Hobbit: Bloat Free Edition, The

Updated
Hobbit: Bloat Free Edition, The
Faneditor Name:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2013 / 2014 / 2015
Original Running Time:
533
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
317
Time Cut:
216
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
As the title suggests, this edit removes all the unnecessary bloat that was added to the trilogy. Clocking in at just over five hours, this film aims to be as close as possible to what Jackson would've created in the originally planned two-part saga.
Intention:
I made this fan edit because I was never quite pleased with what other edits offered. Everyone has their own taste and opinions, and I decided I may as well make my own version that I am happy to sit down and watch in place of the original films.
Additional Notes:
I had two main goals with this edit: 1) Reduce the film to the perspective of the three key characters, Bilbo, Thorin & Bard. 2) Create a good edit, that flows well, feels & sounds like a real film, and doesn’t any contain major continuity errors. In addition to these two main goals, I also aimed to remove any and all other unneeded bloat from the film, ranging from cutting entire action sequences, to single lines of dialogue. Anything that I believe just didn’t need to be there and didn’t aid the film in any way.
Other Sources:
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Royalty Free sound effects
Special Thanks:
Special thanks to everyone over at r/thehobbit who have already downloaded the film, and to the staff here at FanEdit.org for taking the time to review the film.
Release Information:
Digital
Special Features
This film is in Full HD with 5.1 Dolby Surround, and contains full meta-data, including chapter markers with thumbnails, a film description, cast and crew, and custom cover art.
Editing Details:
As a film with so much going on, we do need to have the perspective of multiple characters, however giving every character and their grandma their own subplot is not the way to go. I have focussed the story telling on the three characters of Bilbo, Thorin & Bard, and thrown out any subplots from the point of view of Gandalf, Radagast, Azog, Bolg, Legolas, & Tauriel. This does not mean that they do not feature in the movie, in fact, all of these characters are still in the film in some way, but only as seen from the perspective of our key characters. The only major exception to this rule is the Master of Laketown, who has a few scenes with Alfred that I believe are necessary to give some background to both their characters. Additionally, there are obviously a few scenes with the dwarves where Thorin & Bilbo are not present, but they are few in number and are only included if they are part of the main storyline.
Cuts and Additions:
The following are the main subplots & sequences that were removed entirely:

- Prologue
- Radagast / Gandalf / White Council / High Fells / Dol Guldur / Sauron
- Stone Giants
- Tauriel / Kili / Legolas love triangle
- Kili’s injury
- Dwarves vs Smaug
- Legolas / Tauriel / Gundabad

The following are the Extended Edition scenes which remain in the film:

- 'The Last Homely House'
- 'The Great Goblin'
- 'Queer Lodgings'
- 'Mirkwood'
- Dwarves vs Elves (from 'Dáin Ironfoot')
- 'The War Chariot'
- 'King Under the Mountain'

You can read in detail about all the changes on the official reddit post over on r/thehobbit. Just Google 'The Hobbit: Bloat Free Edition'.

User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
8.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0(1)
Audio Editing
 
9.0(1)
Visual Editing
 
8.0(1)
Narrative
 
6.0(1)
Enjoyment
 
7.0(1)
Overall rating
 
8.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
6.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
This cut was put together very professionally and was quite enjoyable. But for something calling itself the "Bloat Free Edition" there was still quite a bit of bloat. Most of the bloat comes in the Battle of the Five Armies. There are a few moments and scenes peppered throughout the rest of the movie that I could have done without, but the battle is far too long and preserves many of its most ridiculous moments.

I actually had never watched the extended version BotFA, so this cut was my first exposure to a lot of that footage. I found myself simultaneously shaking my head at how over the top it was AND having a good time. It's definitely a lot of fun. But I want my Middle Earth movies to feel grounded. There was so much focus in LotR to making it feel like a real place filled with real people and real history. This cut could benefit a lot from trimming back some of the more cartooney moments in order to make feel real.

User Review

Format Watched?
Digital
S
2 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0