The 2nd movie in The Hobbit trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug picks up where An Unexpected Journey leaves off. This one is more or less the group getting bailed out repeatedly by Bilbo until they finally make it to the Lonely Mountain. Even though I do think this is one of the better trilogies, as far as each movie being good, this one still ends on a cliff hanger. It's not quite as bad as the typical trilogy filler 2nd movie, but I feel like Bard should have got his big scene in this movie, instead of the next one. It is nice to pick up some new characters along the way and the changes of scenery in this one keep it from getting as boring as I felt The Two Towers felt in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We see Sauron for the first time, but it's on one of Gandalf's side quests, which kind of feels forced, just a little, to have it in the movie. This movie is slightly shorter than the first movie and that helps a little. Overall, it's a must watch if you want to watch the trilogy ;)