Hobbit into a movie. Of course, as most fans, I was a little worried when he decided to make it a trilogy, given the shortness of the book. Nonetheless I would have to say that I really enjoyed "An Unexpected Journey", which I though was a homage to all LOTR fans. About the "Desolation of Smaug" thought I have some mixed feeling. As general I liked the movie, but there were moments I could easily lived without. The first movie was mainly criticized for not being fast enough and that the action was not enough. And I have the feeling that Peter Jackson has made anything possible to make the second one more thrilling and Hollywoodish. Not that I am having any problems with action, but in many cases I had the feeling that the story was left on the side, only to accommodate the viewers who want more action. A needless love story, too much CGI at moments, a little too much Legolas than I would have liked and not enough time spend on the important characters. On the other hand I want to say that I really like where Peter Jackson has gone with filling the gaps left by the book, when it comes to the Necromancer. Also Smaug was great! As a whole I am a fan, so maybe I am a bit too fussy about the details. So if you do not have problems with long movies, I am sure you would enjoy "The Desolation of Smaug".