Review Detail

It makes me very happy to see M4's Hobbit edit here. His was not the first fan edit I watched, but it was the first to help me truly realize what was possible. It is very difficult to be objective about it.

I had been searching for a good book-focused edit of the Hobbit after my intense disappointment in what I came to call 'The Lord of the Rings Prequel Trilogy'. I found M4's site online and after reading his description of the edit, I was intrigued. I downloaded and began my viewing with a practiced, critical eye.
My wife was sitting across from me doing crochet while I watched. I occasionally would pipe up about this or that. About 1 1/2 hours in, she asked me what my opinion was so far.

"Well...so far...it's perfect," I replied.

I have only seen three different edits of the HT so I am perhaps not the best judge. But I do know the book very well (with more than one read-aloud) and with the available footage to work with, I cannot imagine a more faithful melding of Mr. Tolkien's and Mr. Jackson's mutual visions. It's just lovely.

Speaking critically from a purist perspective, the rock/storm giants described in the book are not present; however, since the movie's version of the scene was blown so far out of proportion with the feel of the original source, it was a change that I did not mind.

The only conceivable gripe is just that this thing is 4 hours long. But when 'too much Middle-Earth' is the worst criticism one can level, I'd say the edit has accomplished its goals. Even this quibble is amended somewhat with an intermission/disk separation at the 1 hour 45 minute mark.

This fan edit made me fall in love with fan edits. I cannot help but give it a perfect score.