Review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) by Caldepen — 16 Dec 2013

Much better than the first and I didn't mind the first. I saw it in high-speed and 3d. Super well done but 2 things, the glasses are smaller than they used to be so you can see the rims which is distracting (but the crowd seems way cooler when the lights come up) and secondly the high-speed makes the production seem amateurish during the expositive scenes for some reason.

So at the bar when they are talking it reminds me of a 80's British soap opera or a Canadian video production like Littlest Hobo. I think it exposes bad acting more. So a raised eyebrow by Gandalf looks kind of silly and deliberate or when Thorin notices bad guys it is super obvious like you can almost hear the director saying "look that way, then that way.

..". For the most part the action scenes are pretty spectacular, although at times somewhat video-gamey.