A return to form for filmmaker Peter Jackson; swifter pacing and epic setpieces

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2013)

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (2013) ***1/2 Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Dean O'Gorman, Aidan Turner, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Sylvester McCoy, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, John Bell (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) A return to form for filmmaker Peter Jackson (who co-wrote with his team of Fran Walsh, Phillippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro) in his ongoing adaptation of JRR Tolkien's novel with the pack of dwarfs en route to stop the invincible dragon Smaug (scarily intoned by Cumberbatch) from the onslaught of the kingdom laid waste and the all-consuming blood- thirsty Orcs empowered to bring upon even more evil. Faster-paced with swift sequences of fantastic action and thrills (i.e. a shoot-the-rapids barrel ride cum battle and the spooky voyage thru a forest plagued with giant spiders) and a boost of energy (and shout-out to the fan girls) with newly created 'sheElf' Tauriel (babelicious ass-kicker Lilly) and a more easier to understand plot line overall. The as-expected visuals and effects are even more thorough and despite a few video game like executions continues to be the blue chip mix of state-of- the-art-technology with old-fashioned escapist storytelling. The third and final chapter should be a doozy!