The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - Peter Jackson

After successfully crossing the Misty Mountains, Thorin, Bilbo and the group of lovable Dwarfs head towards Mirkwood Forest, with Orc forces still in hot pursuit.  With Gandalf elsewhere, the Dwarves reach the human settlement, Lake-Town, near the Lonely Moutain, where Bilbo Baggins will fulfill his part of the mission.  Bilbo has finally made it to the point in this story where his burglar skills will come in handy, unfortunately for him, it entails stealing from the powerful dragon Smaug.  Peter Jackson's The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug is the latest overstuffed, overlong segment in the trilogy of 2 1/2 hour movies based off of one 300 page book.  This is an epic film where nothing happens, with no emotional resonance to speak of.  The leading characters are by and large colorless and uninteresting but what is probably even more annoying is the large amount of superfluous scenes that do little to drive the thin plot forward.  I found myself bored and uninterested for much of the film's running time until Smaug is introduced.  The creature design and set pieces developed around Smaug are impressive and riveting, delivering some of the few scenes of the movie that actually brought me back to the quality book.  Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a surprisingly lifeless film for much of its running time, relying on flashing computer effects to invigorate the audience.  The host of characters throughout are by and large uninteresting, with the film only truly coming to life when Smaug makes himself present, which is unfortunately too little too late. 

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