Peter Jackson’s return to the silver screen is a good one. After last year’s disappointing first film in The Hobbit trilogy, expectations were low. Luckily, Jackson not only meets them, but blows them out of the water. There’s more action, more characters we love (Legolas!), and even a love story we didn’t know we needed, but fell in love with anyway.

We’re back in Middle Earth and it’s as if no time has passed since Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) opened his eyes in the last film. Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) continues on his quest with Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and 13 dwarves including heir to the Dwarf Kingdom Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and way-too-cute to be a dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner). Their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug leads them on what is a long, though rather enjoyable, quest through the woods, into the Elvish kingdom, down a river, across a lake and finally into the community of Lake View, the financially strapped community sitting at the bottom of the mountain.

Yes, the story is light on plot (what else can you say about a 300 page book being turned into three movies), but that doesn’t mean it’s light on action (like Journey). The film’s pace is faster and full of several Easter Eggs for fans (like Peter Jackson’s cameo at the very beginning as a customer of the Prancing Pony). And there are plenty of thrilling action scenes that keep the film on pace. There’s a shapeshifting bear, larger-than-life spiders, and of course a number of terrifying orc encounters.

Then again, not everything’s perfect, but why should it be? Anything Jackson does will always be compared to “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, a triumphant effort and now stable in American film canon. At times, Jackson’s high speed frame rate is jarring and the story does drag on longer than it should (at exactly two hours and thirty minutes without trailers).

And in many ways, the changes Jackson made were smart moves. There’s the creation of a brand new character, Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), a kickass female elf who falls in love with one of the dwarves (yep). Sure, Tolkien didn’t create her, but it’s nice to see a female character in a film made up of so many men. Even better is the fact that she’s not only smart and kicks ass, and it doesn’t feel like a letdown when she falls in love. Although generally not appearing until “Rings,” Bloom has returned as expert elf Legolas looking like he hasn’t aged a day since The Fellowship of the Ring (even though he’s supposed to be younger, but Bloom is technically a decade older). He’s the Legolas we remember, though, fast with a bow and arrow and with perfect hair as always.

Speaking of hair, the dwarves’ time spent in Lake-town is definitely a highlight. Hottie Luke Evans shines as Bard the Bowman, who sneaks the dwarves into the community and then helps them out. It also turns out he’s more important than we think.

And then there’s Cumberbatch as Smaug, who steals the film from Freeman’s Baggins (though maybe that’s the point?). The last fifth of the film focuses solely on the two of them, but it’s hardly a competition. Cumberbatch commands attention and the screen with just his voice and he’s a welcome adversary for Baggins who, in my opinion, isn’t really as well developed as I would have liked.

It’s a long film, sure, but one full of enough twists and turns (literally) to keep you entertained for the full 150 minutes. And with an ending like it has, there’s nothing you possibly could have needed to get pumped for the concluding film out sometime next year.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is now playing!

-Alexandra Finkel