A fast-hitting, magnificent film

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2013)

Having seen the LOTR trilogy on a number of occasions, I never cease to fall in love with the fascinating characters and intense plots.
Having then watched The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for the first time, last Christmas, I initially felt that this movie could not have been improved and possibly better than any of the LOTR pieces. I then watched it for a second time and retract my comments. Despite being a very good film, I felt that it relied too much on graphics and less on the 'action' as we saw with LOTR, I therefore feel that the first Hobbit movie deserved an 8/10.
Now onto the important bit, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I went into the Movie Theatre with mixed expectations, I was not expecting the movie to be as good as I expected the first, but I was also excited to see what Jackson made of it. In all honesty, I was blown away by this movie. The fast-paced scenes left you wanting more and more by the end of the film. I agree with other reviews too that the new characters in the movie are instantly likable and left their own individual mark on the film that I cannot wait to see progress in the final film.
I returned to watch the movie again to see if I would fall into the trap I have laid myself for the first film. I can safely say, my views on the film have nothing if not improved.
Furthermore, I found the end of this movie to be the best of any of Jackson's interpretations so far and I seriously look forward to December 2014.
I feel this movie rates at a 9.5, falling more on the side of 9.0, hence the rating of 9/10.