This blog is meant to document some of the details that went into editing Peter Jackson's three Hobbit films downwards into a single 3-hour movie that, I remember, follows Tolkien's original story as lovingly as possible. I should say that while I don't retrieve Jackson'south storytelling was every bit concise and graphic symbol-driven as it could have been, I consider this cut to be a demonstration that there IS a really fun and cute movie buried in the material the filmmakers created. It but needed to exist carefully extracted. Thus, a "fan edit."

I've spent many weeks advisedly recrafting the work into what I'm calling "There and Back Again: A Hobbit'due south Cutting" after the championship of Bilbo Baggins' own autobiographical book within the story. This keeps this fan edit singled-out from others in a mode that I think is respectful to Tolkien's own intentions.

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

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

What I really wanted to do was brand a version that is seamless and genuinely watchable, and fifty-fifty entertaining.

With that, I think you'll find an interesting, admitting imperfect film, that feels more in line with what I think a lot of fans hoped to encounter when a Hobbit movie was first appear, and even more in line with Jackson's original Lord of the Rings trilogy. I believe the three hour length feels appropriate for the epic nature of the story and fits nicely with the length of the Rings trilogy, acting once again equally something of a prologue.

(Before I go into more detail, I'd similar to acknowledge TolkienEditor'south 4 hour cut. Information technology is a very different version in a number of ways, but he/she beat me too the punch, and my hat is off. I would similar to note that "In that location and Back Again" is over an hour shorter and a good deal more weekends of work than TolkienEditor'southward cut — every bit I empathise it — but nevertheless some actually keen work was done, some with very similar instincts, and I'd nigh suggest one might consider that version to be an "Extended Cut" of the 1 you lot'll find here.)

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

  • Overall, Bilbo has been made front end and eye the film'southward protagonist, and we witness the story almost entirely through his perspective. Martin Freeman's excellent performance carries the states through nearly of the way, as one would expect. Exceptions to this are a few scenes given to Bard (whose expanded part in Jackson'due south cloth was too critical to remove entirely), and some of the Dwarves' hazard in the Goblin tunnels.
  • Thorin'south story has been reduced where it doesn't directly affect Bilbo's.
  • The beginning of the film begins much the same mode the volume does, with the line "In a pigsty in the ground, there lived a Hobbit." Gone is the extensive and unnecessary history of Dale and the Dwarves, who I experience are introduced much amend as they arrive at Bilbo's home. Instead Bilbo nearly immediately takes us back to his get-go coming together with Gandalf, and we're off from in that location.
  • 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" we are quickly moved into hearing of Gandalf'southward quest.
  • The story of Smaug's attack on Dale and Erabor, as 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 detect far more than constructive and takes inspiration from the 1977 animated adaptation. You can find a cutting of this scene below.
  • Azog is well-nigh entirely gone, his appearances limited to the point where he could essentially be just some other Orc warrior. Bolg remains (as in the volume) but even then his role is very small.
  • As such, the Orcs don't attack until later on the meet with the Goblin king.
  • The chase through the Goblin tunnels is profoundly compressed. Gandalf arrives, stuns the goblins, stabs the Goblin Male monarch, and flees the mountain afterwards a very quick skirmish.
  • Beorn does not chase the Dwarves. After traveling with the Eagles, Gandalf tells them of a identify nearby they might stay the night, and we find Bilbo waking the side by side morning to find his company having a cursory breakfast with Beorn. There is so more of an implication that Beorn is protecting them on their journey to Mirkwood.
  • Kili's romance with Tauriel is gone. She appears briefly, as does Legolas, only in a few brief cameos. It like a good idea to even so suggest there are Elvish women, and accurate to propose that Legolas was at Mirkwood at the time.
  • The barrel chase is gone entirely. The company escapes downward the river happy and unscathed, with Legolas watching incredulously from afar. I've also removed all the bizarre GoPro footage.
  • Much of the fabric in Lake Town is gone. The dwarves go far with Bard'southward help, are caught stealing weapons, and are presented to the Master. He greedily welcomes them and sends them on their way.
  • As such, much equally I love Stephen Fry, he is given but a few brief appearances. The entirely superfluous character Alfrid (played, I admit, with perfect enthusiasm by Ryan Gage) only appears to act equally the Master's wormy counselor every bit they welcome the Dwarves.
  • Kili, Fili, Bofur and Oin all go to the Lonely Mountain with the residual of the company. No i remains in Lake Boondocks. There is no Orc attack on the town or sick Dwarf adventures.
  • Thorin and his Dwarves never come across Smaug, as in the book. Only Bilbo ever enters the mountain before the dragon'due south assail 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'due south cut, merely withal it seemed unnecessary for the story and too much of a distraction. I would take loved to reintroduce the Thrush's relaying of Bilbo's message for Bard to look for Smaug'southward missing scale (as in the book), and might still exercise so once I have the time to practice some fancier compositing piece of work.
  • Much of Thorin'due south descent into madness has been extracted, though he still acts substantially as the master antagonist. For me, Tolkien'southward version of Thorin always worked as a circumspection against greed in a very relatable way. The constant and overt suggestions that his folly is an almost literal "sickness" seems to accept any homo element abroad from his story. I realize Tolkien himself suggested it was "Dragon Sickness," only I'm not sure that was e'er intended to represent a genuine concrete illness. Maybe I'1000 wrong.
  • The Battle of 5 armies has been cut down to a climax of under 10 minutes, with significantly less cartoon insanity, and Bilbo'due south bash on the head puts a narrative cease to it.
  • This is currently an ONGOING project. More than changes and improvements, some fairly ambitious, will be made as fourth dimension permits.

Desire to have a look? You'll need to grab the torrent. I'd honey to exist able to share this more openly just, sigh.

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

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A little chip in endmost. I'd similar to say again that I actually do appreciate what Peter Jackson has achieved. I don't think any other filmmaker could have ever brought Middle Earth to life so beautifully. When I set out to make this version I did information technology mostly out of curiosity, as a creative projection to flex editorial muscles on, and out of my own love of Tolkien and The Hobbit (my favorite book as a kid). I genuinely intend no disrespect to Jackson or his incredible team.

And one last heads upward. Due to the unavailability of a Blu Ray version of "The Battle of the Five Armies," the third act of "At that place and Back Once again" becomes suddenly and dramatically much poorer in image and audio quality. It'southward pretty icky when it happens, and then I apologize in advance if you make it that far. I intend to fix that once I can buy a higher quality version of that film.

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