I haven’t yet caught up with “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” myself. On my one opportunity to see it this week, it was scheduled against “The Wolf of Wall Street” and — well, you know. I didn’t get on at all with “An Unexpected Journey” last year, finding it narratively listless and visually garish (not helped by the divisive 48fps technology).

But my curiosity has been renewed after a number of trusted colleagues deemed the new instalment significantly superior to its predecessor. Drew McWeeny is among the believers, declaring the film a “thrilling” improvement. Now it’s your turn. Do you agree that “Smaug” is a step up? Perhaps you thought the first film required no improvement? Or can you still not get over the division of one slender book into three films? Share your thoughts in the comments if and when you’ve seen the film, and vote in our poll below.