The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Without giving too much away, here are my thoughts on the second installment of the Hobbit Trilogy

The Good

• The dwarfs' barrel escape is something to watch out for. It is both funny and entertaining.
• Evangeline Lily is officially my favorite elf, dare I say it, my favorite TLOR character. Have a feeling they will kill her off in some heroic fashion in the 3rd installment. Wouldn't mind seeing Lily in more heroine action roles. She could be Kate Beckinsale 2.0. 
• Finally, we see Sauron in action, not just some evil eye gazing at the good guys
• The movie kept my attention the entire time, unlike the first Hobbit movie
• No musical numbers here

The Bad

• Still lots of questions and still leaves you hanging in the end - what would you expect from the second movie in a trilogy?
• I respect Benedict Cumberbatch as an actor and for what he has done with Sherlock Holmes. But giving Smaug a voice, in my opinion, lessened the scariness of the dragon. Perhaps only when Bilbo Baggins was wearing the ring, should the dragon have had a voice, much like the scene with the spiders. Perhaps the 3rd installment will explain why Smaug has been dormant all this time and fill all the answers that will tie this trilogy to the TLOR trilogy. Or I could just read the books...
• Legolas seems to have become more serious in reverse timeline. Wonder why he becomes carefree later on in the series if he doesn't get the girl

The Ugly

• Orcs
• The human water town inhabitants

This sequel is better in my opinion than the first Hobbit movie. Go for it if you're planning on watching in a theater this holiday season.