Smaug's majestic presence is reason enough to watch this.

Rating: 7/10 (20 April 2015)

In an otherwise mediocre (or just good enough) trilogy, this one gets an extra star only because of the majestic presence of Smaug; from its digital detailing to its voice by Benedict Cumberbatch, Smaug is magnificent in every scene it's present in. Never before on screen has a dragon been presented with so much character and intelligence. Bilbo's conversation with Smaug is quite fascinating to watch; it's reminiscent of the one Bilbo shares with Gollum in first part, but this one is filled wit more wit and humour.
Martin Freeman truly embodies the character of Bilbo; from his walk to his mannerisms, he's truly a hobbit. He is the only character worth caring about.
The barrel ride across the stream is really well-shot; it's rider point-of-view camera angles really makes us part of the adventure.