This blog is meant to certificate some of the details that went into editing Peter Jackson's three Hobbit films down into a unmarried iii-hour flick that, I call back, follows Tolkien's original story as lovingly equally possible. I should say that while I don't recollect Jackson's storytelling was as concise and character-driven as information technology could have been, I consider this cutting to be a demonstration that there IS a actually fun and beautiful film buried in the material the filmmakers created. Information technology just needed to be carefully extracted. Thus, a "fan edit."

I've spent many weeks carefully recrafting the work into what I'g calling "In that location and Back Over again: A Hobbit's Cut" after the championship of Bilbo Baggins' ain autobiographical volume inside the story. This keeps this fan edit distinct from others in a way that I call back is respectful to Tolkien'southward own intentions.

Download Torrent – 720p .mp4 (Requires torrent client, similar uTorrent or Transmission. Beware of malicious imprint links posing as download links.)

thereandbackagain_01

Through editing I've not only removed fabric that I felt was superfluous or nonsensical, but also reordered scenes and structure, switched out musical cues, and combined places and characters. I've put considerable time into toning downwards fifty-fifty very small moments that felt out of place, overly slapstick, or gratuitously CGI-oriented.

What I really wanted to practise was brand a version that is seamless and genuinely watchable, and even entertaining.

With that, I remember you'll find an interesting, albeit imperfect moving picture, that feels more in line with what I remember a lot of fans hoped to see when a Hobbit pic was first appear, and even more in line with Jackson's original Lord of the Rings trilogy. I believe the iii hr length feels advisable for the epic nature of the story and fits nicely with the length of the Rings trilogy, interim one time again as something of a prologue.

(Earlier I get into more item, I'd like to admit TolkienEditor'south 4 hour cutting. It is a very dissimilar version in a number of ways, but he/she beat me too the punch, and my chapeau is off. I would like to note that "At that place and Dorsum Again" is over an hr shorter and a adept bargain more weekends of work than TolkienEditor'due south cut — as I empathise it — but all the same some really great work was washed, some with very similar instincts, and I'd about advise one might consider that version to be an "Extended Cut" of the i yous'll observe here.)

ThereandBackAgain_03

Here are some more specific notes on what has been changed:

  • Overall, Bilbo has been made forepart and center the film'south protagonist, and we witness the story almost entirely through his perspective. Martin Freeman'southward fantabulous performance carries us through most of the mode, as 1 would expect. Exceptions to this are a few scenes given to Bard (whose expanded role in Jackson's material was too critical to remove entirely), and some of the Dwarves' risk in the Goblin tunnels.
  • Thorin's story has been reduced where it doesn't directly bear on Bilbo's.
  • The showtime of the film begins much the same mode the book does, with the line "In a hole in the ground, at that place lived a Hobbit." Gone is the extensive and unnecessary history of Dale and the Dwarves, who I feel are introduced much better every bit they go far at Bilbo'due south home. Instead Bilbo almost immediately takes united states back to his kickoff meeting with Gandalf, and we're off from there.
  • The Dwarves' dinner in Bag Finish has been greatly trimmed and bated from a few seconds of a more subtle "That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates" nosotros are quickly moved into hearing of Gandalf'south quest.
  • The story of Smaug's attack on Dale and Erabor, every bit well as the dwarvish peoples' exile under the leadership of Thorin, has been laid over the song of the Misty Mountains, a dramatic montage that I find far more effective and takes inspiration from the 1977 animated adaptation. You can discover a cutting of this scene below.
  • Azog is almost entirely gone, his appearances limited to the betoken where he could essentially exist just another Orc warrior. Bolg remains (equally in the volume) but fifty-fifty so his office is very pocket-sized.
  • As such, the Orcs don't assault until afterward the run into with the Goblin rex.
  • The chase through the Goblin tunnels is profoundly compressed. Gandalf arrives, stuns the goblins, stabs the Goblin King, and flees the mountain after a very quick skirmish.
  • Beorn does not chase the Dwarves. Later traveling with the Eagles, Gandalf tells them of a place nearby they might stay the night, and we find Bilbo waking the next morn to detect his company having a cursory breakfast with Beorn. In that location is so more of an implication that Beorn is protecting them on their journeying to Mirkwood.
  • Kili's romance with Tauriel is gone. She appears briefly, as does Legolas, just in a few brief cameos. It like a good idea to notwithstanding advise there are Elvish women, and accurate to suggest that Legolas was at Mirkwood at the time.
  • The barrel hunt is gone entirely. The company escapes down the river happy and unscathed, with Legolas watching incredulously from afar. I've also removed all the bizarre GoPro footage.
  • Much of the material in Lake Town is gone. The dwarves go far with Bard's help, are caught stealing weapons, and are presented to the Primary. He greedily welcomes them and sends them on their style.
  • As such, much as I dear Stephen Fry, he is given merely a few brief appearances. The entirely superfluous grapheme Alfrid (played, I acknowledge, with perfect enthusiasm past Ryan Gage) merely appears to human action as the Master's wormy counselor as they welcome the Dwarves.
  • Kili, Fili, Bofur and Oin all go to the Lonely Mountain with the rest of the company. No i remains in Lake Town. There is no Orc attack on the town or sick Dwarf adventures.
  • Thorin and his Dwarves never meet Smaug, every bit in the book. Only Bilbo ever enters the mountain before the dragon's set on on Lake Town.
  • Bard kills Smaug on his own, without the assist of his son Bain. I actually enjoyed the drama this added to the scene in Jackson's cut, but withal it seemed unnecessary for the story and too much of a distraction. I would have loved to reintroduce the Thrush'south relaying of Bilbo's message for Bard to await for Smaug's missing scale (as in the book), and might still do so once I accept the fourth dimension to do some fancier compositing work.
  • Much of Thorin'due south descent into madness has been extracted, though he yet acts essentially as the primary antagonist. For me, Tolkien's version of Thorin ever worked as a circumspection confronting greed in a very relatable way. The constant and overt suggestions that his folly is an about literal "sickness" seems to take any human element away from his story. I realize Tolkien himself suggested it was "Dragon Sickness," but I'm not certain that was ever intended to represent a genuine physical disease. Mayhap I'1000 wrong.
  • The Battle of V armies has been cutting down to a climax of under 10 minutes, with significantly less cartoon insanity, and Bilbo's bash on the caput puts a narrative stop to information technology.
  • This is currently an ONGOING project. More than changes and improvements, some fairly ambitious, will be fabricated equally time permits.

Want to accept a look? You'll demand to grab the torrent. I'd love to be able to share this more openly but, sigh.

Download Torrent – 720p .mp4 (Requires torrent client, like uTorrent or Transmission. Beware of malicious banner links posing as download links.)

ThereAndBackAgain_05

A petty bit in closing. I'd like to say once more that I really do appreciate what Peter Jackson has achieved. I don't think any other filmmaker could have e'er brought Middle Earth to life and then beautifully. When I set out to make this version I did it by and large out of curiosity, as a creative project to flex editorial muscles on, and out of my own dearest of Tolkien and The Hobbit (my favorite book as a child). I genuinely intend no disrespect to Jackson or his incredible squad.

And 1 last heads upwardly. Due to the unavailability of a Blu Ray version of "The Boxing of the Five Armies," the third deed of "There and Back Again" becomes suddenly and dramatically much poorer in image and audio quality. It'south pretty icky when information technology happens, and then I apologize in advance if y'all get in that far. I intend to set that once I tin buy a college quality version of that film.

Standard