Enlarge / Peter Jackson's second The Hobbit film is here, giving nerds on the Internet something else to argue about.

Before going forward, an important spoiler warning: this article assumes that you've seen both The Hobbit films and read the book and takes no pains to avoid spoilers for any of it. As such, it will spoil not just the movie and the book, but probably also many elements of the next Hobbit film. If you haven't read the books and want to be surprised by the next movie, do not pass beyond this point.

Let me begin by saying that I didn't dislikeThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

This was emphaticallynot the case with last year'sAn Unexpected Journey, which has a whole pile of structural and thematic problems.Peter Jackson and crew took what could have been a reasonably watchable two-hour fantasy film and padded it out to three hours with interminable chase sequences, memorable-for-all-the-wrong-reasons rock monster battles, and pointless Elijah Wood cameos.

The new movie inherits a few of these problems. There are still more than a few chases, and the scenes thataren't chases are often overly talky sequences where ominous figures drone on ominously about an ominously ominous Coming Evil. Most of this is done to set up the third movie, which will wrap up the story ofThe Hobbitbut also bridge the gap between these prequel movies and theLord of the Rings films. These ponderous speeches and jumps away from the main action still drag Desolationdown, but the storyline is more straightforward (and, at a mere two hours and 40 minutes, moves more briskly) than the previous film.

Last year we took a wide-ranging look at many aspects ofAn Unexpected Journey, but this year let's focus on one aspect of the new movie that has some of the Tolkien faithful up in arms: it changes the story. It changes it kind of a lot. And these changes run deeper than the ones made to expand material from Tolkien's other writing and shoehorn Sauron (a present-but-unnamed and largely backgrounded figure in the book) into the main action.

The movie's many changes have been compared to the biggest and most egregious change in theLord of the Rings trilogy (if you don't count the absence of "The Scouring of the Shire"): Faramir's behavior inThe Two Towers. In both the book and the film, Boromir's brother Faramir is presented with the opportunity to capture Frodo and take the Ring from him by force. Book-Faramir chooses to help Frodo along in his quest and give up the Ring, an action that drives home for the reader the fact that Faramir is in many ways wiser and better suited for leadership than his brother Boromir (who failed the same test). Movie-Faramir is so desperate for his father's approval that he captures Frodo and Sam and tries to bring them back to Gondor, letting them go only after a close shave with a Ringwraith.

It was a change made because theTwo Towers film ended earlier in the timeline of events than theTwo Towers book and because Faramir's brief internal struggle probably wouldn't have thrilled a mainstream audience as much as an Orc battle and Ringwraith encounter. But it changed Faramir for the worseit took one of the book's better characters and more important character moments (seriously, being able to reject or let go of the Ring of one's own volition is a big deal) and tossed it out because it wouldn't have looked cool.

The Desolation of Smaug makes changes and additions as large and larger than these, and unlike the first Hobbitfilm, the events of the second one depart from the booksignificantly. Still, I'm more inclined to defend changes toThe Hobbit's story becauseThe Hobbit's story is less complex and less satisfying thanThe Lord of the Rings'. Too much happens by chance or by accident. Too many characters are left undeveloped. To make a story that's satisfying to adults and not just children, you've got to give the source material some help.

An Unexpected Journey was pretty faithful to Tolkien's source material, which meant that it imported some ofThe Hobbit's less-plausible turns of events. The most noticeable of these are the story's manydei ex machina, the times when Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves are saved from certain doom through coincidence and luck rather than their own skill and resourcefulness. Any time an eagle has to fly in from nowhere to save the day, you should realize you've written yourself into a corner.

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On The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and weaknesses in the source material

Six more buildings planned for the massive Carmel City Center development are ready to come off the drawing board.

Developer Pedcor Cos. on Tuesday unveiled conceptual designs for four mixed-use buildings, a parking garage with ground-floor commercial, and an addition to its Pedcor Square office complex. The additions are expected to cost $80 million to $100 million, and take four to five years to build.

Work is under way on The Nash, a three-story, $10 million mixed-use building that kicked off the second phase of the ambitious redevelopment project earlier this year. More than half of the commercial space there already is leased, said Bruce Cordingley, Pedcor's president and CEO.

Tuesdays announcement provided a glimpse of what else could join the sprawling commercial-and-residential hub at the corner of City Center Drive and Range Line Road. Also part of City Center are the iconic Palladium concert hall and the Center for the Performing Arts, projects that represent a public investment of about $200 million.

"This is our vision" for all but the last two or three buildings at City Center, Cordingley said, calling the designs preliminary. "We welcome ongoing input."

Cordingley said the timing and financing of projects will be determined after talks with the Carmel City Council and city development groups, expected to begin early next year.

Outgoing City Council President Rick Sharp and council Finance Committee Chairwoman Luci Snyder each expressed support for Pedcor's plans, saying that finishing the City Center project is a priority. After her public remarks, Snyder said public funds could be used to pay for roads and other infrastructure, including parking.

"That's our job," she said.

City Centers first phase included 106 apartments and 62,000 square feet of retail/commercial space. The Nash, which is going up along Range Line Road south of City Center, will have 8,000 square feet of street-level commercial space and 31 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments on the upper floors.

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City Center expansion plans could cost $100M

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December is upon us, which means its time for the next installment in Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jacksons second Middle-earth trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (read our review).

Jacksons decision to adapt J.R.R. Tolkiens fairly straight-forward Hobbit novel into a sprawling fantasy/adventure movie trilogy featuring additional plot material that serves as a prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy continues to divide film buffs, as evidenced by the range of critical reactions and general feelings towards the first chapter, An Unexpected Journey (read our review), and to a lesser extent with The Desolation of Smaug.

Sidestepping that debate how does The Desolation of Smaug compare to the middle-chapter in the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers? One is a rousing fantasy adventure, while the other is a grandiose fantasy war epic but does one achieve what it sets out to do better than the other?

Well, in keeping with our comparison between An Unexpected Journey and Fellowship of the Ring, well examine The Desolation of Smaug and The Two Towers with regard to five different aspects: the characters, story, world, action/effects and direction. (Of course, if youre already decided which one you feel is better, feel free to jump ahead and cast your vote in the comments section of this article.)

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Thematically, the first installments in Jacksons Hobbit and Rings trilogies examine flip sides of fate choosing your destiny vs. accepting the destiny you are given which are elaborated upon in the second chapters of each respective series, through the collective experiences of the many, many Middle-eartheans that populate both films.

In The Desolation of Smaug, we get the pleasure of watching Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) continue his evolution as a character, gaining more courage and sharpening his wits but remaining a polite and pleasant (if bumbling) Hobbit at his core. Meanwhile, the film better establishes why Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) is perceived by his dwarfish peers as a king-in-waiting and great leader, yet it doesntskip addressing the dangerous consequences that his actions bring (nor how Thorins stubbornness can be as much a strength as a weakness).

As a result, Bilbo and Thorin continue to make for compelling leads in The Desolation of Smaug, since we are shown heretofore unseen shades of their moral fiber and personality; including, a darkness glimpsed in Bilbo brought out by The Ring of Power (which becomes a great metaphor for how Bilbos newfound bravery/cunning is a double-edged sword) and Thorins questionable motives, as his(Noble? Selfish?) desire to reclaim the Lonely Mountain brings out the cracks in his armor (which is overtly, but still effectively, symbolized with the Arkenstone).

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‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ vs. ‘The Two Towers’