Hobbit: The Original Two-Film Structure, The

Here it is. The one you want. With total reverence and respect to L8wrtr and his beautiful edit of the Hobbit, this is the one that I've been waiting these long years for. The secret to this version's success? It takes a fresh approach, an outsider's perspective, as it were. This edit isn't truncated by any "obligatory" edits, but nevertheless manages to jettison the stuff we want. However, there is some stuff boldly left in for us to contemplate. I mean, when was the last edit you saw where the Stone Giants was not "obliged" to be jettisoned?

I've seen so many edits of the Hobbit, even clumsily trying my own hand at it, but this is the gift you never knew you wanted when it came to the films. By simply setting a goal as envisioning the Hobbit as 2 films, as per the original intention, Dens allows for material otherwise destined for omission to exist on its own terms, on its own two feet. This allows, finally, for the light of scrutiny to be thus shed on guys like Alfred, Radagast, etc., for better or worse. Yes, the most offensive elements of Peter Jackson's immature tendencies are, thankfully, gone, but it's interesting to see how we can work out the rest of what's in without any sense that "hey! this should be gone because....it always is in fanedits!"

The transition from the Troll horde cave, for instance, is always followed by the mountain and then the discovery of Rivendell. In this case Radagast makes the appearance. It's bold, because as far as I know it's never been tried that way.

All that eagles madness at the end of the original first film has been beautifully jettisoned and the film fuses itself to the Baeorn stuff without even the slightest concept that this has been "edited". It just feels totally, completely natural and right. And it works. Thorin's gushing over Bilbo at the end of the first movie never felt real to me, but as an attempt to "force" that friendship into a place where it doesn't belong.

Kili and Tauriel = gone, of course, but Kili's wound remains. Some of the action is included where others may cut it out - such as the barrel ride. Again, we don't get Bomber bombing around like an idiot, but we get what ***feels*** like a healthy, even consequentially important, inclusion of action. This is, again, the key ingredient that separates so many fanedits that fall short of their goal. Too many fanedits go for streamlining a film to such a degree that the elements left in place zip by at a pace that feels as if there are essential elements missing. Professional filmmakers and editors may make a bad film, but usually these "bad" films have all the elements in place to keep the story at a level pace. Many well-intentioned faneditors are unaware of such storytelling essentials, e.g. inclusion of "unnecessary" conversations or action, or scenes where "nothing happens", etc. Those "padded" or "bulky" or "superfluous" scenes are nevertheless working their own magic to establish character development. Have you seen the new Twin Peaks series? Watch how David Lynch includes bizarre scenes and characters like Wally Brando. The scene isn't for Wally, it's for our Sheriff. Whether we are aware of it or not, the scene is designed to get us in sync with the Sheriff's plight via the outside weirdo. We share the character's bemusement.

The same types of choices are made here. The end goal seems to be an almost-professional, patient feel for a 2-film story. If the Hobbit was, indeed, left at 2 hours, each segment 3+ hours like this one is, I can't imagine it being all that different. Really, there is simply little you can point at and argue for its superfluous inclusion....IF you understand the film's underlying goal. It's not to cater to an ADD-addled millenial audience - it's to find value in material that easily could have made up 2 3+ hour experiences.

And the killing of Fili and Kili, a moment I've seen faneditors fall over themselves trying to manage it without Tauriel - some more successful than others. Adam Dens handles this moment so gracefully it well looks like this was the original edit.If you never saw the original Hobbit you'd never be the wiser.

One more bit: the color correction. I absolutely love it. The final film especially suffered from a grandiosity in color selection that made, for one, Thorin and Azog's battle on the ice look like it was taking place on a wedding cake, or in a perfume commercial, or both. It was pretty almost to a point of saccharine sweetness, and we need something greyer, harder, rougher. To put it along the lines of LOTR works. It still looks "pretty-dainty", yes, but no longer with that doily-lace-sweetie edge that contrasts inappropriately with the bloodshed of the final battle.

There is so much I could mention in terms of the utter success of Adam Dens' edit, but I'll just leave it here on a final note: this is one of the best, most beautiful fanedits ever designed. It hold a place alongside Adywan's Star Wars edits, and that's not a position I'll give up lightly. What makes it real and true is Adam Dens' commitment, respect, and boldness with the original source material. Sometimes less is more, as they say, but sometimes more is more. Adam isn't in any hurry to filet the film and give us the diet coke version of the Hobbit. Nor is Adam, despite, again, the "outsider" perspective his edit seems to refreshingly bring to the community, ignorant of those head-slapping moments that, almost objectively, we can all agree need to go (the belch, Kili/Tauriel, Bomber in the barrel, dwarves in the toilet, etc.)

Fenedit of the month? Try the year, easily. Congratulations, Adam Dens. This edit will likely be my forever choice for this film, and I'll watch it regularly. I just can't imagine it being done any better. It's like the whole disappointment never happened, and this was the true return to Middle Earh we deserved to have.

This was a highly enjoyable and masterful edit. There were no jarring omissions that stood out and the issues I had with the original trilogy were successfully removed. I wished Adam Dens had access to all of the original Hobbit trilogy film shot so he could've done justice right from the beginning. Here's to you, Adam Dens!

Full disclosure: I haven't seen The Hobbit films for a few years, so, other than the most egregious parts of the films, I am a little hazy on what has been cut-out for this edit.

I genuinely found this edit pretty damn good and an enjoyable experience. It had great pacing throughout and it produced a more coherent narrative to that of the original films, which benefitted the Dol Guldur scenes most of all. The film actually felt like Bilbo's story. It was certainly an upgrade to the Theatrical and Extended Edition cuts.

No more love-triangle, Blunt the Knives, less Legolas and Dwarven comical battle actions, less Alfrid, less filler and better Radagast.

Saying that, if this edit was ever re-visited I would recommend cutting the appalling stone giants, so that the scene is a storm and it is that what makes Bilbo fall. Also, less foreshadowing with the ring and replacing Ed Sheeran with The Misty Mountains Cold.

Overall, great edit. Well done.

This edit completely changed my attitude towards The Hobbit movies. As a huge LOTR fan, I was really excited to see them, but like many other people I was... disappointed is too strong a word, because they're decent movies, but they failed to scratch an itch; an itch that the LOTR trilogy managed to scratch perfectly. I was dumbfounded that at the end of The Hobbit trilogy certain characters died and I felt NOTHING. Because I didn't care. Because the focus was off.

The main reason why I love Adam's edit is because it scratched that itch! Through clever rearranging of scenes, bringing the focus back to character development and certain character dynamics and cutting redundant scenes, Adam achieved something that the originals failed to do: He made me care about the characters.

I love how Adam's lighting and colour adaptations make the edit feel like the LOTR trilogy. It really feels like they're part of a 5 part saga now, and that's a huge accomplishment!
After watching the edit I immediately wanted to watch The Fellowship of the Ring! Because it feels like they connect perfectly.

The new subtitles for the Black Speech sequences are genius. They make total sense and tie the events of the movie together, like right before Dol Guldur spews out Orcs. It just made total sense! Azog barking out tactical maneuvers now feel more genuine too.

I enjoyed this edit to the max, and would recommend anyone who wants to feel that familiar LOTR vibe again to watch it. With friends. In LOTR cosplay.

This is the edit I have been looking for since I first watched The Hobbit trilogy back-to-back. I enjoyed many moments of the original films, but they suffered from so much bloat and over-the-top set pieces that it became increasingly harder to enjoy the films as they are. The films are full of beautiful, heart-wrenching moments, some even challenging The Lord of the Rings trilogy itself. I wanted these movies to be part of my Middle-earth, but every time I watched them during my annual Lord of the Rings marathon, it felt like a chore.

Not anymore. The Hobbit: The Original Two-Film Structure has fixed all my grievances with the original films. They now run at a faster, more consistent pace, the absurd moments have been excised, and the movies are so much better for it. Even the moments I previously enjoyed now shine brighter without all the bloat to weigh them down. There were scenes that were in the original films that I could barely remember that now have a clear role in advancing this story and that of the larger Middle-earth saga. Without all the distractions surrounding these scenes, the films have a chance to inform you on what is actually important and what you should care about. I could see Peter Jackson's vision more clearly than ever, and I was stunned at how epic and emotional these movies were meant to be. With this fanedit, less really is more.

The Gathering of the Clouds, the first film in the duology, is a revelation. It combines the An Unexpected Journey and the first half of The Desolation of Smaug into a journey to the Lonely Mountain. Yes, it still is a set of seemingly random events, just as it is in the original novel, but structuring it as one movie makes it much clearer that this film is about the journey and not the destination, and what a journey it is in this new form. The restructuring of the Dol Guldur subplot into this fanedit brings the plot forward so that is now a larger and more important part of the film and less of a distraction from the main plot. I do not want to spoil too much, but it needs to be seen. I will just say that the new ending is inspired and makes this film a great introduction to the world of Middle-earth and the future movies to come in this now 5-part series.

There and Back Again, the second film in this duology, is not quite as transformative, but the changes that were made and the cuts that were carefully chosen make this film what I believe it should have been in the first place. This fanedit composes the second half of The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Fives Armies. What was originally the middle chapter of this trilogy was always my favorite, but its two halves did not seem to make sense together. The first half seemed more like An Unexpected Journey and the second half seemed like the introduction to the main conflict of The Battle of the Five Armies. While plenty of moments were worth seeing, especially Bilbo's meeting with Smaug, it never had a clear through line to follow. That all changes here. This new film has a clear beginning, middle, and end, and that is enough to bring what was once two mediocre films into something much grander. The actual Battle of the Fives Armies now has emotional weight whereas before it was just set piece after set piece. I feared for the people of Dale, I watched in horror as the elves and dwarves were outnumbered and slain. When the army of Gundabad finally appeared, all had seemed lost, and I could not imagine how this could possibly end well for our heroes. Let me be clear, I have seen these movies before, but watching this new fan edit made this experience feel new again. This is the movie I always wanted to see, and now it has arrived.

I do not mean to sound too excitable here. There are plenty of great fanedits on this site, and I have loved many of them, but this is the first time a fanedit turned a film into what I knew it had the potential to be. I believe The Lord of the Rings is the greatest film trilogy of all time. There is no experience like watching all three films back-to-back. I can also say that I never cried as much during the boat scene until I watched The Hobbit trilogy and saw Bilbo get on the boat. He was no longer just Frodo's uncle. He was a man, or should I say a halfling, himself. Bilbo's story is a core part of The Lord of the Rings and the larger story of Middle-earth. Yes, The Lord of the Rings is a complete trilogy without the backstory of Bilbo Baggins, but the story is so much richer with his in it. Before, I had to suffer through three overlong films so I could see a Baggins become a Took. Now, with this fanedit, I can feel confident taking that journey with him, all the way from "Good Morning" to the moment he sails West with the elves to his final resting place.