Great: 9.0

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2019)

Frankly, there isn't all that much to say about Peter Jackson's latest epic. If you have yet to see An Unexpected Journey, absolutely do so before going out to see Desolation; it'll make more sense that way. Fans of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy will find some nice nods within the movie; Legolas, Sauron, and giant spiders are all back, and serve to tie the Hobbit trilogy closer to the LotR films, something the final film in the series will surely spend a good amount of time doing. The Desolation of Smaug is overall a darker, more serious affair than its predecessor, with less time spent on slapstick and more on exposition and action. Weta Workshop makes An Unexpected Journey's visual effects look conservative; Smaug in particular is a masterpiece of digital design and animation, and is easily the most realistic and fearsome dragon ever put to film. So really, if you have seen the prequel, this is a superior film in more than a few ways. If you have not, both films are well worth the combined 5.5+ hour runtime.