Exciting, Fast-Paced, Hilarious and Genius. Oh, and a dragon.

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2013)

It's now apparent that, back in "An Unexpected Journey", when Bilbo proclaimed that he was "going on an adventure", he was referring to the second instalment in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, "The Desolation of Smaug" because that's what the film is. An adventure. A genius, fast- paced, hilarious and breath-taking adventure.
"Haters gonna hate", as they say, which is what a lot of people were indeed doing upon the realisation that "Desolation" would be straying further from the source text. But those haters simply have to accept that Tolkien's "The Hobbit" is not blockbuster material, not by a long shot. If another trilogy, or even a single other film, was to be made based upon Middle Earth, it had to include lots of other material, both Tolkien and 'Jackson'. A film could hardly be made on the Appendices, after all, so this was a chance to cram as much Tolkien (and other) goodness into the trilogy. If you want the next instalment in Tolkien's quaint bedtime story, then don't bother. If, however, you're looking for a thrilling, fantasy adventure movie that uses Tolkien's wonderful world and creatures then you're certainly in for a treat.
The pace is much improved on "An Unexpected Journey", with the audience being thrown almost immediately into the action. Said action is frequent and the gaps in between are filled with enough stunning vistas and excellently scripted dialogue to keep the film ticking over at a good pace. The fighting scenes are brilliantly choreographed, with fantastic displays of elven dexterity and brutality that will amaze you, then, when you think you've seen the peak, amaze you again. It's tons of fun, exciting and hilarious in parts. The two most anticipated scenes of the film, the barrel sequence and Smaug himself, are not in the slightest disappointing, with the former being one of the funniest, exciting and unique scenes you'll have seen for a long time and the second boasting some spectacular effects and cinematography. Smaug is, quite simply, absolutely brilliant to behold and the events that take place within Erebor itself are the thrilling highlight to an already thrilling film.
The acting, once again, is more than up to scratch. Marin Freeman is once again brilliant as the quirky but brave Bilbo Baggins and the new additions to the cast putting in excellent performances, with special mentions to Orlando Bloom as Legolas, who embodies everything we loved about Legolas in the original "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy; Luke Evans as Bard who, despite some concerns about his age, appearance and 'Bloom- ness' makes us fall in love with his character very quickly and, finally, Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug. Smaug not only impresses visually but exudes character and personality, something very few monsters in films have, which makes him all the more entertaining. Once again, all the other people who played a part in making this film, as with the other 'Middle Earth' films have done a brilliant job. The authenticity and effect of several scenes and locations is greatly aided by the design and the props, whilst Howard Shore has once again provided a brilliant soundtrack and Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire", which plays first during the credits, adds another level of emotion to your already overloaded brain as you walk out of the cinema.
"The Desolation of Smaug" only really falls down on a few points, most of which can be attributed to 'middle-film syndrome'. Many elements of the story feel like they are incomplete and not dealt with enough, that they are lacking in a certain something, be it detail, depth or resolution. To give examples would be to give spoilers, but there are some obvious instances. Finally, the love triangle, included by order of the studio in pick-up shooting (so not a fault of Jackson's, it is worth pointing out), really does not add anything to the film. It's unnecessary, awkward and, if anything, just gives the devout Tolkien fans more ammunition. Here's hoping it too is a victim of 'middle-film syndrome' and will become more valuable in the third instalment.
And, before I wrap up, it's worth mentioning the possibility of seeing this film in 3D, and the fact that you should most definitely do so. Too often do films use 3D to increase their box office takings but it's nice to see a film, such as this one, which uses 3D to augment its already impressive visual effects and action scenes. The vistas look that much more impressive and the variety of objects that fly off the screen towards you - from arrows to rubble to severed orc heads - is just fantastic.
In conclusion, while "The Desolation of Smaug" has some noticeable faults, and lacks the sheer impact of the original "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy you must consider that one watches film as a means of entertainment and there are very few films that entertain as much as this one, with its fast-paced action, humour, charm and aesthetics. I'm not the first to use this pun (and won't be the last), but it is quite simply barrels of fun. Whilst it's not a masterpiece, and hence my brain is telling me to mark it down a star or two accordingly, I have to go with my heart and give this thrilling ride the full ten stars.

Ed