15 Films You Need To See In 2013

4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

While I didn't say, "Peter Jackson ruined my childhood," when it was over, I felt a little underwhelmed by last year's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The memorable parts (Riddles in the Dark, Martin Freeman) were canceled out by a film that was much too long as Jackson set up another Tolkien trilogy. It was certainly enjoyable in sections, but there wasn't enough material to cover the 3-hour run time. As a huge Lord of the Rings fan, I'm hopeful that An Unexpected Journey will be remembered as "the just OK one" as the franchise looks to return to form this December when the second part, The Desolation of Smaug hits theaters. Of course, I could be in Star Wars prequel denial and we've reached the point of no return. Something working in part two's favor is the fact that we'll get to see the dwarves and Bilbo take on Smaug the dragon as the company attempts to reclaim their land. Given Jackson's skill when it comes to directing epic battle scenes, we could see something truly spectacular this time around. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I'm not expecting the series to compete for any major Oscars anymore, so perhaps the diminished expectations will benefit the film.