The second Hobbit movie – The Desolation of Smaug – directed by the great Peter Jackson, came out last December, and it’s even more action packed and scenic than the first one. If you haven’t seen the first Hobbit, then you might be a bit confused as the second one picks up right where the original left off in an exhilarating fashion.

Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, continues his quest to help the dwarf king Thorin and his clan of dwarves reclaim their home in the mountain that was taken away from them by the immaculate, terrifying dragon Smaug, voiced by a convincing Beenedict Cumberbach. The adventure thickens even more as the short-heighted team finally reaches their home and must find a way to overcome their scaly host in the mountain.

I loved that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug expanded more upon the character development of the dwarves on the team. Whereas I only saw the dwarves as a single unit in the first film, I was actually able to pick out key characteristics of each dwarf, especially the fearless and immature dwarf Kili. The daring elf from the first three installments of the Lord of the Rings, Legolas, played by Orlando Bloom, is also back to add jaw-dropping awesomeness into the mix. The action in this movie is unrelenting as well; in the brief reprieves where giant spiders, monstrously ugly orgs, shape shifters, dragons ventilating fire, and familiar elves are actually found at ease, the movie brings about beautiful scenery and hilarious dialogue.

The elephant in the room about this film, however, is how short the film actually features its titled, frightfully horrible, dragon Smaug. One would think at least half of the movie would be premised around Smaug (being how his name is in the title and all), but he was only featured for maybe half an hour at the end.

Still, this movie brought about the same awe inspiring, fantasy driven emotions I experienced watching the first one, if not more!