Good, but too Many Changes

Rating: 7/10 (18 January 2014)

I'm no purist, but major plot changes or unnecessary romance easily drives me up the wall. While Desolation of Smaug had many changes in it, many of them minor, I did feel them piling up. I will say that it was better than An Unexpected Journey, though the second installment has its fair share of flaws, too.
Good Aspects: Overall, the acting was spectacular. I was especially a fan of Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch's performances as Bilbo and Smaug. Also, some of the changes didn't bother me. However, these are only the scenes that help add some personality and give some character development. Thorin, Kili, Thranduil, and Bard all get some extra screen time to help develop their characters. Bilbo is always a fun character watch and I enjoyed every moment he was on screen; his scene with Smaug was my absolute favorite. As for Smaug, he looks amazing and Cumberbatch does a superb job voicing him. Gandalf's scenes at Dol Guldur are also welcome, as we get more of an explanation on why he wasn't with the dwarfs and Bilbo for most of the story. While I felt there was too much CGI, it still looks gorgeous. Mirkwood looks menacing, the scene with the butterflies was beautifully done, and I loved how Lake-town looks.
Negative Aspects: I don't really understand how Legolas and Tauriel advance the plot. I'm actually okay with Tauriel, but she really doesn't do much for the story. And the Kili/Tauriel romance is annoying and forced. As for Legolas, I would have been one-hundred percent fine with him making a few appearances in Mirkwood; I was fine with him helping capture the dwarfs. But the extra time he got, going to Lake-town with Tauriel and such, was unneeded. Some of the scenes act as filler, which I found very annoying. The barrel scene was over-the-top, and making it more similar to what happened in the book would have been a much better decision. Another unnecessary scene was a chase scene with Smaug and the dwarfs, which made the dragon look rather incompetent.
Overall, I liked this movie. They made many changes to it, and while I'm fine with some of them, others are unneeded.