Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Edits, The:

[MCP]

For many of us, Tolkien's "The Hobbit" holds a special place in our hearts. For me, it is *the* book that got me into reading. I was excited when the movies were announced, nervous when production problems were reported, and dismayed at the final product. It is an unwatchable mess. I love sharing with my sons the things with which I grew up. We go go-carting, play old school AD&D, hit up the classic arcade, and listen to real rock 'n roll. It is beyond disappointing that we can't share "The Hobbit." Until now. M4 Book was my first fan edit experience of "The Hobbit" and it is a fantastic telling. It is *tight.* It ruthlessly excises all the extraneous nonsense from the theatrical films, and is possibly the definitive cut *if you want the most faithful book adaptation possible.* Therein lies the rub. Book and film are two very different mediums, and what works in one doesn't necessarily work in the other. Also, Tolkien's "on the ground" storytelling sometimes has issues, like too many Deus Ex Machina events. One example would be the arrival of the great eagles at the Battle of the Five Armies. If there's any fault with M4 Book, it's scene duration. They start a beat late, cut a couple of beats in the middle, and end a beat too soon. As I said, this edit is *tight.* It hits the ground running and barely stops to catch a breath. That's where Stromboli Bones' "The Battle of the Five Edits" really comes into its own. Scenes that are stripped to their core in M4 Book are here fleshed out. The Mirkwood sequence is a good example. Lost from M4 Book is the sense of just how long The Company was in there, and especially the feeling of just how heavy the enchantment was, and how it weighed upon them. Bones restores that, and it's just about spot on. The Battle of the Five Armies is similar. M4 Book cuts the entire battle down to 20 minutes (in keeping with Bilbo being unconscious for most of it). Bones has it at ~38 minutes, and it does a great job of showing how the battle progresses and why it's important for Thorin to go to Ravenhill. It also fixes some continuity errors, like the sudden re-appearance of Orcrist in Thorin's hands. Also of note is that Bones' re-uses editor Adam Dens' cut of the united Dwarf & Elf army vs the Orc army initial clash, getting rid of the horrific nonsense of the Elves leaping over Dwarven phalanx. I don't think it's perfect, but barring my own masterful cut (rofl) seeing the light of day, this is the version I'm sharing with my sons.

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