Hobbit: The Original Two-Film Structure, The

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.

I watched almost every single fan-edit of “The Hobbit” trilogy available out there. I consider the Maple Films Edit (MFE) performed by eldusto84 for very far the best cut. Technically speaking, the MFE is perfect and the running time clocks in 4h. Every single aspect from MFE is flawless and its strongest feature is indeed presenting “The Hobbit” in the closest way to the novel. So, for purists, MFE will be the edit to go without a doubt.

However, if you prefer a more cinematographic approach to the Tolkien’s saga be welcome to experience the most comprehensive cut to enrich “The Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) cinematographic universe. Indeed, Adam Dens claims about his work are undeniable. He accomplished two chapters which are a must before watching LOTR. The visual tone is corrected here and coupled with the one shown in the first trilogy. All the narrative clearly moves forward to be organically integrated into a five-entry saga and for me, this is the greatest achievement of this edit. A big plus in Adam’s edit compared to the MFE cut is the running time. You will enjoy two extra hours of Middle Earth in Adam’s cut and once again this is another first-class feature here. It is not about showing more footage for free but showing more footage for narrative purposes. I personally disliked the theatrical version of “The Hobbit”, I always saw it as a missing chance. Moreover, despite great performances from Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage I felt zero engagement with the story. After Adam’s edit viewing… I experienced the epic once again, I really cared about the different characters and I was moved in many parts of the story.

Endless gratitude for this gift, as Adywan’s work is a masterpiece in the Star Wars universe among fanedits, “Hobbit: The original two-film structure” deserves the same consideration into the ring franchise. Be welcome to experience the best fan edit of the year and ones of the best ever!