Peter Jackson’s decision to turn Tolkien’s original children’s bookThe Hobbitinto a movie trilogy is one that has totally divided fans. Whilst some people loved the trilogy, and admired seeing the way that modern CGI effects and camera techniques enhanced the films, many of Jackson’s core fans from theLord of the Ringstrilogy hated the way thatThe Hobbitwas altered to fit across three films. They felt that too many unnecessary and over-dramatic additions had been made to the story, which ultimately diluted it and took away the heart and the magic that was so prevalent in Jackson’s previous trilogy.
One such fan felt that the soul of Tolkien’s original work was still in there somewhere, but had been clouded by the host of new characters, ridiculous fight scenes and needless backstory, He decided to do something about it. Thus, he created ‘The Tolkien Edit,’ a rendition ofThe Hobbitmovies that combines all three films into one, but without all the added complications that were written into the films by the directorial team.The Tolkien Editis this fan’s version of what the movie should have looked like, to be a more accurate adaptation of the book.
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The Tolkien Editwas made by amalgamating all the footage into one movie, and cutting out all the scenes that didn’t appear in the book, or didn’t feel relevant in the eyes of the creator. The result is a four-and-a-half-hour film that encapsulates the core storyline of Tolkien’s work. The fan has cut out several of the additions made by Peter Jackson. One notable exclusion is that of theThe White council, meaning that any moments involving Radagast, Saruman or Galadriel are no longer seen, including their fight with the nine wraiths and Sauron in Dol Goldur. Legolas and Tauriel also do not appear, meaning that there is no longer alove triangle involving the elves and Kili. Many of the fights and action sequences that don’t contribute to the overall plot of the battle and the reclaiming of Erebor are cut fromThe Tolkein Editas well.
Brief references to these things are still seen inThe Tolkien Edit;for example, Legolas is still the one to catch the dwarves in Mirkwood, and Tauriel can be seen as a guard in the kingdom, shortly before the barrel scene. However, neither of these characters play a major part, as neither of them were in the original book. Similarly, the White Council are referenced, but Gandalf disappears just before Mirkwood, and reappears at the Battle of the Five Armies, just like inTolkien’s original narrative. The story doesn’t veer off into exploring what he does during this time, like in Jackson’s version, because it was deemed irrelevant to the story ofThe Hobbitas a whole.
There are so many reasons why people who have seenThe Tolkien Editfeel that this is a much better film to watch than the original trilogy. It still has all the heart thatThe Hobbitshould have. All the beautiful sentimental moments are still there. Bilbo’s heartfelt speech to the dwarves about getting their home back; the discovery of the keyhole in the last light of Durin’s day; Thorin’s poignant words as he dies; and many more of the amazing points throughout the films that made them so worth watching. Lots of great action moments are also left in, likeBilbo’s riddles in the darkwith Gollum, and his deadly exchange with Smaug the dragon. And there are still plenty of cool battle moments between the stone giants, within the goblin tunnels, and against the orcs at the entrance of Erebor.
The Tolkien Editdistills the very essence of the movies, keepsthe best character interactions, and removes all the things that slow the pace and detract from the characters who actually matter. It also doesn’t skip over some of the mesmerizing filler scenes either, like the transitions of the dwarves walking over stunning New Zealand countryside, under waterfalls and across great mountains. These things really transport the audienceback to Middle Earth, just like in theLord of the Rings, so the creator felt that these were crucial to keep in.
There are some drawbacks to the edit, other than it being over four hours long. The quality of the film isn’t as high as the originals, due to the compression into Torrent format, and there are some key things that were both left in, and removed that perhaps shouldn’t have been. For example, many people feel that there’s still too much emphasis on the Goblin King and his ludicrous songs inThe Tolkien Edit, or feel it lacks some of the most wrenching and emotive moments in the trilogy, such as Fili andKili’s deaths. This is somewhat understandable, considering that many references to the white orc Azog have been cut (as he too wasn’t in the book) and all references to Tauriel have been excluded, making the two deaths quite difficult to edit. However, on the whole,The Tolkien Edithas done a fantastic job of using all of the amazing footage from the trilogy, and cleverly editing it together, to make a movie far closer to Tolkien’s vision, and one that is arguably much better than Jackson’s three.
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