Bilbo and the company of dwarves march on to the Lonely Mountain.

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Still in possession of the ring of power whose importance he can’t begin to imagine, Bilbo and the company of dwarves advance on their way to the Lonely Mountain. Facing more challenging obstacles as they get closer, the little men will have to show courage and determination in order to take back their fatherland, fiercely guarded by the magnificent and terrible Smaug.

This second installment of the three part adaptation of Tolkien’s The Hobbit confirms what fears the first film sparked: nothing justifies such a long production to tell a story so short. The Desolation of Smaug sadly staggers along for what feels like ages, in spite of the avalanche of action sequences that betray the childish spirit of the book. It has been lost somewhere between the never-ending twists and turns Peter Jackson filmed and the cheesy subplots he has chosen to add. Still, the movie remains satisfying for the beauty of its music, production and creature design, for its few well-directed action scenes and some stunning shots, but that’s simply not enough. This Hobbit is bloated, pushy and long.