Enjoyable enough but falls Dwarfs short

Rating: 5/10 (21 December 2013)

I enjoyed some of Desolation of Smaug but not as much as the first instalment. If you've not seen it yet ignore the comments below, there be dragons...I mean spoilers there.
The bits I did like Peter Jackson cameo in the opening shot Bilbo at the top of the forest, beautiful and stunning.
Likewise when they saw the city on the side of the mountain for the first time.
The Spider battle and the fact the spiders spoke like Gollum/Smeagol The Barrels scene (My second favourite bit in the book after Bilbo playing riddles with Gollum) The halls full of gold (again stunning effects) and Bilbo's encounter with Smaug.
Seeing Gandalf actually use some magic for a change and engage in a magic battle.
The tomb of the Nine and how they made you think differently about the Eye of Sauron.
Legolas being god dam kick-ass!
What I didn't like:
The love triangle that sprang up from no-where and made no sense between the dwarf and the Elf lady.
Endless supply of Orc fodder.
The lack of any real threat because not a single good guy has died yet.
Too many dramatic poses and overacting, especially by Thorin 'Strike a Pose' Oakenshield.
Do we really need emotional, powerful music in every single scene, even when people are just talking? Rhadaghast the Brown just having a cameo and doing sod all.
Bilbo being congratulated on his keen eyesight because he's spotted a giant carving of a Dwarf in the side of the mountain, how amazing must his eyes be??! The dwarfs spending months journeying to the mountain, only to give up after 5 minutes.
The sub-plot between the dwarfs, the Bard and the Master in that town. None of it worked apart from the comedy value of the dwarfs being covered in fish and then sneaking into the house via the toilet.
I found it ludicrous that they made such a fuss about 'getting across the lake' and into the town, why didn't they just walk down the pier like the Orcs did? The whole over the top running 'battle' between the dwarfs and Smaug inside the mountain. I mean what was all that about? It was such an elaborate digital laden farce which ended in the most ludicrous of ways.
The ending. I mean it's been thrown in our faces that Smaug has a scale missing, only a black arrow can pierce it and the Bard has one arrow left. What could possibly happen when Smaug attacks the town? Maybe I'm wrong but it's hardly a cliffhanger isn't it? I think for me overall the reason I didn't like it as much was the first one focused on Bilbo and told the tale from his perspective for the most part. This one Bilbo's not really central and it's all over the place. That combined with so much CGI, some stunning, some obvious, made me feel detached during the last hour or so.