Dragons, wraiths, magic, the whole shebang

Rating: 8/10 (25 December 2017)

After a lot of character building and exposition, it is time to meet some of the antagonists. The orc's obsession with the dwarfs is now explained as a part of an elaborate evil plan, we finally meet the dragon, which is an intelligent and articulate being, only driven mad by pride and greed. I quite liked the dragon and I wish the character would have been explored more. However, considering this is based on a children's book, any kind of depth in the story is a bonus. We also meet the humans, not some great kingdom, but a mere fisherman's village, far removed from the glory of the original Dale, and run by a corrupt ruler. Sauron makes his appearance, battling all kinds of magic users that seem to appear and disappear from various places as the story demands. We meet the "not so good" elf lord with a grudge on the dwarfs, as well.
Here things start to also go awry with the quality of the storytelling, but the special effects and the increase in tension keep the viewer entertained. It all starts to go more and more over the top, without any reason to. If you are a Tolkien purist or thrive on a believable plot with reasonable characters and events, here is where you will start to scratch your head and wonder where it all went wrong. Still good and fun, though.