A trip to Middle Earth worth taking

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2013)

The action in this installment was more plentiful than the first. There's not as much character development, and while the focus shifts toward a few of the main characters and dwarfs at times, for me there just wasn't as much empathy for the characters. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun, just not as introductory as the first "Hobbit" movie, but that's to be expected in a sequel. I loved the additional character written in for Evangeline Lilly as an elvin warrior who falls for a dwarf. I also loved the scenes with Legolas (Bloom) and think if Tolkien had written enough, he could star in his own movie because it is so entertaining to watch him dismantle orgs. The special effects, dragon, scenery, characters, etc. are all breathtaking and worth catching in IMAX if possible. There were some things in the movie that didn't make complete sense to me and felt out of place, but it felt like Jackson was just trying to wrap up some things that take place in the book and couldn't find a better way to slowly unravel the details so they felt a bit rushed or strange.
Whatever the case, this one is worth seeing, and I'm planning on catching it again to better take it in, and this time without the naps. If you liked the previous movies, or like suspenseful, sci-fi, fantasy, etc. Don't miss out on this one.