Hobbit Part 2: An Adventure's End, The

In my view even better than Part 1, nothing missed from the source and all the additional baggage I can remember (albeit from about eight years ago) gone. It is amazing how the total runtime is three hours less than that of the theatrical trilogy despite adding some of the deleted scenes.

Firstly, let me say that the passion you have for this edit, the number of variations and the attention to detail you have put into this film is breathtaking. You have created a distinct version of the Hobbit that possibly the most unique of any fan edits,

My thoughts on the edit are as follows:

I watched the 5 hour version of your cut, split into 2 films, and I have wildly different thoughts about both of the films so let me start with the beginning film: The Quest for Erebor

- I loved the opening at the prancing pony, giving a frame for the story that encourages the audience to pay attention and draw them in with mytery; I would've cut the flashback to the battle of moria as it seemed a little too early in the story to include that, but otherwise brilliant!
- the editing of the dwarves arriving at Bag End is just wonderful! Removing the over the top antics, the clumsy 'comedic' moments, dwalin's head but with Balin. My only complaint is the way you removed gandalf saying 'he's here', which makes Thorins introduction a little rushed
- the introduction of the quest and the way you edited the dialogue, it's an improvement over the original scene, but I felt it was a little truncated, could've had a little more breathing space.
- LOVED the removal of bilbo running through bag end and the removal of 'I'm going on an adventure', really helped the tone of the film.
- The flashbacks to Thrandual were fantastic, more of that please!
- However, I thought the 'Riddles in the dark' scene, was a little chopped up; preferred the original version.
- The Barrel Chase scene was good, until Kili is shown to be hurt without having any context, maybe that could be removed?

PART 2: An Adventures End

- The dol guldur scenes are wonderfully edited, giving them far more intensity. Something I WISH somebody would do is include the 'Revelation of the Ring Wraith' them music into that scene as I believe it would make it near perfect!
- The introduction of Smaug intercut with Gandalf is good, but I preferred Adam Dens version where the entire battle happens before Bilbo meets smaug,
- Smaugs death was a little too short, to edited, should've allowed more time to breath during that section!
- The BOFA was very well constructed, only wish you had included the 'Bilbo plants the acorn' scene as it's one the best ones
- The ending using old bilbo and frodo was wonderful! That was my favourite part of the edit,

Overall, Wraiths edit is worth it if you want a different and unique take of the world of Middle Earth, Thank you for all you effort :)

Wraith has created a masterful edit which offers different versions, for different tastes. The visuals, audio and enhanced story are very well done. It was a joy to experience and I highly recommend.

It has become rather difficult to review Hobbit edits here on IFDB and not be biased by one's own personal preferences, but I will try!

I think I watched the Tolkein Edit version of Wraith's project.

For starters, I'll say that starting the movie with the Prancing Pony scene was marvelous! It's a great introduction for Thorin; the scene was great, it just gets cut out of a lot of edits due to the 3-in-1 structure that most people adopt, or even the 3-in-2 structure that usually doesn't have a prologue at the start of part 2. You circumvented this by putting it at the very beginning!

Wraith states that he left no scene untouched, and that is quite apparent! He put a lot of love and careful consideration into every FRAME of these films, and has created a beautiful work of art as a result. I can't pretend to be anything other than a total amateur at this, and so I also can't pretend to think that I know how every single little scene and frame could/would be improved, so I mostly stay away from the micro-cutting. I think this led me to find the abundance of cuts here to be a little jarring, but overall I don't think most people will notice; I think it stems from the number of edits I've seen (not to mention the originals)

Other than that small nitpick, and my own personal preferences for what got cut/left in, I don't have any complaints! This is a wonderful 2-film edit of the Hobbit, and I think anyone and everyone who is interested should not only watch it, but I think they will find themselves quite pleased to see that Wraith here has provided different versions of his edit for people who desire different things to be cut or left in! "It's got a little something for everyone." Great idea here man, and great work!

This review is for both of Wraith's Hobbit edits.

There are moments in Jackson's three Hobbit films that bring tears to my eyes and moments that make me want to gouge them out. If any trilogy needed to be edited, the Hobbit is it. Other fan editors have tried to create a book version. I don't think those work. As much as I adore the Rankin Bass version, a film has different needs than a 1977 cartoon that was structured very differently. That said, Jackson would've done well to adopt the charm of that film and drop the excess.

Wraith goes a long way towards streamlining the films in a way that doesn't harm too much of the narrative, and has a good technical skill to make it appear seamless. The White Council scenes and Dol Goldur--which feature some of the most powerful scenes in all six of Jackson's Middle Earth films--are thankfully kept intact, if sometimes spread out in ways that are interesting. Same with Radagast. Without the silly stick creature and getting high scene, he's a much more believable as one of the Istari instead of being played as yet more comic relief.

The opening is a much better edit than the original in terms of setting up the story, introducing Gandalf and Thorin and the quest.

Freeman epitomizes Bilbo for me; he's not perfect (he's sometimes too modern), but Ian Holm was always too old for the role in LOTR ("You haven't aged a day," gasps Gandalf upon seeing Bilbo again). Minimizing him (and getting Frodo gone) was good.

Some of the early parts of the film go by a little too quickly now for my tastes. So, while I'm glad to get rid of the excess dwarf antics in Bilbo's home, I'm not as happy to lose the Stone Giants (I can't fathom why so many fan editors delete what is such a magical scene that's so well done) or the songs in Goblin Town. So, those parts feel a bit rushed for my taste. That said, I might've trimmed some of Gollum, if only because I don't like the direction Jackson and Serkis took with him in this film. He should've been kept creepier until the moment Bilbo decides not to kill him (and even that's slightly overcooked).

On the other hand, losing Tauriel and the very ill-advised love-triangle was a revelation! For one thing, Evangeline Lily was miscast. Unlike Liv Tyler, Lily feels like an actress playing an Elf. And the overt romantic aspects (meant to appeal to a broader audience) don't work at all. Kili himself doesn't work. Thorin looks close enough to a Human; Kili crosses the line entirely.

Cutting Bard's family was another smart move. Luke Evans as Bard was another miscast. When a character requires his kids to make him likable, there's something wrong. What should've been a noble loner was turned into an unpleasant curmudgeon. Jackson compounded the problem by having a goofy Master and the goofier Alfrid. Had Bill Nighy or Charles Dance been the Master, you'd have had a real sense of danger. Instead, it's cartoonish and there are no stakes. To make up for that, Jackson added a pointless and annoying fight between Legolas and the most ill-conceived orc in film history. By removing all of that (except Bard, who we're stuck with), it makes for a less annoying film, but unfortunately one that leaves Lake Town as an abstraction and mere stepping stone to the Mountain. So, the audience doesn't care as much about Smaug destroying it. But these are structural problems no editor can overcome.

Getting on to third act. I struggled with the original third film. It's so bloated and overlong that what should've been exciting is simply boring. Well, I'm happy to announce that for the first time, the Battle of Five Armies works! The trims create tension and dynamics, both of which were missing. Not sure why the giant worms were left out (as with the Stone Giants, they're a unique creature to the world), but the rest is glorious and much stronger!

Some minor nits to pick. The 2.0 audio isn't great. (I upscaled it to a DTS neural track on my system, but it's still unpleasant). And some of the color grading was muted to such a degree that it looked black & white (see the scene outside of Mirkwood). I'm an audio & videophile, so the occasionally degraded picture and sound quality are things I can't help but notice. For most people, it won't be an issue.

This was such a fascinating edit and I'm grateful to Wraith for creating it!