The Hobbit: The Tolkien Edit

This is a rigorously edited version of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, which more closely resembles J.R.R. Tolkien’s original novel. All three movies (An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug & The Battle of the Five Armies) have been condensed in a single 4-hour feature. This new version was achieved through a series of major and minor cuts, including: the investigation of Dol Guldor; the Tauriel-Legolas-Kili love triangle; the Pale Orc subplot (trimmed down); several of the Laketown scenes; the prelude with old Bilbo; several of the orc skirmishes; and several of the action scenes (tightened up). The main goals of this edit were to re-centre the story on Bilbo, and to have the narrative move at a much brisker pace. It is important that the audience feels a sense of urgency to the quest, imbuing every conflict (the goblins, the spiders, the woodelves) with an extra level of tension, as the Dwarves' homeland, their heritage, their future, dwindles with the setting sun.