It may be heavy on the effects, but Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice as Smaug is absolutely perfect! And, in spite of my irritations with the first installment to The Hobbit trilogy, I can’t help but be excited for this.
Of course the whole indication of the love interest for Legolas in the person/elf named Tauriel (remember, she’s the addition to the cast by Peter Jackson and is not in the books — because we needed MORE CHARACTERS in this series!!!1!!!1!) is a bit odd — even irritating, but that’s par for the course with Peter Jackson I think (certainly it is these days). But, as I said, I am excited for this film, and this trailer certainly has that epic quality we’ve come to expect form the Lord of the Rings film universe.