A thrilling ride

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2016)

This, the second of 'The Hobbit' trilogy sees Bilbo, Gandalf and the Dwarfs continuing their quest to the Lonely Mountain although they part company with Gandalf early on. Their journey will take them into the Mirkwood where they must battle giant spiders before being captured by the Wood Elves. Following Bilbo's use of The Ring they escape their captors but soon find themselves battling Orcs again; they are aided by two elves; Tauriel and Legolas and get to the lakeside. From here they are taken to the town of Esgaroth by Bard the ferryman before continuing to the Lonely Mountain where they come face to face with the dragon Smaug. Meanwhile Gandalf goes to Dol Guldur where he learns that an ancient evil has been awakened.
This seems to be a 'love it or loathe it' part of the trilogy; largely because it has no real ending; just as the action involving Smaug appears to be reaching its climax the film ends leaving us waiting for the next film to learn what happens. This didn't bother me too much as the film was packed with action and left me wanting to see the finale. No time is wasted in setting up the story and the protagonists go from one perilous situation to the next with barely a moment for them to relax in between. The action is impressive; I especially liked the giant spiders and the fight against Smaug. There was some humour mixed in with the action but not enough to make things too silly. There is also a hint of romance between Tauriel and the dwarf Kili. The cast do a solid job; most notably Martin Freeman in the role of Bilbo Baggins. There are some weaknesses; most notably there isn't the sense of danger that there should be as the protagonists seem to be almost indestructible as they survive one danger after another while the apparently mighty orcs are easily slain of course this does mean it can be enjoyed by younger viewers. Overall this was a thrilling ride that left me keen to see the final film in the trilogy.