7. Longer Set-Pieces
Though there are a few fantastic set-pieces in The Hobbit - namely the fight with the trolls, the Battle Royale between the rock giants, the slug-fest through the goblin kingdom, and then the climactic scramble through the trees - none of them are particularly long, lasting only a few minutes each at most. Given how long we've had to wait for the action, it's somewhat disappointing that it's so sparse and piecemeal, but then this has always been a worry for series fans since Jackson decided to distend the story out to three films. This means that the novel's pronounced lack of action is going to seem even more noticeable, likely even as Jackson tries to remedy it by drawing from the novel's various appendices. While we don't want The Desolation of Smaug being dragged out any longer than necessary, Jackson could serve well to take his time with the set-pieces a little more and not seem so eager to rush his way through them. Focus on the destruction, draw-out the suspense a little more, and it'll probably make us complain less about the length in any effect.