Hobbit: The Spence Edit, The

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(Updated: January 05, 2024)
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10.0
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This is my 100th fanedit review...an I open with a huge APOLOGY!
I thought I had reviewed this...but alas...OOPS!

THIS EDIT (and one other), were the driver to my return to this forum a couple of years ago.

THIS EDIT...inspired me to creat my own Hobbit edit....and it was and remains a game changer...not just for me, but for many other fan editors.

Spence did things here which had not been done by anyone at that point.

The Logolas solution, The removal of the Black Arrow, The Barrel ride, The scoring change as the dwarves emerge and SO much more.

This was and remains an inspirational edit. I've watched it more times than my own...and many others have too, and also borrowed many of the genius flourishes within...(yes, I am guilty of this too).

Little did I know back then that I would get the honor of working with this genius.

To be able to strp away near on two thirds of the material and retain a compelling, balanced and well paced narrative is already a huge achievement...but to then sig down and refine it to this polished finish is a glory to behold.

OVERDUE, I thank you publically, for your work, your frienship and humility in permitting me to borrow from your creative efforts.

This remains MY GOTO....

No point going into the technicals...they are spot on.

Long may you REIGN!
Owner's reply January 06, 2024

Thank you so much for your kind words and wonderful review! It's been a pleasure working with you, and hopefully we continue to do so for the foreseeable future!

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Overall rating
 
9.8
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10.0
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10.0
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9.0
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10.0
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10.0
As a simple guy that likes movies I really enjoyed this. The story works so much better and feels much more in the spirit of lord of the rings as one great lean adventure film as opposed to 3 bloated movies. The pacing was great. There were only a few spots I could really tell it was edited namely the dragon raid and legolas showing up out of nowhere at the end. There were a couple others too but they slip my mind now. Considering the shear volume of stuff removed it's amazing there were so few easily noticeable instances. Great edit as always Spence!

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(Updated: April 03, 2022)
Overall rating
 
9.8
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10.0
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10.0
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10.0
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9.0
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10.0
After following Peter Jackson's production diaries with excitement throughout 2012, I remember the surprise at the mixed reviews and the disappointment of finally seeing "An Unexpected Journey". The let-down was repeated with each subsequent instalment, and ever since coming across this site I have intended to look through the wide variety of edits in the hope of finding something more pleasurable to sit through, I finally got around to it and chose this out of the well-regarded ones first for the simple reason that it is among the shortest.

This work is absolutely amazing, vindication of the production as a worthy companion to its predecessor trilogy. Yet again I marvel at just how much of a film(s) can be removed (sixty-odd percent here) while still remaining coherent, though in this case that alone is hardly a compliment with all the filler present in the originals. What really stands out (or perhaps doesn't) is just how unnoticeable the excisions are, anybody unfamiliar with the story would have little cause to believe that this could be anything but an non-professional effort, this view upheld by consistently excellent audio and video quality.

Being familiar with and fond of the original book I do miss a few things though, mainly "Blunt the Knives" and Beorn. The latter provides the only real issue for me, after escaping the goblins the company now suddenly get ponies from somewhere (the shot of them mounting up feels a bit brief on its own) and within two minutes they are being sent away (to where?). This is not a plot hole in terms of creating contradictions but it did take me out of the moment a little.

It remains for me to see if any of the longer cuts (up to double the runtime) can provide such a good balance, until I then this is without a doubt the version I would turn to.

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Top 50 Reviewer 82 reviews
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9.8
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I consider this edit to be one of the "Big Five," and is actually the first of the group!

Basically my only complaint about this edit was when Smaug gets hit by the regular arrow (genius idea) he sort of just teleports up into the air. I understand this was done to cut out shots of Bard and Bain, but it jarred me out of the experience a little. This was also done because, as stated, you wanted to cut out as much as physically possible whilst retaining a functional movie. You succeeded in this goal, no question.

The counterpoints to my one complaint are:

Legolas throwing orcrist back to Thorin after running out of arrows was a 200 IQ move on your part and I've seen it re-used be a few editors out there just due to how ingenius it was.

You also replaced the theme of Thorin & Co. busting out of Erebor with the Misty Mountains Theme, and I've only ever seen that in your version, and one other (Wraith's) who did it as a shoutout to your own! Another stroke of genius here brother.

Anyone who wants to watch a version of the Hobbit that has absolutely no fat on it, this is the one you want. Absolutely bare-bones version here, and executed to perfection. Not to mention the inspiration this edit has had on many many others. Nice work Spence!

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Top 500 Reviewer 27 reviews
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This is, by far, the best way to watch The Hobbit. I'm a huge fan of the LotR Extended Editions and this is the perfect companion to incorporate into a binge watch. I'm glad that the extra material was left in rather than a straight book cut which I don't think was the issue with the films. But all of the bloat was taken out making this a rip roaring film.

The only real issue in this edit is the battle of the five armies but, like previously mentioned by other reviewers, is an artifact of how messy the original cut of the battle was. I'm still surprised how cohesive this cut is and will probably never watch the originals ever again.

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