Desolation of Smaug makes Time's best of 2013 list

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is one of the best films of the year, says Time magazine.

Peter Jackson has delivered the goods with his second Hobbit film, says one of the first reviews of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Time magazine ranked the Jackson-directed film No. 10 on its list of the best films of the year, calling it a "vigorous and thrilling middle episode".

"With Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the dwarves finally done with introductory dawdling, they dive into a nonstop adventure among the noble Elves, the rough-hewn humans of Laketown and the ferocious dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch)," said Time.

The magazine singled out Andy Serkis for praise, calling his work as second-unit director "spectacular".

"Each complex encounter, especially a flume-ride escape of the dwarves, boasts a teeming ingenuity of action and character."

It concluded: "In all, this is a splendid achievement, close to the grandeur of Jackson's Lord of the Rings films."

Time's top 10 also included Gravity (No. 1), The Great Beauty (No. 2) and American Hustle (No. 3).

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is released on December 12.

- nzherald.co.nz