IFDB Review: Hobbit: The Expected Cut of An Unexpected Journey:

I watched the 720p mp4 version last night and I enjoyed it.This review does not aim to compare the edit to the original or to other edits, rather it is an evaluation of the edit as a separate entity, that is to say, If I went to see it in theater or had a DVD, would I like it or not, and what comments would I have.The positives:-1- The quality of the video and audio was very good, the audio level is uniform across the whole movie.2- The story flow was good and continuous, without too much jumping around.3- The edits, cuts and seen changes were generally smooth and well done.The negatives:-1- The audio is 2 ch, I think a movie like that deserves a 5.1 surround sound.2- The addition of a commentary audio track would be a plus, but its absence does not detract from the quality of the movie.3- The biggest negative for me was the cut at 00:19:20. This is a cut in the middle of the narrative about Dale, Erebor and the dragon Smaug. Right in the middle of the narrative, the seen is abruptly cut and changes back to Bilbo's home, then after 40 seconds at 00:20:00 the narrative is again resumed.This cut was very abrupt and disruptive to the narrative, and it feels like someone has dropped in those 40 seconds for no good reason except to let Bilbo say "I know what a dragon is" .Apart from this last negative, I did enjoy the movie and I would recommend it to others.

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