J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (Maple Films Edit)

Overall this was very good. I have not seen a bunch of different Hobbit edits, but this one was very close to what I wanted so I am happy to stick with this.
What I wanted (which this edit delivered):
1. Doesn't need to be pure to the book, but should avoid unnecessary changes. (I'm not opposed to changes in principle but IMO Jackson's changes are always overwritten and trite)
2. Doesn't need to be short, but should avoid the long, cringey and ultimately boring action scenes which are the principle source of bloat in the films.
There were only a few points that could use a little tuning. There were a few jarring cuts, for instance at the Front Porch. And the final battle still felt a little long to me.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this edit. The next time I watch the Hobbit it will be this cut.

Probably the highest quality editing I've seen yet from a fan edit, A/V quality was superb and I didnt notice a single cut that stood out (hold the Smaug covered in gold).

Reducing the run time to less than a half of the original and maintaining a (not just functional but IMO better) story is no small feat but was absolutely accomplished here.

Coming in a little over 4 hours this is still slightly long considering its source material, however it is (in spite of this) An Unexpected and Enjoyable Journey

Very well done. The effort put forth and seamless editing really make this an excellent edit, although just from the overabundance of material and plot that happens in the Hobbit, it still seems a little long at 4 hours. But really, the length can be forgiven in getting to watch all the classic moments of the Hobbit in a single movie, and I enjoy watching this single 4-hour version than having to endure meaningless sideplots that don't focus on Bilbo's journey.

I liked it, there were certain things I didn't, and certain things I liked more than the other edits. Left stuff in I liked alot. I'm happy with it. Will for sure rewatch it at some point. Cheers

This was a great introduction to the fanedit world. I enjoy the original versions of the movies and am not as bothered as some by the extra stuff put in there. That said, this edit definitely cleaned up the story arc and moved things along.

The cuts all made sense and most of it I did not miss even with the knowledge of what was dropped. Only a couple places felt abrupt jumping past scenes. That was mainly in Beorn's house and Laketown. For me a little bit of what was cut would help smooth the story a bit. The group just appears at Beorn's dinner table where some short cuts to show how they got there would help. While most of Laketown's side plots were extraneous, you are left to make assumptions about Bard--particularly how he suddenly is imprisoned when Smaug arrives; having watched the original movies helped me fill in the blanks. Cutting the battle in Erebor helped a lot, but there's only so much that could be done with CG Smaug bursting from the gates covered in gold.

Overall I really enjoyed this take on the movie that more closely follows the original book.