The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Better than the first one. Maybe. I don't really remember the first one. Go see this if you like to watch people running from things, then dropping things, then picking those things back up at the last minute. Also, how do they manage to make the CGI worse with every movie?

Better than Bilbo's beginning blockbuster, the Desolation's done decently. The battles and barrel bits are a blast but Benedict's baddie's bland and the Orcs overdone.

Like the previous film, I was excited to be back in Middle Earth. Learned from my mistake and saw the whatever the regular FPS version which brough the magic back. My biggest beef is the non-existant ending, but am left jazzed for the finale.

While The Hobbit trilogy is unlikely to surpass the general love for the first LOTR films it is holding its own admirably. Middle chapters can be difficult to avoid feeling like placeholders but I felt this was brisk for an over 2 1/2 hour movie. Only complaint...Orc CGI Faces.

For reason's I can't quite put my finger on, I enjoyed this installment noticeably more than last year's. Makes sense that in the second act of the story the plot is that much more developed. From that perspective, the conclusion should be much more satisfying.