Hobbit: The Anti-Cringe Cut, The

Watching a HOBBIT edit for me is difficult, since I am naturally conflicted having spent 4 year building mine.

HOWEVER, with the passage of time, memories fade, wounds heal...and Don Kamillo's was the first I had seen (back in August 2021) in a very long time (having only watched a handful previously, Spence's being one of them).

First up, I really appreciated the 5 episode structure. Not least because I could watch this over a few days...but now, let's get into the weeds.

Audio/Video Quality - 10
There is nothin to fault here. I watched this on a 55 Inch TV - Clean.

Visual Editing - 10
Flawless.

There are many original and unexpected creative choices in this edit, which I will not spoil by detailing too many. They are expertly executed with real finesse in places since the changes are NOT as easy to pull off as one would imagine. I was genuinely impressed.

Audio Editing - 10
Flawless
Similarly, watching and waiting for that tell tale sign of a movies I know so well repeatedly surprised me as my mind would naturally expect a certain piece of music or audio to follow, only to be gently (and seamlessly) taken off in a new direction. Very fine work there.

Narrative - 10
I have to score the narrative on the basis of "does it work"? "Is there something wrong"?
This CANNOT be... "oooo I don't like that"...that's not point of this category...The Q is "does it work, flow and engage"?
YUP - Sure does folks!!, Even with the multiple inclusions/excisions which I did not make, here in DK's vision they absolutely make sense and do not create any anachronisms or continuity issues. Once again, disciplined and informed choices all round.
The choices I made in my edit are IRRELEVANT. One must be objective.

Enjoyment - 9
My enjoyment of this creation was through the roof frankly, not least because it did take me on a new journey and one which I thoroughly enjoyed. Inevitably,subjectivity will inform this category; I have reluctantly docked one point here since there were some choices I would like to have seen NOT make it into this edit...but that in no way should diminish the fact that this was a superb assembly and execution, with very well placed episode endings, each episode being well paced and feeling self contained with no real jarring content...ANTI-CRINGE for sure.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

FINALLY...

Thanks you for being so gracious and patient when I was unsuccessfully trying to unzip this. You were polite, constructive and a true gentleman and professional.

See you in the Trenches !

I opted for the miniseries version and absolutely loved the experience of watching the five one-hour episodes, one per day. They never felt too long (as the movies did to me) and the episode breaks are at good spots in the story that leave you wanting more.

The editing is wonderfully done throughout with almost no noticeable cuts. In terms of the narrative, this fanedit truly captures the spirit of the book by focusing the story on Bilbo and the Dwarves and cutting out the side story fluff. As a result, I felt much more invested in the characters and their relationships than in most fanedits I've seen. The tone also flows from being more fairy-tale at the beginning (with the songs included) towards a darker tone more in line with the Lord of the Rings movies by the end - you really feel the shift in the episodic experience.

I do feel that the series could be trimmed a bit more, just based on personal preference for some scenes, but since the episodes are an hour long those moments didn't really last long enough to bother me (and to be honest, I'm just nitpicking). My only real issue was the inclusion of Bard's son in the arrow shot as for me this is the most cringy moment in the entire trilogy. Again, the moment goes by pretty quickly so it's not too offensive. I believe DonKamillo is looking into alternatives for this scene and this edit would become my go-to version in that case.

Overall, it's a fantastically edited series and a fun and different experience to watching the story. Well done and keep up the great work!

Massive fan of Jackson's LOTR trilogy, but avoided the Hobbit films like the plague after enduring the first film's stupidities and self indulgence. And 3 films? Surely 2 would have done. So I come to this with a love of storytelling and familiarity with the book and Tolkien's world, but no intimate first-hand knowledge of the famously bloated Hobbit trilogy. I watched the 5-episode version of this cut, 1 episode each night, and was gripped to the end. Character development, pacing and technical quality are all first rate. I can't imagine any more footage being needed. I also don't care what was in the book and what wasn't, I care for the story and execution, and as a standalone film this cut is almost always internally consistent, save the slightly odd jump in narrative in a few spots (and the 5 episode structure cushions these bumps, like a TV show episode structure would - I can't speak for the 5 hour continuous version of this edit). The gentle tie-ins with the Lord of the Rings do not feel overdone either. My first Hobbit edit and possibly the last - because I found it so deeply satisfying. Well done DonKamilo.

I watched the Miniseries version of this edit and I must say that DonKamillo you are an absolute genius. Watching in this format allows for the narrative to be restructured entirely by simply adding an intro and an outro. Genius.
I have watched almost all of the edits on this site and I have never found one that left me fully satisfied. Your edit came as close to that as I think I'm going to get without simply making my own; a feat I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to attempt.
Your editing was absolutely superb, there were a few cuts that I wish you hadn't made, and a few I wish you had (the Goblin king song) but overall this is by far my favorite edit.
I think you should explore the idea of making an episode 4.5 that contains the Dor Guldur subplot as an optional episode for those who care about why Gandalf dipped out for half of the series, I've found that to be the most jarring thing in many of the edits on here (and yes I know he does it in the book) so this isn't something I hold against yours.
My biggest complaint, surprisingly, was Azog being 100% gone. I think keeping him in as the orc commander would have been fine, he just doesn't need the back story PJ gave him.
Thanks for hooking me up, I'll be watching this edit for many years to come!

Okay, this may just be one of the absolute greatest fanedits I've ever seen. Admittedly, I'm a big fan of the Hobbit trilogy as is, but as someone who really adores the book, I was so happy with how more skillfully and much better this five-hour epic captures the spirit of the original source material. All of the changes, edits, and cuts made are for the absolute better, allowing for the story to flow more smoothly and the characters to be more interesting and involving. In my eyes, this is the definitive adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's unforgettable story. Flawlessly edited and visually stunning. Loved this so much.