The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug

Part two of The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug, is too long and drawn out. The book wasn't that long so doesn't merit a trilogy. It's been eons since I read the book. I read it as an adult so wasn't overly thrilled with the story to begin with because it was written for children. The story didn't capture me in the same way that's its brother, The Lord of the Rings did. (I was in college when I first read LOTR and have read it two or three times through since then).

There were a few characters that crossed over from LOTR that I don't remember being in The Hobbit. I don't remember Legolas getting more than a mere mention in the book, but he had a whole epic story line of his own. Other than a bit of heart throb, special effects and stunts, his appearance in the movie did nothing to further the story. Ditto, the brown wizard, Radagast. And who the hell was Tauriel in the book?

A lot of time was spent on giant arachnids. Too much time, and I confess as an arachnophobe I watched that part of the movie through closed eyes. In 3D, the gruesome images were too intense for me to take.

Music enhances a movie and the score for the most set the mood. However, let's lose the boy band through the credit roll for a haunting ballad instead of a teeny bopper beat.

There were epic moments when the movie tried to soar. The dragon, Smaug, whether CGI, puppet, or a combination, was stunning. It just took too long to get to Smaug's scenes only to be let down with the realization of having to wait for another movie to finish the story. Let's just kill the *$$^#@! dragon, grab the gold, and go home.