Overall: 14
This is a fun movie that does not stray from the high fantasy novel genre. It is as beautiful and detailed as the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, though not quite as well written as far as the story arc is concerned--by that I mean the movie was not translated from book into a movie story arc as cleanly as the first movie.
Overall I liked this movie, and it is definitely worth watching.
Entertainment: 4
Of your average watchers (i.e. people who are not into all things Lord of the Rings), some people will probably love the Desolation of Smaug, but for me it was solidly in the like range. It was a little meandering in style (even for a fantasy movie), without that feeling of intensity that accompanied the previous film. This is also a darker, sadder period of the story, which can dampen the effect of the entertainment in a fantasy adventure. Despite all that, there are great and enjoyable scenes throughout. The issues that keep me from a higher range are not about the individual parts, just a few of the ties that bind them.
Writing: 4
As mentioned above, the writing in this movie did not capture the arc a movie plot should have as well as the previous film. Some will complain that I am being to harsh here, and that the second movie in a trilogy always suffers from story positioning. However, I will note that many movies have managed to accomplish this goal in a sequel (e.g. X-Men 2, The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Knight, etc.).
Presentation: 6
As with all the Lord of the Rings movies, this film is fantastically beautiful. The visuals and audio are breathtaking, and the acting is wonderful.
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