It would appear, for some strange and unforeseeable reason, that Director/Co-writer Peter Jackson is not himself these days. Having viewed and admired (at one point or another) a large chunk of Jackson's oeuvre I can quite confidently say that I see very little of the cinematic flare for the grandiose which he is known for. And while Jackson is no stranger to helming lengthy pictures, the Hobbit contemptuously overlong and often feels as if it were the rough cut of a much shorter and concise feature. The attention to and love for the source material which gave the Rings trilogy a feeling of being created by a fan for fans seems to have all but vanished with the second installment of the Hobbit. It feels more like a LOTR/Hobbit knock-off or Tolkien fan-fiction rather than an adaptation. If there is anything good to say about the film (and there is in fact) it can be summed up most succinctly in the progression Martin Freeman as Bilbo and the malevolence of Benedict Cumerbatch's Smaug.

I loved the movie! I loved the action sequences. Even though at times I felt like they were pushing it a bit too long with battle scenes, it wasn't atrocious. The ending was kind of abrupt but I guess it will result in an action packed third installment!

WIthout any spoilers, the beautiful world that Peter Jackson brings to life is something else. A lot of purists get very uncomfortable around the artistic choices he made in these movies, but I feel like they bring them alive in a whole new way. Benedict Cumberbatch is a voice made for evil, and he does great as Smaug. But of a cliffhanger ending, though. I'm a bit sad about that. -_- waiting a year is gonna be balls.

Oh my gosh, the cinematography is beautiful, the acting is really good, the portrayal of the characters is really good, Smaug is probably one of the coolest movie monsters ever, I recommend watching this film, you will not be disappointed.

If you pretend the movie is not about Tolkien's world and the treasured book named in the title, and if you try NOT to imagine Tolkien not only rolling OVER in his grave, but actually rising from it to strangle Peter Jackson et al in vengeful wrath, then the movie is quite enjoyable. Well put togetjer for the most part (except for some dodgy CGI in the Third Act), well acted, and even well scripted, the movie is what the critics would call (and maybe even already have called) a "rollicking good time."