Peter Jackson Has Done It Again! Fans Everywhere Are Content

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2013)

Beware: Spoiler Alert!!! Having so anticipated this movie for months, I can only say it surpassed my expectations. I was in such awe, unable to peel my eyes from the screen. Let me just make this clear before I continue: I'm a great fan of Tolkien's works, having read the Hobbit and LOTR on several occasions and the Silmarillion. I love Peter Jackson's take on Middle Earth. And I understand that to take three movies out of a 310-page book, you have to make additions and delve deeper into certain aspects. Peter Jackson has obviously done just that with this movie. And just as with any adaptation, you can't please everyone. I found the locations in this film completely stunning! Beorn's home, the Elven Halls and the Dwarven Hall/Smaug's lair were especially breathtaking and marvelous. I admit I was skeptical at first of the addition of a new Elf character, Tauriel, even more so when it seemed she would be solely a love interest. But I was intrigued by what I had seen in the trailers. And after seeing the movie, I found myself even more intrigued. Even for her young age, she possesses something her elder's lack. She possesses an open-mindedness to see things in a broader light than Thranduil or Legolas. She recognizes that they cannot care solely for themselves, that there are others in this world. It was definitely refreshing to have another woman amidst so many men (well, technically not just men, elves and dwarfs too).
ThranduilÂ…..well, he was interesting. He comes across as a very haughty King, as he was meant to according to the book. Legolas He had plenty of his Leggy moments that we've all come to expect and love. I particularly enjoyed when he balanced upon the dwarfs' heads and used them as stepping stones. The Barrel Ride scene was very well done and was definitely a highlight, as well as comic relief, of the movie. The character I most anticipated was undeniably Smaug the Stupendous. And he did not disappoint! My heart was beating rapidly throughout the whole sequence between Bilbo and Smaug. I was delighted by how closely their dialogue followed Tolkien's!
In closing, I found this film so completely marvelous, stunning, and spectacular I cannot wait to see it once more. And I will impatiently wait a whole year and some for the third and final installment of the trilogy.