Exceptional

Rating: 9/10 (15 December 2013)

Desolation of Smaug is a masterpiece and well explains the build up throughout An Unexpected Journey. The acting is top notch and the action is nearly flawless. The visuals were more polished than in An Unexpected Journey; wherefore, it was grittier, darker and at times breathtakingly majestic, and such made the world believable. There were moments when I was gripping the edge of my seat or clapping along with the audience. I reckon the slower moments in the first movie made us care much more for the characters in the second. Without the long dialogue and merrymaking of the An Unexpected Journey we would less understand the Dwarfs of Desolation of Smaug. 9/10.