‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ Movie Review: Best and Worst Moments of the Film [WATCH]

Cast and crew members pose for photographers at the premiere of the film "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" in Los Angeles December 2, 2013. REUTERS/Phil McCarten

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" movie starring Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Aidan Turner (Kili), Lee Pace (Thranduil) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug/Necromancer) was released on Dec. 13, 2013 in the U.S. and UK. Here is a brief movie review of it including the best and worst moments of the film.

CREDIT: YouTube/warnerbrosuktrailers

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is the second installment of "The Hobbit" film adaption based on the book "The Hobbit" by English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor J.R.R. Tolkien, who also wrote the popular series "The Lord of the Rings" (LOTR). It was directed by Peter Jackson, who also directed the LOTR films. The film's screenplay was written by Fran Walsh (Jackson's wife) and Philippa Boyens.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is so much better than the first film, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." This one has more action and has a more engaging story filled with brilliant new characters that add to the already exciting plot. The new character Tauriel, which wasn't part of the original story, is a good fit because Evangeline Lilly already looks like an elf to begin with. Plus, she is athletic enough to hold her own during the amazing fight scenes between elves and orcs. The added layer of a love triangle between elves and a dwarf is also a welcome addition to the mostly action packed film. Plus, there are a lot of humorous scenes injected into the film to lighten it up. The actors are all exceptional and brought their A-game to the movie which made it superb. It's still not as grand as LOTR, but it has certainly improved from the first film, which was a bit boring.

Cast member Evangeline Lilly attends the premiere of the film "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" in Los Angeles December 2, 2013. REUTERS/Phil McCarten

Cast members Aidan Turner (R) and Dean O'Gorman attend the premiere of the film "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" in Los Angeles December 2, 2013. REUTERS/Phil McCarten

BEST MOMENTS:

- The barrel scenes including the amazing fight scenes between dwarves, elves and orcs is truly entertaining. It was also funny in the beginning because the dwarves had to go in these barrels to get out of the elves' palace.

- The thrilling fight scene between Gandalf and the necromancer, who turned out to be Sauron is also amazing! We get to see Gandalf, who seems old and weak prove that he is a force to be reckoned with.

- The scenes with Tauriel, Legolas and Kili are also great because it showed another side of elves and dwarves.

- The appearance of Beorn, the skin changer was also interesting, although it would have been better if he actually fought the orcs.

- The encounter with Smaug, the dragon which was voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, who did an astounding job because Smaug (and the Necromancer) sounded scary and evil.

WORST MOMENTS:

- There wasn't really a worst moment in the film, but it does run for 161 minutes (2 hours and 41 minutes), which is a bit too long. Some of the scenes should have been shortened, including the scenes in Lake Town and some fight scenes.

- Although the film is already long, there were too few scenes of Radagast and his furry companions, which would have been amusing to watch as well. It would have been nice to see him team up with Gandalf or Saruman to fight Sauron.

BOX OFFICE INFO:

According to Forbes, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" earned $73.63 million on Friday, Dec. 13, 2013 with $8.8m of that coming from Thursday (Dec. 12, 2013) sneaks. The film reportedly earned $9.1m, or about 12%, in IMAX alone (it earned $14m in IMAX worldwide). However, compared to "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," it came up a bit short (about 13%) because that film earned $84.6 million over its debut weekend.

Meanwhile Box Office Mojo estimates that "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" has already earned $73,675,000 as of Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013.

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATINGS:

According to the Tomatometer, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" deserves a 74% score. It scored a 6.9/10 average rating, with 121 considering it fresh and 42 considering it rotten. It also got an 88% score and a 4.2/5 rating from the audience.

"While still slightly hamstrung by "middle chapter" narrative problems and its formidable length, The Desolation of Smaug represents a more confident, exciting second chapter for the Hobbit series," stated Rotten Tomatoes in its Web site.

IMDB RATINGS:

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) rating is 8.5/10 from 50,732 users. It garnered a Metascore of 66/100 from various critics including Richard Corliss of TIME (90/100 score) and Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com (88/100 score).

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS:

Chris Hulsey thinks the film was fantastic.

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug was fantastic! That cliffhanger though... @SofMarie93
— Chris Hulsey (@relevantchris_) December 16, 2013

Elsa Koppel thought the movie was flawless.

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug was absolutely flawless. Such a great film. Kudos to Pete Jackson and the crew! @TheHobbitMovie — Elsa Koppel (@elliekay986) December 15, 2013

AUDIENCE REVIEWS:

Those who've watched "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" have different opinions about the film. Read what they thought about the film by Peter Jackson.

"I'm going to preface this review with I really enjoyed the first Hobbit film despite its obvious flaws. With that said, I found this one to be about the same, except faster paced and with plenty more action sprinkled in. Where the first one was criticized for too much talking, this one could be criticized for too much smashing at times. The special effects and visuals are still absolutely top notch, although I do prefer the visuals of the first one a little more just because it was more about the journey and soaking in the adventure compared to the wall to wall action and excitement of this installment," said Super Reviewer Josh Lewis in the Rotten Tomatoes Audience Reviews for "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug."

"No desolations here! 'Desolation' gives a stronger adventure and enjoyment than the original Hobbit movie. Faster pace, beautiful sets, lovely score, costumes and most impressive CGI than ever before, with the comeback of one of the most beloved character of the original series, Legolas, will surely win over the audiences both fans of Tolkien's book and not, over the globe again this Christmas season. If anything, I'll definitely go catch it again. Thumbs up!" said Addie Tomic from Croatia, in the IMDb user reviews and ratings section for "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug."

CRITIC REVIEWS:

"A wickedly entertaining, sometimes thrilling adventure," said Top Critic Richard Roeper on the Rotten Tomatoes Web site.

"Middle-earth's got its mojo back. A huge improvement on the previous installment, this takes our adventurers into uncharted territory and delivers spectacle by the ton," said Empire Online.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" movie review provides insights and a brief overview of the said film, including its best and worst moments, box office records, audience and critic reviews and ratings from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. If you haven't watched "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" yet, then what are you waiting for? March to the nearest theatre that shows the film and see for yourself what everyone is raving about. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is already showing on various theatres in the U.S. and UK. It will be shown on several theatres in Australia on Dec. 26, 2013.