The Desolation Of Smaug, the second instalment in Peter Jackson's three-part Hobbit adaptation based on the novel by J.R.R Tolkien, hit cinemas on December 13 to rave reviews. Following the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and a company of Dwarves, The Desolation Of Smaug - it is widely agreed by critics - got the franchise back on track after predecessor 'An Unexpected Journey' received a mixed response. Richard Corliss of TIME has described Jackson's latest offering one of the top 10 films of 2013, while Nick de Semlyen of Empire raved: "Middle-earth's got its mojo back." But for all the glowing reviews and the money it raked in at the box office ($209 million worldwide on its opening weekend), The Desolation Of Smaug is by no means a perfect film. An avid fan of the novel it is based on, I found the many deviations from Tolkien's writing to be glaring, and while I am still mystified that Jackson was able to pad out a trilogy of films from Tolkien's 351-page pamphlet, it was the hard-to-ignore detours from the writing that most bothered me. From Legolas and Tauriel through to Azog the Orc, here, we take a look at 5 Unforgivable Deviations From The Novel. (Please note that the following pages contain plot details from The Desolation Of Smaug.) Click "Next" to begin.