Amazing adaptation regardless of the plot and story changes

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2014)

(Attention! Contains minor spoilers)
When I saw the first Hobbit film I was sort of disappointed because of all the changes that were made, and all the Lord of the Rings references which do not exist in the book, nor they are supposed to exist since it is not supposed to be a dark story, it has a more child-like feeling to it.
Yet, I also understood that Jackson's Hobbit is not Tolkien's and couldn't be. For several reasons, movies aren't just made for those that read the books, not everything that's written in the books works on screen, and The Lord of the Rings came first. People in general needed to see a connection to LotR, and honestly the way it's been done it's quite clever and I believe it works.
Now, about this film specifically. This time I went to see it without any expectations or ideas of what the story should be, and I was blown away. As usual, the scenery, soundtrack and dialogue are incredible as they've always been, but there are also some new additions to the plot and cast.
Legolas is back, and it's rather refreshing to see a new side of him, he is younger and has almost this "evil" look, undoubtedly different from the elf we know from LotR, we will yet know why I suppose. Tauriel, though not an original characters fits rather nicely in the story and I see why it would be important to have a strong female character since there is none in the book and a film must reach to all audiences. Another unexpected thing would be the sort of romance that develops between Tauriel and Kili, the dwarf. It is filler, yes, and apparently unimportant, but it gives you a bit of feeling in the middle of so much action and dark things going on, almost giving you hope that good things are always meant to appear as well. The company of dwarfs is still as funny as it always has been. I would end this review mentioning the dragon, Smaug. The scene with Smaug is unbelievable, and much longer than I expected which was great because it is a privilege to see such good work on screen.
Essentially, keep in mind that the movie you're about to watch is an adaptation of the original, and embrace the good and bad of what may come but keep an open mind. I assure you, you won't be disappointed.