Slightly better than the first ... that's not saying much.

Rating: 5/10 (28 December 2013)

I initially rated the first Hobbit movie 6 out of 10 and this one 7. On further reflection, I was too generous; they're lucky to each get 5.
The Desolation of Smaug still has Peter Jackson's remarkable production values, and it has a bit less goofiness (the goblin king in the first movie was nauseating to watch).
However, this film bears painfully little resemblance to the book. The filmmakers:
*added a slew of characters (Tauriel the elf-woman; Legolas the elf-dude, who appears in The Lord of the Rings but not in The Hobbit; the blackhearted aide to the master of the lake town; etc.)
*inflated other characters' roles (Bard ferries the dwarfs to the lake town and hides them, and he is suspected of seeking to overthrow the Master; the Elvenking is now named Thranduil and gets involved in various matters, such as Legolas's fondness for Tauriel; etc.)
*reduced some of the most charming bits (the conversation as more and more dwarfs arrive at Beorn's house; various songs)
*and added so much running-from-the-orcs and running-from-the-dragon footage that the story becomes more action than thought (it seems like Run Lola Run set in Middle Earth).
I could go on - about the use of athelas, about the elf/dwarf love triangle, about Radagast being portrayed as a buffoon - but my main point is that, while this film is sometimes entertaining, it is unlike The Hobbit, in plot or in spirit. The bare similarities and the fine technical aspects made me give it a grudging 7, but after further consideration I felt 5 was more realistic.