The Desolation of Jackson

Actually, that's not quite fair.  Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a far superior film to its predecessor The Hobbit: A Mouth Full of Crackers, I mean, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (these modern titles are such a mouthful - back in 1980, no-one said Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back - call it Hobbit 2 and be done with it).  With much of the static exposition of the first film out of the way, we can get more into the meat of the adapted story.  This is not so say there is no padding - my friend Chris and I missed the first ten minutes (due to the arbitrary nature of Odeon advertising schedules - often lasting 30 minutes but here only 20) but it didn't really make a difference - our heroes were still being pursued by orcs and now a Gruffalo-like beast added to the chase (rather than quest) nature of the enterprise.  We could have missed the first 20 minutes and have been no worse off from the point of view of what was to unfold.  It was at this point that Hobbit 2 started to justify its running length, the story splitting into two where Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) went off to the north to find some empty tombs, though more importantly link up with Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy), only to discard Radagast when approaching the orc stronghold (so much for his involvement).  The other storyline consisted of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the dwarves (assorted actors) having all sorts of adventures trying to reach the mountain where Smaug the dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) resides.  At Laketown, which is reminiscent of all those communities in Nigeria and the Far East where the houses are on stilts above the water, there is a further cleaving of the plot, some dwarves missing the boat or staying behind intentionally to care for a wounded member of the party, while the others push onto the mountain.  Given the demands on my leisure time, I made the most of the experience, watching it in 3D (rather than opting for the 2D version), though it did become uncomfortable when the giant spiders made their entrance into the tale.
Viewing this on Thursday, it was my second dose of Cumberbatch and Freeman in as many days, with the former being on equally imperious and condescending form towards the latter as in Sherlock.  The tussle inside the mountain almost had an Alton Towers feel about it, as Richard Armitage's Thorin rode a river of molten iron, though disappointingly he jumped onto a dangling chain when his bucket went over the edge rather than taking a splashdown and uttering "Again, again!"  Cumberbatch also voiced the Necromancer, identified as Sauron by Gandalf, but there is no interaction with Bilbo.  Orlando Bloom pops up as Legolas the elf again, seeking to resurrect his career in the role that made his name and there is the entirely new character of Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) inserted into the mix to leaven the bromance (and give the male nerd contingent of the audience someone at which to gape).  Her presence hints at Jackson conceding that the original (short) book would not fill nine hours of reel.  Interestingly, IMdb credits Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, even though she doesn't make an appearance (was it in her contract to get a credit in each movie, like some TV actors who get listed in every episode but don't always make a contribution?).
Hobbit 2 ends on a double cliffhanger - Gandalf imprisoned while the orc army goes on the warpath and Smaug bursts free of the trap laid for him, threatening to lay waste to Laketown - which is a bit of an arse given that we have to wait a whole year (or in the case of Chris and myself, 11 months) to see the resolution.  TV shows don't usually make us wait this long between series, yet this is Hollywood - utterly devoid of imagination and fearful of an untested blockbuster flopping, they string out 'winners' for as long as they can get away with it (The Silmarillion will no doubt be a spurious trilogy).  Fair enough, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was a book in its own right (minus the prefix), though this series will be a quadrilogy given that the final book is divided into two.  It was the same with Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, although J. K. Rowling's final installment was incredibly long and the bladders of children in the cinema would have been stretched.  All a far cry from when The Empire Strikes Back was groundbreaking (and one had to wait three further years to see the Galactic Empire finally defeated).  Why not adopt the model of The Avengers mega-franchise where each movie is resolved (more or less) within its running time?  The title for the last of Bilbo and co is The Hobbit: There and Back Again, which already sounds exhausting.  But I've committed so far; I might as well see it (out).