Hobbit: There and Back Again, Part I

Valar be praised, my favorite franchise has been saved! A month ago I had no idea what a fanedit was, now I'm thinking my fantasy/sci-fi collection may eventually be completely replaced with burned material!

Most importantly, it seems like the faneditors on this site are dialed into the most basic need for most movies - a version that does not cater to the silliness and inane action so popular with children (and many adults!). I watched this edit a second time with my kids and found they mentioned how they missed the scenes that I disliked the most. There you go.

OK, so specifically to the work of Menbailee here are the points I liked best about this edit: the focus on Bilbo (huge), shuffling and editing of scenes to create more mystery and suspense (dwarf flashback, etc), keeping most all the gollum material (it was pretty well done in the original), goblin king just disappears off the edge (that's enough, he's dead), short goblin escape (I hated the original), and wow the video/audio was outstanding (I saw the background details like never before), and much more I won't try to list it all.

Here are some things that in my humble opinion could be changed: Gandalf lops the head off a goblin with almost enjoyment (then lectures Bilbo about not being hasty to deal death - I can't see Gandalf ever taking a death lightly, even a goblin), how does the goblin king know Thorin so readily, Thorin mysteriously injured when no one else is (as explained in other reviews this might be unavoidable), still too much CGI (particularly pale orc, so sad they went away from real actors. I watched the FOTR again and found the costumed orcs so much more engaging and frightening. How I wish this orc could be removed entirely!).

Uncertain (not really sure if these should stay or go): plate tossing - it's over the top and really too bad, because it's a fun scene in the book. Troll dialogue - really pulls you out of serious mode with the movie and it's hard to believe they are any relation to the LOTR trolls. But I'm on the fence because the Hobbit is meant to be a bit lighter than LOTR, and the actor for Bilbo (Freeman) does an excellent job in the troll scene. I suppose I would need to see an edit without these scenes (or seriously cropped) to decide whether a change works.

Wish list: I wish for fanediting to advance to the point that beards can be put on the freaking dwarves! Durin would roll in his grave to see the 5 O'clock shadow on Thorin and his nephews (and some of the others with weak beards). I can't get over it honestly, and ultimately can't give a 10 to enjoyment unless that is rectified some day. I get trying to give the dwarves some individuality, but it could have been done with suitable beards. Please someone figure out how! Until then I can never enjoy the movie as a "10".

Ultimately though, Menbailee, you made my day. I was depressed coming out of the theater, I wanted to like the movie so badly but could not. Now I can, and so hope you will tackle Desolation of Smaug, though that be a much more challenging task!

I've given it all 10s because really I can't find any fault with this edit.

This is a superb edit and is my default option for viewing this movie, when I'm not in the mood for Jackson's forthcoming super-long cut. It feels more like the steamlined LOTR theatrical cuts. Jackson considers both LOTR versions as equaly valid, one shorter cut for the bum numbing cinema and one longer cut for relaxing at home with (Cup of tea in hand). Sadly with the theatrical Hobbit Jackson seemed to have forgotten is own rule.

The cuts in this edit are smooth, natural and help thboth the story and the pace. I LOVED the removal of the early Azog (aka 'Generic Villain' no.6) scenes, as it really keeps the narrative focused on the original quest. I LOVED the removal of the long intro sequence*. I LOVED the shortened Goblin escape. I LOVED that the final battle now feels less like an articially introduced "Epic" conclusion.

My favourite change was the removal of Bilbo's action-hero rescue of Thorin at the end. When Bilbo pledges himself to help Thorin in the previous scene I got goosebumps when I first saw it. This is the moment when you can see Thorin's heart melt and he finally respects Bilbo. Bilbo didn't need to then rescue him from Azog to doubly prove himself! A magical bit of subtle editing on Menbailee's part. True it does create a minor continuity error when we Thorin injured but this is a classic case of ends 100% justifying the means. I cringed when I last looked at the original cut of the ending after seeing Menbailee's cut.

Thank god Thorin pretending to be mad at Bilbo at the end has been removed, it made Thorin seem like a douche. Sooo much better now, the way it should always have been.

(* Menbailee has moved some of the intro footage into a beautiful montage as the Dwarves are singing. It gives me goosebumps up my arms and a lump in my throat. Not only that but we can directly see why Bilbo changes his mind and runs off to help the Dwarves take back Erebor.)

This will take pride of place next to my Extended Cut Blu-Ray at Christmas... and then my Theatrical Cut BR may very well be going to a 2nd hand store ;-)

Ii was really concerned when the theatrical release went from two to three long films.
Those fears proved correct when The Hobbit - Part 1 was three ass-numbing hours.
This edit was more manageable, and more enjoyable.
Visually, it was stunning, and the sound was rock solid, as well.
I noticed trims, but they didn't bother me since what was removed was fatty slime.
The overall narrative, however, still seems too long.
Menbailee's edit cut a lot of crap, but not nearly enough.
The initial meeting inside Bilbo's hobbit hole goes on forever, the low point being the tossing of the crockery.
Then there's the over the top, fake as all out, "action" inside the Great Goblin's hall, cut from five minutes to one. To be fair, there is no way to repair this. It's simply cartoony.
Menbailee is due all the praise in the world for such a great overhaul, and I am looking forward to what he can do with Part 2.

Great work on this edit! While I did enjoy the theatrical version, and am looking forward to the seeing the extended edition - a two hour runtime is much easier on my backside. Like at the theater, I viewed this with my 10 year old, who said she preferred your edit. While scenes with Frodo, Azog, the White Council & the stone giants certainly were fun to see on the big screen, they aren't necessarily missed when viewing this film as a complete (or 1/3 complete) story.

The Great: Moving & dividing the prologue was EXCELLENT! We already have the intro with old Bilbo, so its nice to just get the story of the unexpected party started.
The troll fight cut was a necessity as it seemed like a waste of time where the dwarves looked like warriors only to be too easily defeated with no damage to the trolls.
While the warg chase was a throwback to the beautiful scenery used in The Two Towers; its elimination really keeps the journey moving, a major criticism of the LOTR films.
Thank you for trimming the Goblin king and subsequent chase scenes, these appeared to be too long & busy in the theatrical version, and the added "humor" of falling and smashing was not missed by me. Even the Erebor shots were done nice & proper, a change that might not have been considered by many.

Video quality was excellent, no artifacting at all. Only issue was my blu-ray player and TV couldn't figure out the letterboxing which left the picture cropped. Audio work was perfect with surround sound left intact. It seemed like a slight jump cut after the troll fight, but not sure what else be done visually (audio was spot on).

The Good: The showdown with orcs looked like it could have actually gone down that way, until we see the leader of the group unconscious during flight & requiring revival by Gandalf. Its too bad there weren't enough useful shots during these scenes that this part of the narrative couldn't be skipped. Omitting the acceptance speech played well into these changes, but even my kid found it hard to believe Thorin was knocked out without explanation. While I thought the addition of Azog was a fun way to create a more important villian for the film in the same vane as Lurtz in FotR, I'm sure we'll see over the next 5-6 hours of this trilogy that there are much bigger stories to tell.

Overall, a great addition to the world of LOTR edits which I can happily put up next to the official releases.

Wowza. I had certainly felt that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was bloated when I saw it in theaters and again on Blu-ray when it came out, but I never really noticed just how much could be cut until I saw this edit. I really enjoyed the pace at which the story was carried out and often times I didn't really notice stuff was cut until after the fact. Also, great edit with the dwarfs charging the trolls. That's the sort of comedic cut that feels at home in this sort of film. The integration of the Erebor flashbacks in the dinner scene and the fire song were excellent. Sometimes shifting things around like that can make the bits seem out of place, but it was damn near perfect here.

There are a few things that could have been neatened up, however. By cutting down the Pale Orc arc, there are a few hanging references that are somewhat curious. There are two that come to mind: in Rivendell Gandalf mentions that it is because of his company that the orcs are traveling far south. Why are they the reason? They're after Smaug, not any orc settlement. The same thing with the Goblin King: who would pay a price for Thorin's head? Couldn't be Smaug...how would he know what's going on? Or why would he care? He's a big freaking dragon!

My thought would be to maybe have the Pale Orc not explicitly set up, and instead use small bits from the scene establishing him during the final conflict. By doing this, you set up for the inevitable confrontation in the next film, and you can keep the scene of Bilbo being accepted by the dwarf company at the end. It's a big moment for him, one that shouldn't be underestimated. All the same, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise great edit.

The video quality was impressive for a DVD-5, and I'll owe that not only to the BD source used for the edit, but the skill that Menbailee used in exporting it. What source you use counts for a lot, but it's all for naught if it's buggered on export. The extra resolution of the source goes a long way here. The audio was great as well. I don't have a surround set up, but nothing sounded especially glaringly wrong, so I'm gonna say it's good!

All in all, a great edit and a worthy addition to any fan's collection. Menabailee, I would suggest having another look through some of the bits you cut surrounding the Pale Orc and Bilbo's acceptance into the group, but when all is said and done, this is a fantastic edit. You might get some new ideas when the extended version comes out in November!

Keep up the good work mate. :)