The Desolation of Smaug is a welcome step up from the trilogy's first installment, although it's still missing a few vital qualities.
With the second installment in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit Trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug picks up shortly after the first ended, as we see the party carrying on with their journey to the Lonely Mountain. First and foremost, and to put it plainly, this is a much better film than the first. Jackson seems to have put his feet firmly on the ground with this one, and it's a great ride to take.
