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JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit

The final version of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is now available!

12/1/2015

136 Comments

 
Picture
After more than two years of work, I am very excited to have completed the final version of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit!  Here is the link to the Downloads Page for your convenience.

This fan edit has been created using only the highest-quality media available...full HD Bluray and 5.1 surround sound. Working with 5.1 has given me far more options for audio editing than a simple stereo track. Here's just a sample of some of the work I've done on the film.
  •  A 532 minute trilogy cut to a single 247 minute film
  • Well over 600 actual edits and trims made
  • An Intermission splits the film in half, at the exact point where Peter Jackson originally intended to split the Hobbit when it was still two films.
  •  Overall, the film remains focused on Bilbo and the dwarves. Unnecessary subplots, characters, and CGI silliness have been jettisoned. That means no Tauriel.
  • Color corrected in several sequences to match LOTR’s visuals more.
  • Numerous digital alterations, including a new opening title, gold coating removed from Smaug, Radagast erased from an eagle flyover shot, etc.
  • Orc subtitles altered to explain plot adjustments
  • Several unused music cues by Howard Shore have been re-inserted in key scenes, including the famous Misty Mountains theme that was abandoned after AUJ.
  • Various scenes from the Extended Editions have also been added where needed. Yes, Thorin’s funeral is in here.

SO. If you’d like to watch this fan edit, I only ask that you legally own all three films in advance. It’s only fair to the copyright holders, regardless of how you feel about the original films.

Right now you can enjoy the HD digital copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, but in the next week or so you will be able choose from DVD or Bluray ISO files. They will both be 2-disc sets with custom artwork (available for free on my site). They will feature 5.1 digital surround sound, interactive menus, the whole shebang. Eventually I plan to add subtitles in multiple languages…several people have volunteered to help translate already! Finally, I’ll include a side quest film called Durin’s Folk and the Hill of Sorcery on the special features. It’s an hour-long film that follows the Dol Guldur subplot and how it ties into the dwarves’ backstory. This subplot actually works a lot better when it’s not distracting from the main story of the Hobbit!

Phew, long post. I’ve said it many times since I began working on this edit, but buried somewhere underneath the uneven, bloated Hobbit trilogy is a truly great film. For me at least, I have finally found that film. Hopefully you’ll think so too!
136 Comments
Muse88
12/1/2015 04:56:17 pm

Fantastic!!! downloading now! Thanks for all of your hard work :) 1 quick question. I downloaded the Vemeo version of the Durans Folk and the Hill of Sorcery, Should I redownload the new version?

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Dustin
12/1/2015 07:49:30 pm

The new version of Durin's Folk is not ready yet! Sometime later this week probably.

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Lizzie
12/2/2015 03:00:32 am

heya Dustin! Would you be able to create a digital copy of the Durin's Folk and the Hill of Sorcery for those of use who wish to watch it on our ipad?

many thanks.

kisses xox
lizzie
new zealand

Leonardo (leonmuse)
12/1/2015 05:02:16 pm

Finally it's here! Thank you my friend!

I'm waiting for the English subtitles so I can make my own contribution to the project!

Cheers!!!

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Bilbob Baggins (Bob)
12/1/2015 08:18:11 pm

Thank you so much for putting in so much work to make this edit! I have watched your April cut a couple times and you did a remarkable job. As someone who dabbles in all things audio/video I truly understand the tedious work and massive amounts of time needed to edit like this, so great job, really! I hope your fans truly appreciate all the work you've done.

I must admit I am one of the (apparently) few who actually really loves every bit of the Hobbit movies. I can understand the reasons why some don't, but for me it's all magical and I can never get enough. Often these differing perspectives can have a lot more to do with how someone is feeling at the moment they are watching than how good or bad it is. I've always had a positive attachment to the Peter Jackson Tolkien world so it's all amazing to me. I just wanted to share that since it seems as though people only like to go on and on about what's wrong with these movies.

Anyway, all that said, as much as I do love the full movies it's really great to be able to have a version that is straight to the point and follows the book more distinctly, because it really does give the movie an entirely different feeling. Sometimes I just want to get the whole story without having to watch 3 long movies and it really does provide a similar feeling to reading the book, which is really awesome! We're all pretty lucky to be able to have this choice of how we want to experience the story.

So, keep up the good work and thanks again for your truly pristine edit of The Hobbit. You are a great video editor. I can't wait to watch the new cut tonight! :-)

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Jackie
12/5/2015 01:57:34 am

I have had too a positive attachment with PJ LofR...i have been in cinema over 15 times for the first film and multiple times for the next. I made costumes and go in them to the cinema...and to fan events...and many more...i really truely love LotR...

But i cant stand the Hobbit in its full length...its curious to me too!

But i like Dustins work very much..it brings Tolkiens Hobbit and the magic back to me...:)

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Tyler
12/1/2015 08:39:42 pm

Downloading now! Can't wait to experience this film without all the excess! How is the torrent coming for everyone? Mine is very slow. Would it be any faster to go through MEGA?

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Eric
12/2/2015 12:40:53 am

Yeah, torrent was really slow for me too. Switched to MEGASync and it's a lot faster. I will download the torrent as well when the MEGA download is done though, just so I can help seed this masterpiece :)

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Ben
12/2/2015 01:11:52 am

Hey!

Haven't fully watched it yet (might do so tonight) but have flicked around a little bit, the colour difference quite surprised me and some of the stuff left in the Desolation of Smaug and Battle of the Five Armies parts, eg the Smaug chase and all the Azog stuff caught me off guard and had me a bit disappointed..

Apart from that amazing work!

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Andy
12/2/2015 02:12:21 am

Finally! The wait is over. Thank you for your enormous effort. Love from continents apart!

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Jose
12/2/2015 02:28:58 am

Thank you Dustin for the work you have put into this project!!!

I'm downloading it right now.

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Andy
12/2/2015 06:00:23 am

Dustin, I wondered what was this COLOR CORRECTION chatter all about & tried watching the semi-downloaded file. The colors are washed out & de-saturated. Why would you do that?

The opening scene (Bilbo meeting Gandalf) looks so pale & seems to have lost it warmth. I have already commended your time & efforts but a 2nd version with original color re-instated is warranted.

(I am basing my comments on the fact the you mentioned you did color correct some scenes & others mention their surprise at the correction)

Thanks.

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Dustin
12/2/2015 06:56:42 am

Most of my color correction work was done on An Unexpected Journey. That film in particular was way too vibrant, especially with the way oranges and blues popped out on the screen. I color corrected those portions of the film to match closer with LOTR's color palette.

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Eric
12/2/2015 08:17:38 am

As much as I admire your work, I really must agree with Andy on this one. The colour correction was WAY overdone at some places. Seriously, compare these two frames from the beginning and from the end of the film:

http://i.imgur.com/CjBY2o4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JDjcKvd.jpg

I agree that the colours needed to be desaturated a bit, but that is just way too much. At least be consistent with it. There is no reason the difference in colour between those two scenes should be that big. Please consider redoing the colour correction for the DVD/Bluray release.
Apart from this, your work on this project is nothing short of amazing, and I really thank you for giving us the Hobbit film we deserve.

Riley
12/2/2015 07:10:50 am

I'm with Dustin in this one, the color correction was the way to go. The originals were way overboard and it felt like a cheesy video game more than an real, epic adventure.

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Phil
12/4/2015 07:18:24 pm

Really? I'm with Eric & Andy in this one. Colour correction went too extreme in the edit. I admit that there were some oversaturated shots in PJ's version but Dustin didn't have to overcorrect it. Most scenes in the first hour of the edit felt incredibly cold and colourless. Now I know how Dustin could have spent two years working on this....

Dustin, as a true Tolkien fan, how could you omit the "Do you call two several?" scene where Gandalf tried to introduce the dwarves to Beorn?? Didn't you peruse all the material in the extended editions?

Best definitive fan edit of the Hobbit, this is NOT! Can't believe I torrent this for days....

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Joe
12/16/2015 10:44:17 pm

Surely, you must be joking.

Arne
12/2/2015 07:34:14 am

Thanks, for your effort! Downloading right now...
May I ask for the 5.1 surround audio track as a seperate download? This way it could easily muxed into the MP4 by those who want it :-)

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Dustin
12/2/2015 08:48:55 am

Sure why not? I just added the AC3 5.1 file to the downloads page. It's on you to mux it however. Let me know if it works in case I need to fix anything.

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Tobias
12/2/2015 09:26:58 am

That file seems to be the whole movie again (9.79GB), not just the audio.

Sean
12/2/2015 11:06:28 am

Thanks for your hard work and I am very much looking forward to viewing a more faithful edit of The Hobbit. Will the Bluray ISO version will have a DTS track rather than (or in addition to) the AC3 track?

Arne
12/2/2015 04:02:59 pm

Thanks, a lot for the AC3! It works fine. Now the only thing missing is an english subtitle file ;-)

Wally
12/2/2015 09:23:57 am

Good idea. Don't fancy downloading everything again!

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Dustin
12/2/2015 09:36:16 am

Oops. Link was wrong at first. Fixed it.

Robert
12/2/2015 12:49:03 pm

I wish you wouldn't advertise it as a single film for the sake of trying to prove a point (that point being: 'The Hobbit should have been one film').

By even commenting yourself that 'An Intermission splits the film in half' and also considering the run time is over four hours it further reinforces the point that The Hobbit can not feasibly be crammed into one movie. It can, as you have to brilliantly proven, be fit into two films.

While The Hobbit is a short book, Professor Tolkien filled the book with A LOT of plot, so there is a lot to get through.

Anyway, good work on your edit, I just wish that you (and many other of The Hobbit's 'one-film' adapters) would stop claiming it is one film, when it is clearly a two-part tale when adapted to film.

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Sean
12/2/2015 01:03:10 pm

By your logic, then, is the original Lord of The Rings "Trilogy", in its extended form, actually 6 films? I seem to recall that the extended versions for the DVD release were on 2 discs each...with an intermission to change discs. Per IMDB, RotK: Extended ran for 253 minutes (and for that matter, the Bluray extended version is 263 minutes). Is Return of the King actually 2 films?

This hearkens back to the past, when long films would have intermissions built in so that the reels could be changed. Gone with the Wind runs 228 minutes for the movie proper. You know what it has in its Anniversary DVD release? An overture, intermission, entr'acte, and exit music.

Certainly, this edit of The Hobbit runs a bit longer than Gone with the WInd, but it is actually shorter than Return of the King. They are each 1 film.

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Robert
12/14/2015 08:57:49 am

'I seem to recall that the extended versions for the DVD release were on 2 discs each... with an intermission to change discs.'
Yes, but not because it could be considered as two separate films.

By base point is this: This version of the movie is implausible. There is no way in which Peter Jackson could have released a movie like this in cinemas (due to its length). If you argue otherwise then you're completely deluded. I'm not saying people shouldn't enjoy this fan edit; I simply wish people wouldn't say 'why didn't they release this as the actual movie' and other such nonsense.

Dustin
12/14/2015 09:41:20 am

If this had been released in theaters, it would have definitely been split into two films. From a business standpoint it makes sense, as long as there is enough good content for a pair of two-hour films.

Since this is never going to be considered for theatrical release, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is ONE film. Yes it is a long film, but home viewing trends are different than going to a theater. It's not uncommon for people to binge-watch entire seasons of their favorite TV show in one sitting nowadays.

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Tyler
12/2/2015 06:08:54 pm

Tried megasync and it worked wonders. Love everything about this edit. Though fan edits can never be perfect (especially when editing to better match a novel said film is based on), this one comes pretty darn close. I reread my copy of The Annotated Hobbit recently and this was a great way to cap my read. There is a decent adaptation of the The Hobbit in Jackson's films, it's just buried under side stories, Go Pro shots, and over the top CGI. This is now my go to version. I may even purchase a blu-ray drive for my computer just for the sake of having this version on my shelf, alongside both The Hobbit and LOTR extended trilogies.

Thanks for all your hard work, can't wait to watch it again!
Tyler

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Drake
12/2/2015 11:30:30 pm

Hi Dustin,

Love your edit and it will definitely be my version of the Hobbit I will treasure forever!

I just have 1 question on this edit. Why did you decide to add the goats back in? It does explain more of them getting to Ravenhill, but they just show up out of nowhere still... Love the edit and thanks so much for your hard work!!!

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Rémi
12/3/2015 11:45:16 am

Hi Dustin.
Great job, really.
When do you think the French subtitles will be available, if they will be ?

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Dustin
12/4/2015 11:57:45 am

We are almost done with the English subs, after which we can have our volunteers translate to other languages (including French). It will still be another week or so however.

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Brad
12/3/2015 03:07:15 pm

Downloading now! I'm so excited to watch this. It's completely evident that you've worked really hard on this, and have used tools that other editors may not have thought of.

Can't wait until you release a digital copy of Durin's Folk! I totally love the idea of a side-quest film...feels like reading the Appendices at the end of Lord of the Rings!

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Jackson
12/4/2015 01:40:37 pm

Maybe this was making the best of a bad situation, but I'm curious why you left Smaug shaking off the "gold"? You changed it to look like water, but then it still raises the question of how he got covered in water.

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Sandro Algra
12/4/2015 03:08:15 pm

You could argue that it's supposed to be dust, which he get's from breaking out of the gate. But yeah, it still has too much gloss and it looks very green when he shakes it off. I wonder how long Dustin struggled with colour correcting this detail.

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Dustin
12/4/2015 04:45:05 pm

It was quite a struggle trying to get rid of that gold, lol. The problem wasn't so much the color, but the texture. The shiny coating ruins Smaug's scaly texture, and that was beyond my capabilities to fix. So I had to settle for just changing his color.

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Jackson
12/4/2015 10:11:02 pm

Given that it's such a short part of the film, have you considered outsourcing that part to see if someone with more experience with digital editing might be able to help?

Will
12/5/2015 05:35:34 am

You could argue that the gold being shaken off is gold pieces from the treasure that are engraved in his scales.

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Dave Smith
12/4/2015 09:55:50 pm

Hey Dustin. I just watched this and it was amazing, easily the best. The only part that I could tell was edited was after Bard confronts Thorin.Thorin begins to say something, but then it skips to the next sentence. Also i'm just curious as to why the Mirwkood extended scenes were cut? They were from the book and helped establish how lost and long the company was stuck in the forest. If this is indeed a purist edit I think those would make the film perfect, and they aren't too long

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Jack C
12/5/2015 07:50:44 am

I agree with all of this

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Aaron
12/5/2015 02:47:21 pm

Sadly, this isn't in fact a "purist edit" -- otherwise you're right, it'd be there. Dustin himself is a filmmaker, and so this is his take on it as a film. He's suggested these sentiments on the relevant subreddits, etc.

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Jack
12/5/2015 12:23:48 am

I think agree with a lot of other people here that while this is really impressive, there are a couple things that could still use some work. The desaturation was taken too far, imo. Also a couple of edits were kind of iffy, like for instance when they're escaping Smaug, why leave in the shot of Smaug "reactivating" the furnaces if it no longer comes into play later. I also think more of the Beorn introduction sequence could have been left in; as it is, the sudden transition from Gandalf voice-over (this could also use some further sound-editing, it seems off) to sleeping in the House is jarring. There are others that people have mentioned elsewhere in the comments.

I know you have this labelled as your "final" cut, but I think that this is by far the closest we have to a proper Hobbit movie, and I think it would benefit a lot from just a little more polish.

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Jack
12/5/2015 12:47:11 am

a quick edit: After rewatching the original EE of DOS, there's probably not much you can do about going straight from eagles to Beorn's, but I completely agree that reintroducing the "two by two" scene from the book will smoothen the whole process immensely. It makes it clear that they showed up there without him knowing and gives a proper "introduction" to Beorn's character.

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Phil
12/6/2015 12:46:20 am

I agree with your exposition, Jack. Well done.

Jon
12/31/2015 01:42:07 am

I had another look at the Beorn intro scene and it's around 5.30 minutes long. The Mirkwood stream scene that some people also want to see is also over 5 minutes. As much as I think these were nice scenes, they are way too long and, IMO, tedious. As a result I have to agree with Dustin's edit.

I do think that the intro to Beorn could have been done better, that's the fault of the original screenwriters, and not the faneditor who could only work with what was in the film.

Akram
12/5/2015 03:18:40 am

Thanks Dustin for all this effort and toil to put together the Hobbit movie we all wanted to see. Whatever comments you get on what should have been in or out, I want you to know you made the right call.
Personally I love the Extended Edition scenes At Beorn's house, inside Mirkwood (with the river), and the bit when the Dwarves and Elves fight but I understand for pacing reasons why you cut these. The movie flows well and the structure is good.
Great Job and thank you
P.S for all those who like myself have scenes they like that were cut you will always have access to these scenes, don't worry :)

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James
12/5/2015 07:49:09 am

Please add in the extended intro of Beorn and more mirkwood! Other than that amazing work

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Patrick Kane
12/5/2015 08:09:04 am

That would totally make this the definitive version for me, I missed those scenes from the book

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Dustin
12/5/2015 12:02:50 pm

These two scenes were brought up in feedback when I released my first version in April. I know those scenes are in the book, but they REALLY slowed the film down. There's a reason PJ didn't include them in the theatricals. We don't need to spend 5 minutes being re-introduced to the dwarves one by one, especially so far into the story. It's redundant.

HOWEVER...I am including Beorn's EE intro in Durin's Folk and the Hill of Sorcery, which works better in that film's context. Hope that's a good compromise.

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Dean
12/5/2015 12:33:41 pm

The Beorn EE scene does more than just "reintroduce the dwarves." It does create a lull, but it does the same thing in the book as well and there's a reason Tolkien included it there. After the huge climax with the Wargs and Eagles, it lets the audience "reset" with some humor and is just in general a great scene. I hope that you take some of the advice people in these comments because as great as this cut is, it could still use some improvement.

James
12/5/2015 03:42:00 pm

Interesting, that does seem like a good compromise. Perhaps if only the mirkwood scene was added in it wouldn't add much to the length, but would help accomplish just how long the company was in the forest. Maybe it's just me, but I never liked how Mirkwood seemed like and afterthought in the theatrical edition.

Trevor
3/10/2016 09:00:19 am

I do want to chime in and agree with my colleagues. While it is certainly your edit, that feedback remains as true today as it did earlier. The scene with Beorn was in the book. By ignoring it, the same sins that led to a bloated film are being committed again.

Stephen
4/1/2018 01:07:57 pm

I agree and disagree with this. It does in fact slow down the films. It probably wasn’t needed for Jackson’s because they were too long to begin with but would have fit very nicely into your edit.

Luke
12/5/2015 03:38:01 pm

I'm gonna echo everyone else and say that the desaturation was taken way too far.

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Ryan
12/5/2015 06:24:07 pm

I just watched the edit and I really enjoyed it. The edit is far superior to any of the original films. Moreover, most of the cuts are invisible, which I found to be very impressive. Below are my thoughts on which edits were excellent and which edits could be improved.

Excellent:
-Your choice of which scenes to keep and which to remove is, I think, pretty much perfect.
-Most cuts are invisible! I particularly like, "I think it is time for you to know what really happened. [cut] In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit."
-It's dark outside during Bilbo's exposition.
-The edit of Bilbo slipping on the mountain is much better.
-Eagle rescue sequence. Azog now gets a proper introduction.
-Thorin and Thranduil flashback.
-Laketown, in general, is excellent. In particular I like, "You took our money, now where are the weapons? [cut to dwarves stealing weapons]."
-The Hidden Door to Erebor edit, in general, is excellent.
-Azog/Bolg subtitle edit (how did you do that?!).
-The (actual) Battle of the Five Armies, in general, is excellent. It gets to the point and yet doesn't feel rushed.
-Bilbo's sword glows blue on Ravenhill.
-Gandalf voice-over at funeral.

Could be Improved:
-An Unexpected Journey to The Desolation of Smaug transition. Specifically, Gandalf's narration while riding the eagles feels somewhat disjointed.
-The end of the barrel ride sequence feels abrupt. Maybe include the scene of the orcs chasing the dwarves down the river?
-The Dwarves vs. Smaug sequence in general. I personally preferred your previous version because in your current version (i) Smaug lights furnaces that don't do anything, (ii) Although I respect the effort that went in to Smaug's digital alteration, Smaug is still inexplicably shiny upon leaving the mountain, and (iii) because the dwarves don't even attempt to defeat Smaug, it all feels a little bit pointless.

These are just my thoughts.I would also be inclined to break the edit up into two movies, rather than one four hour movie. They could be called, 'An Unexpected Journey' and 'There and Back Again'. One benefit of this would be that some extra scenes could be included, for example the Beorn Introduction EE (which everybody seems to love). Again, just my thoughts.

Over all, your edit is really excellent. From now on, I will be watching J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit!

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Ryan
12/5/2015 06:27:43 pm

Also, I didn't mind the colour correct so much (in fact, I liked it). However, Eric does have a point. The contrast between the first and last scenes of the shire is a bit much. Perhaps tone down the last scene a bit and tone up the first scene a bit.

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Jason
12/5/2015 07:02:04 pm

I agree that there was some level of color correction needed for the first couple of films, but I think that Dustin just went too far with it. When I think of Hobbits and The Shire, the first thing that should come to mind is "cozy and warm." The major desaturation Dustin used takes away too many of the warm reds and oranges and makes things look cold and grey.

Nicolas
12/5/2015 06:54:26 pm

I have finally watched the final version of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit and these are my thoughts.

I loved how you included the extended scenes. I liked very much that you put back the eagle rescue scene, as it heavily resembles a chapter of the book and introduces Azog properly. The Laketown politics scene now explains why the Master is bent on capturing Bard. I loved the new subtitles for the Bolg/Azog scene, I wonder how did you do it.The Battle of Five Armies doesn't feel rushed anymore, and the extended shots of fighting were very needed. Beorn, Thranduil and Bard have a lot of battle screentime now. The edited shot of the Master's palace with the windlance on flames was perfectly made and fixed a plot hole that bothered me very much in the original versions. Gandalf's eulogy at the dwarves funeral was a touching addition.

Some things looked out of place though. Gandalf's voiceover introducing Beorn sounds weird but doesn't affect the overall quality of the fan-edit. However, as this is being promoted as one film, the intermission seems unnecessary (as the film is the same length as a LOTR extended edition). There are some minor plot-holes or continuity issues like Thorin fighting Azog with Orcrist, how the dwarves got into Beorn's house or Bolg's fate (however they are undestandable as you don't want to include Legolas in Ravenhill or Beorn meeting the dwarves). Also the shots of the lighting of the furnaces could be left out as they don't serve for anything now. That was the scene I thought was the least necessary.

Despite those details that could be polished, the fan-edit really delivers what was promised and offers a great viewing experience. I think it enhances the original films and makes several improvements by cutting out unimportant plotlines and characters, and staying faithful to the book. I can say that JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit can be considered a definitive version worthy of every Middle Earth movie marathon!

Greetings!

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Chad
12/5/2015 07:18:49 pm

This is a really superb edit. Others are pointing out that there are weaknesses here and there - sure - but I actually enjoyed watching the Hobbit for the first time and really cared about what happened to the characters at the end. That is quite an achievement since, the first time round I just found the characters annoying and couldn't wait for most of them to meet their end so the pain would finally stop. The scene you recut with Fili and Kili was especially great. Well done.

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Will
12/6/2015 02:48:59 am

Hi Dustin, congratulations on completing this labour of love. We all appreciate the amount of detail and passion you've put into this project and I enjoy the film very much, it now feels as though it's on the same level as LOTR.

That said; I must echo the majority here by saying that the film needs a little bit of polishing in the following places.

- The colour correction in The Shire: While your colour correction for Rivendell and Mirkwood is stunning, the correction in the opening feels cold and heartless. You need to re-induce some warmth and heart into The Shire; in the same way that Jackson did for LOTR.

- Gandalf's voiceover: While I do really enjoy the addition of the eagles sequence, Gandalf's voiceover feels jarring and stilted. I think you could find a way to try and implement the opening of DOS with the Dwarf company running away from Beorn and the wargs, as well as restore Gandalf's dialogue to its natural place in the original film.

- The barrel sequence: I see this scene as being the big action climax of the first part, but I don't think it has the same level of excitement as the original sequence had. Now, I'm not asking for Bombur's orc killing spree or Legolas' acrobatic shenanigans. But just insert a few shots of Bolg ordering the orcs to chase after the dwarves, or Legolas and the elves running and shooting arrows just to make it seem like more of a 3-way chase scene.

- The battle of the five armies: You've made a big improvement to the battle over your last edit, it doesn't feel as rushed as before. However, I think you need to re-cut a few shots so that it flows a bit better. I think you could include part from the scene below, from 1:22 to the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDnugaioin4
It helps improve the focus of the battle, so that one moment we're focused on Dain, then on Thranduil, then on Dain, then on Thranduil etc... and it's a much smoother transition to the 'darkest hour' moment.

- The dwarf company fighting: There's a shot of Thorin, Fili and Kili fighting together on the battlefield which I think is really cool; it's the only shot of them fighting together that we ever get. I think you could include that scene before Thorin and Dain meet on the battlefield, all while trying to ignore the gimp troll as much as possible.

That's it. Again, I must stress that I do really enjoy this fan edit very much, I do think the good you've done in this project far outweighs the 'not as good' (there's nothing bad in this fan edit).

I'd be interested to hear some feedback on my ideas. Many thanks, Dustin.

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Jackson
12/6/2015 09:03:25 am

I actually completely disagree with trying to make the barrel scene more of an "action climax." Maybe it's the book purist in me, but they originally just floated away and that was that. The more it represents Tolkien's work, imo, the better.

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Will
12/6/2015 09:37:38 am

Maybe I'm using the wrong phrasing by calling it an "action climax" it's more of a set piece. I know that originally in the book they just floated down the river, but in Dustin's version, it's an action set piece.

I don't view this edit as a purist edit of The Hobbit. I see it more as 2 films that try to recapture the spirit of the book in the same way as Jackson's LOTR trilogy did, and that includes some deviations. Since (in my opinion) some of Tolkien's concepts don't always translate well cinematically.

Brian
12/9/2015 09:27:31 pm

I totally agree with Jackson. If it were me, we'd see only shots of the barrels floating down the river with no pursuing elves, no orc attack, and no getting stopped by the gate. Just drop out of the cellar, bobbing through rapids, at the end we see elves rushing around the empty cells and heading to the cellar, then cut back to the dwarves landing on the shore and meeting Bard.

Andy
12/6/2015 04:59:43 am

The Gollum scene was one of the saving graces of this bad movie trilogy & I think you mentioned you had left it largely intact. And yet you edited out the intro scene of GOLLUM.

Your edit asks the viewer to make an assumption that Gollum came in the vicinity of where Bilbo & the Goblin fell, carried away the goblin & lost his ring in the midst of all this.

The movie actually shows this quite well. No reason for you to edit the iconic scene.

In addition of my previous comment about colors being too pale, you may want to consider this too to go in to your version 2.

Will continue watching the rest later.

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Emrys
12/6/2015 02:21:34 pm

Hi Dustin,
First of all, congratulations on this work! I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it and it is head and shoulders (and body) above the original version! As others have pointed out really it's two films, but ultimately as has been said it's based on a small book with a LOT of plot!

The thing I like most about this version is the emphasis that is placed on Dain due to some of the cuts in the final battle (since he was somewhat overshadowed in the original version). Also, adding Gandalf's full speech to the funeral was inspired.

It's a shame not to see the extended Beorn scene but I understand why you chose to leave it out (of this film, anyway). Ultimately Beorn just isn't as memorable as his book counterpart, and even with that scene intact there's little your film could have done to remedy this.

Thank you for this wonderful gem!
Emrys

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Jon
12/6/2015 11:50:58 pm

Hello Dustin. I just wanted to say thanks and congratulations on a fine job. I enjoyed this more than the original movies and I don't think that there is higher praise!

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Nile link
12/7/2015 08:21:44 am

Just finished The Hobbit fan edit, a very good effort. Perhaps a bit too harsh on the cuts at times would have liked to have seen more Beorn as it felt a little choppy there, the only other time things feel a little chopped up are the final battle scenes with bolg and azog at ravenhill (and that's most likely because of all the legolas and tauriel action in the original edits)

Completely gone are all sub and side plots so no radagast, galadriel, tauriel or saruman, very little legolas and frankly all the better for it.
All the shoddy cgi gone, really this impressed me the most no off putting shots of dangly floppy puppet men or floaty flying elves. Billy Connolly's character is actually good now rather than ruined by his bad cg model running around the battlefield.

Is it perfect? No. But it is does hold your attention and is now possible to finish the story in an evening and doesn't ruin it with non essential or poorly executed tat.

I found the current ac3 5.1 file to have a few errors, the front and side channels are switched, so some tinkering I fixed that, it appears it's also missing the LFE channel data so had to have bass get re-directed. Would watch again definitely once final blu ray files are released

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B.W.
12/9/2015 09:21:17 pm

As someone who never saw the final battle, I didn't notice the choppiness during the Ravenhill scenes, and in fact had no idea until reading the list of edits that Kili & Fili didn't die together with Azog and (as far as I could tell) a random orc underling standing side by side. How did they get captured? Didn't matter to me that it happened off camera...Azog is a tough enough guy to buy it.

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David
2/3/2016 09:19:17 pm

I was also having problems with the 5.1 AC3 file and the swapped channels. Did it ever get fixed?

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Nile link
2/4/2016 04:36:33 pm

Yeah Dustin fixed it for the blu-ray ISO releases. I don't think the dvd has 5.1? I hope dustin does release a fixed 5.1 channel file for those with the digital release as currently it's a bit broken.

I'm glad I upgraded to the bluray files though :)

Tyler
1/23/2017 12:40:12 pm

Dustin, would you be able to upload the current AC3 file?

Hugo Paiva
12/7/2015 10:06:44 pm

There will be a 720p download option?

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Sebastian
12/8/2015 09:01:22 am

Having seen it all I was very impressed. This is fantastic and is definetly the best Hobbit edit I've seen, however I have a few constructive criticisms (pretty much everything was perfect):
- The Colour Correction... It works perfectly in the spiders scene in DOS, but the beginning seemed a little dull; the brightness was turned down, but it seemed odd. Sure I love the idea of it being consistant with LOTR, but it doesn't really work here.
- The Dwarves Meeting... It's not your fault, but it was really dragged out in the movie, but if it is possible, perhaps about 5 minutes could be cut out, but it works fine as is, but a suggestion.
- "What have we done..." I really feel this adds to Bilbo as a character (his disbelief of Thorin and goals) and while it doesn't work (before Smaug's attack) it could be used during the burning and destruction of Laketown in Smaug's attack for to show the power of the scene.

In all honesty, that's all my constructive criticism. It's a fantastic edit, and if this is the final version, these suggested changes by me and your fans could lead to a Second Edition.

It's as good as is, but I'd like to see them implemented if possible.
Thank you for reading,
Sebastian

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Daniel Möller
12/8/2015 11:38:36 am

First of all, let me thank you for the massive amount of work you have done to make the bloated and what I thought almost irredeemable Hobbit "trilogy" into one (or maybe two?) highly enjoyable and surprisingly touching film. I really applaude your effort, and your version of the film is far superior to Jackson's! (I won't blame Jabez Olssen, as he probably followed Jackson's instructions). Who would have thought that such a film lay buried in the mess that was the trilogy. I will list some pros and cons with your edit, and my sentiments will probably echo a lot of other posters'. Some of the cuts and transisions feel a bit abrupt, but that is entirely because of what you had to work with.

PROS
- The length. Jackson's The Hobbit was a lengthy beast, you've slimmed it down considerably, and the pace is a lot better for it. A few of Jackson's additions worked better than others (Gandalf's visit to Dol Guldur in film 2, and the flashbacks to Erebor and the battle of Azanulbizar, for example) but the film is better off without most of them.
- Bilbo. Martin Freeman was one of the better aspects of Jackson's films, and he was completely convincing in the title role. Unfortunately he was more and more sidetracked as the films went on. You've restored him to the main character of the book, and he's now in almost every scene. Bravo!
- Emotional core. By stripping away all the surplus and additional stories you've manage to focus the film on Bilbo's friendship with the dwarves, and it gains a lot by it.
- Less action. You've shortened and reduced the action scenes considerably, and what's left is more entertaining than it was before.
- Closer to the book. Naturally!
- Gollum's introduction. I never really liked how, in Jackson's version, Bilbo watched Gollum drop the ring, and then took it. It made Bilbo into the thief that Gollum accused him of being. I much prefer your version, which is closer to the book.
- Less Alfrid (and other silly attempts at humour)!
- More of the Misty Mountain theme!

CONS (most of these are very mild criticisms)
- Colour correction. Like many others, I think you overdid it in the first part of the film, which on my TV looks very greyish brown.
- Beorn. I would have tried to include more of Beorn, like for instance the dwarves' introduction. He still feels like a minor character, and as it is now it would have been better to cut him out altogether.
- Mirkwood. I would have kept the enchanted river from the EE. The Mirkwood scenes in the theatrical edition felt rushed, and like they wandered through the forest in a day. This also affects your edit.

Small additional cuts and changes I would have made:
- I would have cut the scene with Thranduil's scar, as it feels very un-Tolkienesque.
- I would have cut the first establishing shot of Azog, and let the first glimpse of him have been when Thorin sees him.
- To me the most emotional moment of the original films is Thorin's death scene. Bilbo's final sob before Jackson cut to Kili and Tauriel was really heartwrenching, and I would really have included it (I don't really understand why you cut it).

All in all, I'm really impressed, though. You've transformed it from a 4-5/10-star trilogy into a 7-8/10 film!

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Brian
12/9/2015 09:14:08 pm

I do agree that I would have liked the transition to Beorn, and the time at his house to be different. I'm not sure why the eagles dropping them at the Carrock was cut, for one. It's way more abrupt without it. And if at all possible the way we find out he's a bear should from Bilbo seeing him out in the woods, not from voice over or the horrible chase scene (which I'm so glad got left out). But I'm not sure that with the existing footage it would have allowed for much more than what we got.

I never saw the extended version, but the enchanted stream was one of the scenes I was looking forward to and couldn't believe was missing from the theatrical version. I would love it to be back in.

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Caroline
12/8/2015 12:30:35 pm

Not sure what I've done wrong, but I downloaded it in my browser but when I go to play it on VLC, the sound is there, but I just get an Attuned Vibrations logo on a black screen all the way through. What am I missing? thanks

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Chris
12/8/2015 12:56:23 pm

I agree with most people here in that I think that there were definitely a number of unnecessary cuts made in an attempt to make it into 1 very long movie instead of 2 average sized ones. I think the latter would make for a better experience.

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DanteS
12/8/2015 01:33:24 pm

Is it too late, or too much work to ask, to make Glamdring glow white in the presence of goblins and orcs ?
(as it should)

I'm pretty sure it would have been a lot of work, but I'm still mad at PJ for not making Glamdring glow in LoTR and The Hobbit...

I just finished downloading your work, so I haven't seen it yet, but I can already say, in regards of the changes you've listed : a big, humongous, thank you ! I hoped someone will do the book justice by making a huge FanEdit, and you clearly delievered !

Thank you very much for your love of Tolkien !

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Dustin
12/9/2015 08:19:51 am

Unfortunately it would take way too much time for me to make Glamdring and Orcrist glow. This is an issue you'll have to take up with Peter Jackson! Thanks for the message.

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Aaron
12/9/2015 08:26:32 am

Hey Dustin! Have you considered other feedback in the thread, as far as color correction, Beorn, etc.? There seem to be basically only 2-3 main things that extremely consistently come back as feedback points, rather than everyone having different idiosyncratic suggestions. Thought?

Dabte
12/9/2015 11:28:38 am

He said that he fixed the color correction for the DVD/Blu Ray release. But adding scenes would mess up the time signatures for subtitles so beorn and such are in his side quest film, which will be in the special features

Brad
12/9/2015 03:47:20 pm

I really like your work. There is however a moment of awkward audio around 2:22:15 when Thorin is giving his speech at Lake Town. I think maybe a split second of unintentional dialogue sneaks in where two audio clips were dissolved together. It's a little jarring. Is that fixable?

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Dustin
12/14/2015 07:48:23 am

Yes several people have noticed that...you guys have sharp ears! It definitely slipped past me haha. I have fixed this issue for the upcoming DVD/Bluray release.

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Dante
12/14/2015 12:08:37 pm

I hate to nag. But when do you think the DVD version will be released?

Brian
12/9/2015 09:05:19 pm

Thanks so much for this. I was so disappointed with the original versions of these. The edits to Unexpected Journey were almost perfect, everywhere I wanted something left out (such as rock giants, falling Goblintown bridge, Radagast) were cut exactly. I do have a few suggestions in case you ever decide to do some more tinkering:

1. Completely cut the elf chase and orc fight from the barrel-riding scene. It was the most cringe-worthy scene in DOS, and I couldn't believe it was still in your cut. It would work better if it was just Thorin's company tumbling down the river in barrels and the elves only find out that the dwarves are gone after the scene is over.

2. No need for the bits of Smaug chasing the dwarves through Erebor (Thorin going up and down on the rope, etc.) I know the worst parts are gone, but that was still unnecessary in an already long movie.

3. Skip the giant black arrow sub-plot altogether (outside of the flashbacks). It would be simple to edit Bard's final shot with a normal arrow directly to the black arrow flying through the air and finding it's mark (at that point, the scale of the thing doesn't matter and no one would notice that it's actually spear-sized.) No need for his arrest, escape, his son climbing up with the the black arrow, or the broken bow.

4. If there was any way to edit out Dain's 4 or 5 bare headbutts to orc helmets, that would be nice...it just didn't feel right.


But I'm really not trying to complain, as I said already, I love it and will actually watch it again and again!

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Dustin
12/14/2015 08:01:59 am

Thanks for the feedback! I'd like to address each of the points you brought up in your post.

1. The barrel sequence was originally much loonier, as we all know. However, I couldn't cut out the action completely as it would ruin the cinematic pacing that PJ was building towards. Films follow a beat, just like music does. This part of the film begins building to an action beat when they get in the barrels, and it would ruin the pacing to cut that beat out.

2. I never liked that Smaug and the dwarves never physically confronted each other in the book. Of course the films went way overboard and made Smaug look like an idiot playing hide and seek, but I liked the scene when he chases Thorin into the mine shaft. It gives him more motivation to take his anger out on Laketown too.

3. Bard was underwritten in the book, and I liked how his character was expanded and fleshed out in the films. Removing the entire black arrow subplot would have taken most of his character arc away, which I was not willing to do.

4. I didn't care for PJ's interpretation of Dain, but I'd rather see him headbutting orcs than Legolas flying upside down on bats, no?

Thanks again for the comments!

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James Ellis
12/10/2015 12:23:46 am

I'm so happy that your edit exists! I would have never appreciated a lot of the work that went into these movies due to the excessive amount of crap that found its way in. Thank you so much for all of your work on this and I'm really looking forward to the Blu-Ray release!

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Dustin
12/14/2015 07:47:06 am

Thank you James!!

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Gerry Blue
12/14/2015 06:14:55 pm

Thanks indeed for all your efforts, this rocks!!

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Garret
12/15/2015 06:47:29 pm

This is really solid work, Dustin. Seriously, this edit makes my heart happy. I for one am extremely satisfied with the edit! Any idea of when we might see the Blu-ray version of this on the downloads page?

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Gary V
12/15/2015 07:41:51 pm

I can't wait to see the blu ray version of this edit! I am in whole agreement with you that these three films had a lot of fat to trim, but underneath there is indeed a great film. Again, can't wait for the blu ray download!

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Gary V
12/17/2015 07:40:16 pm

Where can I download this?, it seems to be flagged.

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Bob
12/16/2015 08:19:01 am

Dustin, your edit is just brilliant. It is more cohesive and more emotional than the original, as the focus is now on the Company just as it was in the book. This will be the only version I will watch from now. Thank you so much for all your hard work and effort!

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David
12/19/2015 09:19:26 am

Dustin,

"True courage is not about knowing when to cut a scene, but when to spare one."

What I'm really trying to say is great job! You made this trilogy very bearable and enjoyable for the most part =)

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Andrea
12/22/2015 05:39:40 pm

Sir this is a true masterpiece and you're a genius. Thank you for this. Thank you. Thank you for your precious time spent on this work. This is not perfection, of course, but we won't never get that, especially from a fan edit. There's a little weakness in fili and kili's death, but I'm sure that part required you a lot of work, and overall this edit has gained a 9.5/10 in my personal rating scale. Thank you again, this will be part of my collection and I'll spread voice of your work to all my friends.

Greetings from Italy!

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Will
12/25/2015 01:33:28 pm

That sounds great! I'd love to see an edit with Beorn's EE intro and more Mirkwood. As for the alternate intro to the battle, does that include the elves and dwarves fighting?

Still, I'd love to see what you've done with it.

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Will
12/25/2015 01:35:17 pm

My apologies, ignore the comment above.

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Dan
12/27/2015 03:35:30 pm

Hey, awesome work you've done with this!

You said english subtitles were almost ready, any progress on that? I can't really enjoy the full experience without english substitles since I don't understand the voices sometimes.

Thank you!

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Dustin
1/4/2016 11:03:45 am

Thank you, the subtitles were giving me lots of errors when I tried importing them into my DVD/Bluray projects. So I've decided to add the English subs to the downloads page, where you can grab them and add them to the film on your own.

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Dan
1/4/2016 12:53:34 pm

Thanks, but I can't get it to work, VLC throws this error:

VLC can't recognize the input's format:
The format of 'file:///C:/Users/Dan/Desktop/english_subtitles_disc_1.encore.txt' cannot be detected. Have a look at the log for details.

I've tried changing the format with no success.

Haydon
1/4/2016 04:32:45 am

Would just like to say that I was blown away with this. I always felt that a good story was in there and that some fine acting performances were let down by a bloated and poorly directed story. I've introduced this to family and friends and everyone loves it bar a few minor nitpicks. I was also pleasantly surprised at how well Durin's Folk compliments the main movie. Thank's so much for your hard work. Can't wait for the blu ray!

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Dustin
1/4/2016 11:04:38 am

Thank you Haydon! I'm glad you and your family/friends have enjoyed it.

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Will
1/5/2016 10:49:38 am

About a week ago, someone was commenting on this page about an extended edition for J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit (I believe his name was Akran).

Has there been any news on that extended edition? I'd quite like to give that film a watch.

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franklapidus4ever
1/26/2016 01:15:56 pm

I've kind of made my own "extended" version of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.... ;) I've put the Beorn introduction back in, as well as other little bits and pieces here and there. I'll admit I put some more Legolas and Tauriel back into the film. Nothing love triangle related, but enough to show why and how they randomly show up in the middle of the Battle of the Five Armies.

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Will
2/12/2016 03:32:00 am

Do you have a link up online? I'd be interested to give your edit a watch. Also, have you made any changes in terms of colour correction?

Dan
1/5/2016 01:30:35 pm

Hello again. Just wanted to let you know that the BluRay ISO files torrent is really, REALLY slow, only a few B/s most of the time. Yes, B/s. It's going to be impossible to download it like this, I've setup a few seedboxes but even they can't download.

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Dustin
1/5/2016 01:34:47 pm

Yeah I've noticed that. If I duplicated the files on another computer & network, how could I add a seed to that download?

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Dan
1/5/2016 05:18:03 pm

I don't know which program you use but it should be similar between most of them: http://help.utorrent.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1826054-how-do-i-migrate-torrents-from-a-different-client-to-utorrent-?b_id=3883

There's also some info with this search: https://www.google.com/#q=reseed+a+torrent

I've never done this before either, it sounds easy, but it never is.

Thanks and good luck!

Dan
1/8/2016 02:39:27 pm

Hello once again. The subtitles included in the BluRay torrent aren't synced correctly, they get a gradually bigger delay as we watch the film.

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Dustin
1/8/2016 06:43:04 pm

Hmm, I'm not sure why that is. I had so many issues with the subs that I just gave up trying to make them work.

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David
7/5/2016 01:52:54 pm

I'm watching this for the third time in three days. Brilliant. It gives me the same feeling I had when Fellowship came out. Your recut is much better than the official movies.

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Natalie
7/17/2016 06:01:08 pm

All I can say here is thank you. Really. Thank you so much. The Hobbit is one of my favorite books and one of my favorite stories, and to see it mangled the way it was in the hobbit trilogy hurt me in my soul. You took it and you gave it life again, the way it should have been, and gave me a version stripped down and wonderful. There's almost nothing I wanted to change, aside from little tiny bits, like removing Gandalf's "don't enter that mountain without me" (as you completely removed everything surrounding it that made that line at all relevant) or cutting Thranduil's scar and skipping from "do not speak to me of dragonfire" to "I warned your grandfather" because it is still very wtf, or cutting "your gratitude is misplaced" and skipping right to 'i come to claim something of mine', which also gives Bard a reason to work with Thranduil, other than just treasure.

Like many others I *do* wish that the mirkwood scenes from the ee were there, even cut down, because mirkwood felt about 3 miles wide in the theatrical edition, and this also has some of that, albeit a lessened because everything is cut much more neatly. I love that you also somehow made that scene about Bilbo again, that you made the entire movie about Bilbo again. I can't believe you managed to get it that close to what it was in the book, where it was Bilbo rescuing everyone.

Overall this version is different than the book, of course, but.... Bilbo was the main character again, and the story was the same more or less (though with more fighting), and somehow it being different than the book was okay this time.

I still cannot *believe* you managed to make the travesty of the showtune 'Down in Goblin Town' actually work, and work well.

Thank you, this is what I wanted the movies to be like the first time around.

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Dustin
7/28/2016 01:09:32 pm

Thank you Natalie! Like you I was also disappointed with how Mirkwood was portrayed in the film...but I didn't think the enchanted river would have really helped it all that much. Ultimately it slowed the pace down without adding anything to the story.

Glad you enjoyed this edit so much- tell your friends and family!

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Vincent
9/20/2016 02:32:04 pm

Hi Dustin, just to let you know I posted two mini-reviews on the Fanedit.org thread. I'm not sure whether you'd ever consider going back to this edit but still wanted to give you my two cents. My username there is axxofan. All in all, apart from a few criticisms, we've really enjoyed your edit!

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Payton Tarver
1/10/2017 12:00:57 pm

Thank you so much for this edit Dustin. Glad to say that I'll be watching this before The Lord of the Rings probably for the rest of my life.

I'm curious as to why you decided to place the intermission where you did, though. It seems strange just to have it placed mid-sentence as opposed to at the end of a scene or act. With the exception of that and an awkward transition from AUJ to TDOS, I'll go out on a limb and say you crafted a masterpiece, compiling all of those diamonds in the rough.

Thank you so much, once again, for your effort and dedication. Nerdmaste!

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Dustin
1/10/2017 07:00:27 pm

Thank you Payton! I chose to include the Intermission where Peter Jackson indicated he would have split the Hobbit when it was still two films. It would have made a very disappointing ending in theaters, but I think it works in terms of splitting a four-hour film in half!

I haven't seen any fanedit of the Hobbit that's handled the AUJ/DOS transition in a perfect way. It's just too difficult considering the material us faneditors had to work with! However, I do appreciate your comments. If you get a chance, please leave a review on Fanedit.org!

https://ifdb.fanedit.org/j-r-r-tolkiens-the-hobbit-maple-films-edit/

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Jon
5/10/2017 05:03:09 am

I just wanted to say that like others, this is now my "go to" version of the hobbit. My favorite changes that you made was the deletion of uber cgi and cartoon action scenes. I actually feel suspense now instead of glancing at the clock during the scenes with the trolls, goblin town, and with Smaug. The scene you worked on that surprised me the most was Bilbo talking with Smaug. It went from not feeling like the book at all to reliving reading the book as a kid! Just great work. Thank you!

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Dustin
5/10/2017 11:16:41 am

Thanks Jon! I wish they had stuck with more practical effects and miniatures like they did with LOTR...oh well. Lots of "what ifs" with the Hobbit films. But I'm glad you enjoyed this edit- I definitely recommend taking the time to download either the DVD or Bluray ISO files and burning them to discs. Totally worth it :)

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Sam
7/26/2017 08:58:04 am

Why is the intermission present in the digital version of the hobbit? Seems unnecessary

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Dustin
7/26/2017 09:33:12 am

I just thought it would be fun to keep it in. You can get up and take a quick bathroom break while it plays, or just scrub past it!

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Casey
8/18/2017 09:30:02 pm

Finally got a chance to watch this, and really enjoyed it - great job! This will definitely be my main version from here on in.

One technical question: the 5.1 mix on my system had very loud dialogue in the rear channels. Is this and intentional choice, or is there an issue with the mix in my copy? Any help would be appreciated - I ended upswing the stereo mix, as the dialogue was drowning out other elements in the mix.

Thanks!

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Ambaryerno
10/21/2017 07:17:57 pm

Just finished Disk One and love the work you've done so far. I do wish you'd used the extended parts of the House of Beorn, tho. It's been a while since I watched DoSEE, but didn't they film a scene of Gandalf introducing the Dwarves that was more accurate to the books? I seem to remember a sequence of them approaching him while chopping wood.

Also a shame the Enchanted Stream from the EE wasn't left in the Mirkwood sequence, but that's a minor quibble. Taking a break to snag a snack before popping in Disk 2. I suppose it's too much to hope you found a way to edit around Bard turning his broken bow into a make-shift ballista. That scene infuriated me (IT WOULD. NOT. WORK. The bow would have no tension once it was broken).

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Ambaryerno
10/21/2017 10:02:50 pm

Finished the second half. It's really too bad you didn't edit the Death of Smaug. It seemed it could have been altered so the last regular arrow being loosed cuts to the shot of the Black Arrow piercing Smaug's hide. Bard's arrows look similar enough and it happens so quickly you probably wouldn't even notice the difference.

Some of y'all may not see it as a big deal, but really I can't tell you just how ridiculous the entire setup is.

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Ciano
3/15/2018 07:41:28 am

That edit might be harder than you think, but I'd love to see you try! Seriously, I'm not trying to goad you, I'd love to see the problem tackled creatively. And even if you couldn't make it work, it would be interesting to see why. Video editing is a cool and often underestimated process, and I love seeing other people solve problems in different ways through editing.

Scott Sherrell
1/29/2018 05:15:10 am

The main problem with this edit is it is still too long. The Hobbit should be cut down to a single three hour movie. I would greatly prefer a movie I could watch in one sitting over a four hour movie with an intermission. The novel is shorter than any of the Lord of the Rings books.

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Dustin
1/29/2018 07:40:04 am

I have to disagree. The actual Hobbit book may be shorter than any of the LOTR books, but it covers a ton of story and plot. Certainly not enough for a 9-10 hour trilogy like Peter Jackson ended up making, but a 4-hour version seems to fit just right for me.

There are a number of 3-hour Hobbit edits floating around online- you should check them out. Personally I feel that's too brisk of a pace for the story, but everyone has their own tastes!

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Ambaryerno
1/29/2018 08:14:11 am

Yeah, I don't think the length is a problem. In fact I wish he'd reedit to use the extended introduction to Beorn rather than just cutting from the Eagles flying right to his house.

If there's one cut I'd make, though, it would be to drop the Black Arrow subplot entirely, and reedit so it looks like Bard's last arrow is the one that kills Smaug. I can't tell you how much I LOATHE that stupid "Bard makes a ballista from his son and the broken limbs of his bow" crap. Besides the fact that WOULD. NOT. WORK. it turns what SHOULD have been a dramatic moment into some over the top George Lucas crap.

Ciano
3/11/2018 08:33:54 pm

Why did you leave out the stone giants?

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Dustin
3/12/2018 09:06:27 am

The stone giant sequence in the film was too ridiculous and over-the-top. They are mentioned in the book but never shown to the extent PJ depicts them. Certainly not with the entire company jumping across giant stone kneecaps, haha.

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Ciano
3/15/2018 07:37:18 am

Aww man. I really liked the minor detail of the stone giants in the book, and I thought it was amazingly cool how they did them in the movie. But I respect your decision to leave out what you wanted to in your edit.

Greg
9/3/2018 04:48:28 pm

I really wish the stone giants were left in also. My ideal edit would be just like maple edit (which I love) but including stone giants (but excluding the stone giant scenes with stone giants fist fighting or getting heads knocked off)

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Stephen
4/1/2018 12:53:47 pm

I’ve watched a few fan edits in search of the best. I know there is a great film hidden within the hours of extra nonsense. While you obviously put a ton of time and love into this it’s unfortunate for me that key scenes that I really enjoyed were left out of your cut. I’m only partially through but thus far....

The scene before the trolls when it was raining and Bilbo asks about other wizards. It was one of the few scenes where you see the dwarves in their hood and cloaks. It was humorous and while Radagast was not in the book this scene was with Gandalf mentioning him.

While I agree with you that the stone giants scene was way over the top in the film they as well were in the book tossing rocks around. Mentioned only briefly would have been nice to still see them in the same manner. Just a shot of them throwing a rock would suffice. Even though they played no part in the plot they were in the book and could have still been shown in this edit.

While what I’m posting can perceived as negative and nitpicking that is not my intention. Only to point out what it would take to make the best possible version for myself and possibly others. I must say that the editing you did with the eagles and the transition into Beorn was absolutely perfect. You truly did an amazing job. Here as well I was disappointed that you removed the scene where Gandalf introduces him to the Dwarves as this was also taken very closely from the book. It also would be key to slow the pace ever so slightly and gives the sense of a moments peace before jumping straight into Mirkwood.

If you haven’t picked up on it yet I’m a stickler for staying faithful to the source material if and when possible. Would have liked to see Thorin shooting arrows at the elk and the dwarves crossing the water with Bombur falling in and needing to be carried. Jackson himself changed quite a few things around but he also put a lot of beloved scenes in. While Legolas was never even mentioned in the Hobbit he would have been around. Having just that brief cameo in Mirkwood was great. Shame Jackson felt he should be a more prominent figure. That was all he should have ever been shown.

Ok. The barrel escape was also very well done showing how Kili was injured and another glimpse of Legolas. These are my gripes leading up to the intermission. I will leave it at that. I will abmit that I strongly prefer this version over any other and you truly did an outstanding job on this. Thank you ever so much for doing this. Just know that if you were to add the above mentioned scenes to make a final final version I would gladly contribute if you were to do a go fund me or anything of the sort to make it happen. Once again thank you for this.

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Eric
4/1/2018 01:13:05 pm

The scene where Bilbo asks about the other wizards and the scene where Gandalf introduces the dwarves are both in the "side quest" film; Durin's Folk and the Hill of Sorcery.

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Dustin
4/2/2018 12:15:57 pm

Thanks for the lengthy feedback! I did try to keep the edit close to the book, but there were certain book scenes (like Beorn's intro and the extended Mirkwood stuff) that just didn't come across well on film. They added little to the story and slowed the pace down considerably.

Radagast and the stone giants were either going to be in completely or out completely, and I chose the latter. Having a conversation about Radagast and then never showing him wouldn't have made much sense. Same goes with the stone giants...just having a single shot of them throwing rocks would have been too random!

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Rex
10/6/2018 09:34:48 am

Hi Dustin,

I only discovered your fan edit a couple of days ago. Firstly, thank you very much for all the work you put it into making it, it really was a delight to watch it.

Like others have mentioned, keeping the furnace scene when the gold statue was cut appears a little odd. Keeping the gold statue scene would have made the Smaug exit when he shakes off the gold work better, but it's not a big issue.

The two things that I would love more than anything would be for the film (bluray ISO) to be re-encoded from the source at a higher bitrate as I noticed some halo effect in some of the darker scenes. And, the inclusion of the lossless DTS-HD soundtrack - I would have this over the video re-encode at a higher bitrate.

Is there any possibility of uploading just the lossless soundtrack, which I can then download and mux with the video file?

Thank you again,
Rex

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Kara Kitchen link
12/6/2020 06:05:36 pm

Great blogg I enjoyed reading

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