Bigger, Louder, and Bolder!

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2015)

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug is the middle movie of the fantasy prequel trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. The movie still has an enormous runtime, but the film moves at a steady pace backed by fantastic action sequences, excellent CGI (I'm looking at you, Smaug), great acting, and even a forbidden romance. We get some old, but welcome faces returning, most notably Legolas. The movie continues the same tone as An Unexpected Journey, but it is a little darker and at times, I felt like I was watching the Lord of the Rings tone-wise. Also, Smaug was impressive. His very words reeked of evil and Jackson did a great job bringing this literary beast to life.
Peter Jackson's film continues the journey of Bilbo Baggins and the dwarfs as they continue their trek to the Lonely Mountain. They must fight through hungry spiders, blood-thirsty orcs, stubborn wood elves, a shapeshifter named Beorn, corrupt men of Laketown, and of course the dragon Smaug himself.
The acting is very good, I think. Martin Freeman makes a fantastic Bilbo and he is good at making some great quips. Ian McKellan is fantastic as always as Gandalf. Richard Armitage continues his kingly manners as Thorin Oakenshield. Orlando Bloom makes a wonderful return as everyone favorite elf, Legolas. We have some good newcomers here: Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel, the she-elf who falls for the dwarf Kili, Lee Pace as the cold-hearted leader of the wood elves, and Luke Evans as Bard, a man who helps the dwarfs and yearns to kill Smaug.
Overall, the Desolation of Smaug is an excellent movie. The Hobbit movies deserve a lot more credit than people give them for. They are different in tone and story from the Lord of the Rings, but they are still entertaining in their own way. This movie is led by many action sequences. I particularly enjoyed the barrel sequence as the dwarfs escape from the wood elves while be attacked by the orcs. That was an entertaining sequence highlighted by the fiery moves from the elves. The movie ends on a high note and I'm eager for what comes next. I rate this film 10/10.