Personally, I enjoyed The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as an action thrill ride as opposed to a by the book retelling of the children’s tale. The audience is treated to the most ferocious and awe inspiring dragon to ever menace a movie screen (impressively voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) as well as a truckload of spills and chills designed to put you on the edge of your seat. While the middle installment spins its wheels narratively, still requires a score card to tell who’s who, and ends on a mostly unsatisfactory cliffhanger the film is a good deal brisker and more entertaining than the initial offering.