Extravagant, Brilliant, Mesmerizing.

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2013)

It rarely happens that you return back to a franchise and you are as mesmerised by it as you were the first time around, achieving that feat 5th time in a row is outstanding in itself, and Peter Jackson does it with such ease and charm that one is left breathless. The Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug, is one extravagant adventure that is a treat for your eyes. The camera catches every scene every piece of action and adventure as it its happening right in front of our eyes. The sheer epicness of this can be can be seen in the chase and fight sequences, but if you are watching closely, you will find the same epicness in the scenes where Jackson introduces the landscapes to us or creates these imaginary worlds. Jackson introduces new characters and they do justice to the part they are to play. All the known and little known characters are given enough screen time for us to not forget them. This movie might be just a fragment of a novel but the way Jackson tells the tale is mesmerizing. It is story telling at its very best. This movie is one of the best examples of a well oiled machine, the actors play their part well, the story holds you and the scale at which the movie unfolds is simply breath-taking. Special mention goes to Andrew Lesnie for catching this movie in the true essence of the world it belongs to. The CGI in the movie are also at par with any of the LOTR movies if not better, check out the scenes with smaug and you will realise we have come a long way. The movie eventually belongs to its director, he seems to be possessed with this world and that should explain him doing justice to it every single time he takes up this project. This goes without telling that like all other movies in this franchise, this one too runs long, but it's captivating enough to keep you glued to your seats and with all the new story lines unfolding in this instalment I can't wait for the next instalment to hit the theatres.