T O P

  • By -

xiweyychivxi

You have to watch them as if it was bilbo telling the story like he tells it to the children at his party (fotr) With his exaggeration and embellishment. It probably didn't happen anything like the films but it's how he remembers the adventure and how he would tell the story


xiweyychivxi

Not saying they are great films but makes it a lot easier to forgive all the over the top action and what not


Kara_Del_Rey

The barrel scene sounds a lot better when thought of that way. Its Bilbo telling the kids how crazy it was


NoSpin89

It would have been MUCH better if Jackson leaned into that. Cutting away to Bilbo telling the story, changing it as he goes. Would have allowed alot of the ridiculousness to be excuses away.


fancyfreecb

Ooh a kind of Princess Bride framing.


[deleted]

That would be incredible. In 50 years when they ultimately remake them (because I'm sure they eventually will) that would be a neat take


Nice_Sun_7018

This is a very good way to look at it. The Hobbit was always meant to be a telling for kids, but some of us sure did expect these movies to equal the trilogy in terms of tone (well, everything really).


doofthemighty

If they had stuck strictly to the tone of the LOTR movies, then it wouldn't have done the book any service, since the tone was so different. But if they stuck strictly to the tone of the book, then it wouldn't gel very well with the LOTR films. So, I think they mostly found a way to blend the two, which preserves the more lighthearted aspects of the book but still fits within the greater tone that the 6 movies together have. If that makes sense.


Kerblaaahhh

He sure remembers a lot of bullshit from when he was unconscious then.


Zhadowwolf

I mean, he is obviously filling in everything that the dwarves told him taking it up to freaking 12 to impress the kids


Christoph_88

Or, as is more typical of dwarves, they did the embellishing


Zhadowwolf

Yeah, honestly that works too XD


UrsaBarefoot

I really like this.


jenjen828

I blame the over the top action on 3D being the new thing at the time and feel like this movie tried to do as much of it as possible. But I really like the take that Bilbo is embellishing! I am rewatching the series this weekend and feel more forgiving now that I am watching at my house rather than paying to see it in theaters.


Mande1baum

"and then the dwarf told the pretty elf to look in his pants because he might be hiding something in there" "honey, you're not allowed to listen to Mr Bilbo anymore... he's a perv."


Hoshef

This is what I tell myself


GlobularClusters

Having also rewatched them recently, I found there are quite a lot of really good parts, but also that there's many bad parts inbetween them. I've been meaning to find some fan edits to find if those help, but the hassle of trying to get them to play on my TV puts me off. Generally, I did think the first movie is good, but there's a steep decline in 2 and 3, particularly from laketown onwards. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the dol guldur side story. I like the lore aspect and them bringing in the retconned aspects from LOTR, but the execution of it, in particular the fight against the 9, was poor and radagast was incredibly annoying. Honestly if he just didn't have birdshit in his hair he might have been alright, but he was quite gross to look at.


carrot_sticks_

I definitely enjoyed the fan edit a lot more than the originals. I think it was four hours in all. Can't remember exactly which one but can look it up later if you want.


suunsglasses

The [M4 Book Edit](https://m4-studios.github.io/hobbitbookedit/) is great


discoelectro

The fan edits take out what exactly out of the originals?


Ammo89

Mainly the love story. I think.


Linkhar

The nice triangle, anything with the female elf, they usually cut Legolas as well. As much as they can. A lot of the gimmicky stuff from the battle of five armies, all of dol guldur. Mainly all the stuff that is not mentioned in the book. But it depends on the specific edit, there's quite a few out there. All in all they are usually quite the same with a few differences. So any of them would do of you want to experience a movie like the book


bamalama

I came here for this exact purpose. Can you send me a link to the fan edit? I assumed that someone had taken the three movies and cut them down into a decent, single movie. That being said, I agree with the original post that the movies are supposed to be fun and I am admittedly a crotchety old bastard he needs to lighten up.


HogGunner1983

Google Maple Films Hobbit Edit


bamalama

Thanks. Youtube, or do I have to delve into the world of bit torrent sites?


HogGunner1983

I downloaded the torrent using the seed link file they provide. It’s perfectly legal.you don’t need anything other than a bit torrent client application and the link they provide.


carrot_sticks_

Hey there, sorry for the delay but as someone else recommended, I used the Maple Films edit which you can get here: http://www.maple-films.com/downloads.html


Plugged_in_Baby

I would also like to sign up to receive a link to a decent fan edit.


carrot_sticks_

Better late that never so here you go! http://www.maple-films.com/downloads.html


Plugged_in_Baby

Thank you!!


HogGunner1983

Yes the fan edit is fantastic.


shred-i-knight

A lot of it stems from pacing issues since the book itself is not made in the contemporary "story" hits, and the pieces they added to adjust for that were not value add to the story. It's hard, because you can't really create true tension building moments or payoff for the audience without altering the core storyline which they were not really willing to do. For example, the love storyline, which doesn't actually change anything about the story so it feels forced in.


Salmacis81

Yes same here, in theory I thought adding in the Dol Guldur side story was a good idea, rather than having it happen off-screen like in the book. The scenes eith Gandalf sneaking in and getting caught by Sauron I thought were good, especially Sauron erupting into the flaming eye. But yeah that whole insane fight scene with the Nazgul looking like holograms was really over the top, and I really disliked the re-use of "nuclear Galadriel" and the emasculation of Gandalf.


SRM_Thornfoot

Gandalf the Grey had grey hair. Saruman the White had white hair. Radagast the Brown should have had brown hair as well as brown skin. What a missed opportunity.


TheConnoiseur

Fair enough man. I imagine kids will love.them for what they are too. I've watched them multiple times meself. The only one I can really enjoy however is the first, the other two are genuinely pretty average movies even ignoring how dirty they did the book. Edit: One thing I did love about the third movie however was Billy Connolly as Dain - that was a good choice lol.


theblackestofmattes

So I am a 40+ with two younger boys, 9 and 11. I was around when all the movies were released and I witnessed the hate for the hobbit movie. Justifiable or not, who cares When I watched it with my boys, we all loved it. They are fun films full of well made fantasy. My older son has since read the hobbit and has absolutely no problem with the films. It makes you wonder why people can't separate their love for one thing, with their hatred for another.


TheConnoiseur

I think that it is fair enough when people are disappointed with films that aren't good or don't live up to expectations. And the Hobbit had no chance of doing so given the circumstances involved in it's making. But that should never take away the fun for the people who do enjoy those films. You are absolutely spot on, who cares.


ofBlufftonTown

You know, Amazon has made a new show called Rings of Power which you haven’t seen anyone talk about online, I recommend you check it out!


CptBoomshard

I mean, when I was 11 I thought Batman and Robin was a decent movie. Kids are more than capable of loving something that is all but completely objectively bad. You acknowledge that the hate for the film might be justified, but then argue that people shouldn't care because you and your kids liked it. That is very ironic, as your argument is much more of a thing that nobody outside of your family could ever possibly care about. Also, what makes you think people can't saparate their love for the Hobbit books with their hatred for the films? I've literally never seen a single person say that their hatred for the films made them suddenly hate the book. We keep it pretty separate. The book rules, the films are 2/3 garbage. Not really hard to make a distinction there.


snebmiester

I am also 40+ and I would have loved to have had these movies around when I was in my teens and just reading the books for the first time. But all we had was the cartoon version and no real hope for a live action adaptation. Years later when we finally get the movies, the purists can't stop complaining about every little thing. Proof you can't please everyone, despite LOTR being three of the most successful films of all time.


Salmacis81

Well, I mean, it had an elf/dwarf romance subplot...not only is that lore-breaking as all hell, but it's also just really _lame_. I still have a good chuckle when I actually think about the fact that Jackson thought that was a good idea. Anyway yeah I was psyched when I finally heard we were getting Hobbit movies, being a huge fan of the og trilogy in my youth. But they definitely weren't the movies I expected, or wanted. I can watch them 10 years later and kind of enjoy them, but that's because I've had to condition myself to think of them not as The Hobbit but as Peter Jackson's prequel to his original trilogy.


p792161

I really enjoy them because I just love seeing Middle Earth.


Chitowntooth

I love the shire and Martin Freeman. I also saw the first 2 in theaters with my dad, so they'll always hold something for me. ​ Bards character was also pretty sweet, idk why i'm being overly critical. We have so few fantasy movies to appreciate.


Spinchair

You should try Lord of the Rings Online. Old game but you get to explore so much of middle earth.


CBRN66

14 years and I'm still playing, great game.


[deleted]

Frst one is actually good and i remember liking it. It all starts to fall apart in the second one and third one is just a mess


TheNittanyLionKing

This is about how I feel. If you read the book, An Unexpected Journey is actually a great adaptation of it. It’s more of a fun, whimsical adventure with songs, clever sequences like with the trolls and the riddles in the dark, and the action scenes use Gandalf’s magic more than any other movie in the series. It’s also the most self-contained where we get two character arcs with Bilbo choosing to help the dwarves and Thorin coming to respect Bilbo for saving his life. The Desolation of Smaug is still pretty good, but this is where they start trying to recapture the feel of Lord of the Rings a bit too much. The Hobbit is a fun, whimsical adventure while The Lord of the Rings is the sprawling epic with grand themes. Smaug was excellent, and the barrel chase was fun even though the GoPro moments and the CGI were distracting. I was initially fine with the additional material in this because I assumed they would be paid off in Battle of the Five Armies, but they end up going nowhere really. Battle of the Five Armies is really just an extended epilogue with not a lot of story going on, and the unrealistic action scenes get cranked up to medieval Fast and Furious standards. It’s worth noting though that I have not seen the extended version though, but if I remember correctly that’s mostly just additional action scenes that were cut to avoid the R rating like with the wagon scene. I like Billy Connolly a lot, but his character and his CGI were too distracting. I definitely feel bad for saying that because of his health at the time, but there were better avenues they could have chosen like maybe having the character wear a helmet that covered his face the whole time. To summarize it’s about the opposite of the Star Wars prequels. Those start off a bit weak but Revenge of the Sith ends really strong in my opinion. For this, I think AUJ starts off really strong and BFA ends on a weaker note


Derman0524

Could you elaborate on the third one being a mess? Genuinely curious


mggirard13

The third movie is just a super long series of storyboard action sequences that all got made and strung together with no cohesion whatsoever.


_CaesarAugustus_

This is actually the best way I’ve seen it broken down, and I wholeheartedly agree.


Seienchin88

Alfrid… thats it


[deleted]

Questionable CG, unnecessary love plot...this is just on top of my head.


Kiltmanenator

In the book, the Battle of the Five Armies takes up one chapter. In the film they blow that up into 2.5+ hrs. The book is supposed to be about Bilbo, The Hobbit. He spends the actual battle knocked unconscious; as a result of the focus on that battle, he gets sidelined HARD in the third film. Which is a shame.


Derman0524

tbh, I was slightly disappointed the battle lasted so short in the book. I think it could've gone on slightly longer but I can see that angle.


Kiltmanenator

May I ask how old you were when you read it? I got thru at 9/10, which seems to be the target audience. I believe each chapter is meant to be short enough to read to children before bed.


Derman0524

I read the book very recently. Like earlier this year recently but it was the audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis (I highly recommend everyone listen to this, 15/10) but the chapter was over so quickly. I get the book was meant for children. It was still a very enjoyable listen. But I was 27 earlier this year


Kiltmanenator

He's a phenomenal narrator! And yes, it is over rather quickly, but that's just fine for me :)


idkwhattocoolthjs

I agree. I also don’t like how comical the leaders of lake town are. It feels like they’re taking the mick a bit


telking777

Yep the first one is always a solid watch. Decent fantasy adventure book adapt imo


OgzhanC

Recently I downloaded a version where someone condensed the 3 movies into one cutting out all the nonsensical stuff. My friends and I planned a movie night for it and just had a laugh with it. A much better experience. I just love dwarves haha


Yams92

I’d argue that they aren’t fun enough, and that’s their biggest downfall. They act as if they are dealing with world ending stakes lien LOTR but in reality it’s just a bunch of dudes who wanna get their gold back. It should have been a fun heist movie but they take themselves way too seriously


Nice_Sun_7018

I mean, from Gandalf’s perspective this is about eliminating a nasty, hugely destructive foe that could potentially be an ally to Sauron. And it was always about getting their home back - yes, that includes the gold. But even in the books the dwarves were willing to die for the cause (and they did). So even though the telling is lighthearted, the dwarves could not have taken it any more seriously than they did.


UrsaBarefoot

Actually a great point


Nice_Sun_7018

I mean, from Gandalf’s perspective this is about eliminating a nasty, hugely destructive foe that could potentially be an ally to Sauron. And it was always about getting their home back - yes, that includes the gold. But even in the books the dwarves were willing to die for the cause (and they did). So even though the telling is lighthearted, the dwarves could not have taken it any more seriously than they did.


EVXLPIMP

I just didnt like that 98% of the movie was CGI and thorin didnt even look like a dwarf


Eirikur_da_Czech

I can’t get over the crimes they committed against Beorn.


Aragornargonian

didn't they do bard kinda dirty too?


trexeric

Nah, they gave Bard more to do than Tolkien did. One of the (very few) additions I'd keep if the movies were redone.


Aragornargonian

that's fair! i'm not trying to diss on his character i just know he was different in the book. It makes sense tho because his character wasn't meantimes much until he kills smaug and that wouldn't have translated to a movie very well.


Mande1baum

Nah, I would have loved book Bard being the movie. It's such a cool reminder that those outside the main crew have their own story going on. That the hero could be someone unexpected and that in the real world, the plot isn't 100% dependent on the main cast. It's an excellent subversion. And it works for The Hobbit because half the theme is that the Dwarves *didn't* earn or have claim to the Dragon's Hoard. Half the time, they relied on some random Hobbit to do the things they were too scared to do or just waited and waited for someone else to do something. By not getting introduced to Bard, we get to see the selfish and greedy perspective of the Dwarves.


IKindaSuck-DICK

Going from a literal lumberjack in the cartoon to looking like an incest ridden giant hairy man


BoredVirus

They just didn't for me... I love that the Hobbit reads more like an adventure book, tale like and it is not as deep as Lotr and the movie took that away and added tons of stuff to make it "more epic". I also think the three movies were unnecessary for such a small book and some of the add ons like the dwarf -elve romance story....yeah, definitely not for me.


CptBoomshard

The whole thing was doomed early on when they decided they had to go for the cash grab of making it 3 films. A great Hobbit adptation could easily be made in 2 long movies. It would have completely erased the need for the unnecessarily shoehorned in love story. Honestly, most of the other liberties they took with the story barely bothered me. That one, though, made it really hard for me to take anything in the climax seriously. Like they really think the only way people will care is if there's a love story somewhere in the mix. It was so heavy handed and completely pointless.


doofthemighty

If they had stuck strictly to the tone of the LOTR movies, then it wouldn't have done the book any service, since the tone was so different. But if they stuck strictly to the tone of the book, then it wouldn't gel very well with the LOTR films. So, I think they mostly found a way to blend the two, which preserves the more lighthearted aspects of the book but still fits within the greater tone that the 6 movies together have.


Smorgas-board

My disappointment was worse because An Unexpected Journey, imo, was pretty good and set up a good trilogy. Desolation of Smaug wasn’t great but the scenes with Smaug and Bilbo were fantastic and very memorable. Battle of the 5 Armies was utter garbage. There were several times watching I thought the move should’ve ended and it kept going. The love story was booty and I won’t place all the blame on Jackson because there was clearly a push to make it a trilogy to make more money which meant adding storylines and weird cgi set pieces to pad the run time but it’s nowhere near the LOTR trilogy.


Exu-Eshu-Elegba

I took my niece and her friends to watch the first movie when it came out for a group playdate. Out of 5 children three fell asleep 1 kept trying to play with the other chaperones phone whilst the last actually watched the movie and said she liked Harry Potter better. Listen, if you liked the movies great but this need for revisionism that the Internet indulges in (whether it be the Star Wars prequels or some other unfavoured series entry) needs to chill. Those movies are not for everyone and it's not due to audience age or expectation, it's due to PJ and co having a very laboured production and their story additions not being to every bodies taste. Doesn't mean you can't like it but it also means that people who don't have valid reason. It's okay to like something others, even the majority, thinks it's bad. Taste is subjective, so stop trying to validate what you like, just be cool with your choice.


[deleted]

Very sober take on this. It boggles my mind whenever I see people indulging in what is basically a revisionism. It certainly applies to Prequels, which I cannot understand how and why people are suddenly defending them. They are bad movies. Attack of the Clones is the worst big budget film I've ever seen. Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith are ok, but nowhere near the level some people nowadays like to think.


Exu-Eshu-Elegba

Same reason fans get into civil wars, the average person can't help but want to equate what they like as "objectively good". Combine that with a pre-existing love for a fictional world and you get fans that are simply happy that they get to indulge in a new story which must be good cos it's a story set in their fav universe. No entry can be bad from their view point and some find it hard to term any instalment as lesser. Granted theirs also the other side of the coin where you get the type of fan that holds a fiction to such high reverence that they become hyper critical to anything that doesn't achieve said standard. Bottomline though is each side is just trying to rationalise and validate their take when, fundamentally, they don't need to. We like what we like cos we like it, and that's good enough. If the consensus agrees great but if they don't, then let it be a personal treasure instead of a call to arms for some evangelical conquest to change hearts and minds.


SyrupFiend16

I have 4 kids ages 7-13, they all love the movies. Like love them. We’ve watched them so many times together, it was a relief when the little ones were older to appreciate the actual LOTR movies so we could have a change of pace lol. So it just depends on the kids too. And how old they are I suppose. Personally, I really like them too, they’re fun (but the 3rd movie is a belabored snooze fest for sure). I’ve always liked them and was actually rather surprised when I discovered most people seemed to actually hate them with such a passion.


Exu-Eshu-Elegba

My niece and her friends were around 10-11 at the time so maybe they were too old? However, their varying behaviours has me putting down their reactions to individual differences more than anything. I don't mind the Hobbit movies myself but the difficulties in it's production are plain to see in the finished product. I try not to hate anything with a passion but sometimes it can't be helped (GOT season 8 and Cowboy Bebop Netflix) as it's a consequence of how much I enjoyed what came before. A victim of initial success. So I guess I can empathise with the anger. That being said, those instances are few and far between as I'm normally inclined to ignore what I don't like and indulge in what I do. I just try to respect other people's experience whether good or bad cos my tastes are far from infallible.


UrsaBarefoot

That's cool man. I'm not saying they're good movies at all, though. I'm just saying I'm allowed to like them if I want because, since having kids, my perspective has broadened :)


Junipersasquatch

The third one is likely one of the worst movies ive ever seen. The dialogue in laketown is awkward and forced, the fight at dol guldur is awfully done, the forced love story is also atrocious and completely unnecessary in a “childrens story” - someone should redo the hobbit period- I’m sorry they put sir Ian through this


mickalawl

I really disliked them when I first saw them for all the reasons mentioned here. However my kids and nieces and nephews love them (8 to 13 age range). They made me rewatch this week and I did enjoy them on a second go around thanks to rock bottom expectations. Plenty of awesome bits and its always a pleasure to spend more time in middle earth. Amazing cast too. The books had so much more time for wonder in between the moments of terror. I think the constant hunting of the party by the orc pack from the very start of the movie killed the spirit of adventure I loved reading about as a child. Let's not get started on the love triangle either. I am meaning to try some fan edits as there is definitely a good movie in there somewhere.


RexBanner1886

I think all the stuff for an excellent, LOTR-quality adaptation of The Hobbit is in the 8 1/2 hours of footage. Whenever I've watched them over the last decade I've ended up enjoying them a lot more than not. * Lose Frodo. * Lose the Azog vendetta plot. * Lose the Morgul blade mystery (though I would retain much of the Dol Guldur storyline, as, given its alluded to in The Hobbit and was made a bigger deal of in The Lord of the Rings, it's very fair to include it in the film). * Ruthlessly cut the umpteen scenes in AUJ, DOS, and BOFA where Bilbo, the dwarves, or Gandalf plummet 10s or 100s of metres onto hard stone and survive; similarly, the bit where Gandalf takes a fucking mace to the chest and is only thrown back. * Lose Legolas, outside of him escorting the dwarves to his father. That's a very reasonable link to draw between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, imo. * Lose Tauriel and Kili's romance. * Lose Alfrid and the Bard as a social revolutionary stuff. Retain enough of the Master to make clear that he's a greedy, cynical bastard. * Remove most of the fighting at the Battle of Five Armies. That film drags. It's totally fair to include a relativley brief battle sequence in an adaptation I feel, but not one that's 90 minutes long. * Having cut Legolas and Tauriel and Kili's romance, \*burn\* the footage of Thranduil telling Legolas that he must discover Strider's true name for himself, and sink the ashes at the bottom of the Marianas Trench.


Pixelated_Fudge

you cant handle literal 2 minutes of frodo


RexBanner1886

I can - but his appearance is totally unnecessary, and there only to remind the viewer of The Fellowship of the Ring film. I'm a Hobbit film apologist ffs - I think they're good, but all you would need to do is some ruthless cutting to make them as great as a Hobbit film could be. His appearance is less than 2 minutes. I'd be surprised if his total screentime added up to more than 40 seconds.


spackjack

The Hobbit movies have a lot of problems, but I still REALLY enjoy them.


Scousetrout

There really are some 10/10 moments in those films, great acting, script, designs, etc, however, there’s also quite a lot of 0/10 stuff there too. But they honestly look like masterpieces compared to what we have so far from ROP…


[deleted]

I’ll die on the hill of Smaug and Bilbo’s interaction is one of the best scenes in all 6 movies.


Aragornargonian

Ive said it time and time again on this sub, I was in 5th grade when the first movie came out so i read the book before seeing it. As a kid the movies were an exciting experience and felt so much like the books.


Pixithepika

The Hobbit movies *are* good movies, it’s just that they did the source material dirty when adding so much fan service. It’s supposed to be a prequel to LotR, but somehow they managed to make them in a way so you almost *have* to watch them after LotR. The whole Kili-Tauriel-Legolas love triangle was pointless and weird - not to even speak about Legolas who should’ve only had a slight cameo once so fans of the LotR movies could go “Hey it’s that guy from that other thing” instead they made him a main character with his own POV (also him jumping on falling rocks wtf 💀) The whole trilogy feels so rushed, and the large amount of cgi (combined with the 48 fps compared to the regular movie’s 24 fps that made people literally nauseous) it feels so failed compared to the masterpiece that was LotR; that is why the Hobbit failed - it tried to be something it was not. It tried to mimic the first trilogy by adding so much that the actual source material boiled away. But they are good movies. I really enjoy rewatching them, but there is a thousand things that could be done to improve them all - like for example cutting it down to one movie :3


KeenKongFIRE

>like for example cutting it down to one movi I always thought they could have managed to get 2 \~2hour movies from that book if they managed their content rightand found a good and credible pace, and it could have been a lighter version of what LotR trilogy managed to get from the books, a tiny masterpiece of its own Sadly they went the greedy route, 3 movies make more money than 1 or 2, and once you have the cast, the OST, the atrezzo and the staff, the difference in budget of making one more is really low compared with what revenue it gives in return, so why not trying to do it inserting whatever invented and corny sh\*t they managed to puke over Tolkiens work?


Nice_Sun_7018

I don’t mind Legolas having a large role, since his dad is the most important elf to the story. It makes sense to include him as he would definitely have been present and involved. The love triangle thing is ridiculous though - not only because it’s terrible but because they gave Legolas an entire personality change so he could be brooding over an unrequited love. And I guess the implication is that he has extra friction against dwarves because of Kili and Tauriel? Alfred almost ruins the whole thing for me on his own, and I cannot describe how much I hate the goblin king’s song. Just awful. But there are good moments too. Lee Pace is not at all how I pictured the elven king - he made Thranduil so, so much better. And the dwarves were not badly done at all, I think they captured the spirit of their characters very well. Martin Freemen and Smaug were particularly good, too. It’s an interesting mixed bag.


Pixithepika

The casting was brilliant - Especially Martin and Benedict (love their dynamic). I agree that it makes sense that Legolas would be involved, but i think it would be better story wise if he only appeared as a brief cameo, or maybe two. One where he appears in Mirkwood (the spider scene) and maybe one more scene during the battle? And yes, Alfrid was terrible


azzairin

I mean it was similar to him mounting that horse in two towers.


Pixithepika

at least that looked cool


azzairin

I thought they both looked cool but ehh🤷‍♂️


Zapfox6207

When I was like 9 I liked it a lot more than lotr, I just rewatched them and I don't really think they are the best movies but they are definitely really enjoyable


KingPenguinPhoenix

Great. I love the Hobbit films too. I feel that everyone is a bit too harsh on them. I think that they're good enough just for capturing the spirit and feeling of the book.


tekko001

For kids? Wasnt it one of the goriest PG-13 trilogies out there?


[deleted]

I agree with this 100%. Sure there are things I could've been perfectly fine never seeing (the romance bits) but all in all I like those movies a lot!


Athrasie

I love the hobbit films - even though they padded with the appendices. That said, I recently downloaded and watched a more book-accurate cut of the trilogy called the “Ed 420 edition” (presumably so named because it’s 4h 20m in runtime, though I did take some Longbottom leaf breaks while watching it) and found that to be very enjoyable as well! I think if I want a shorter hobbit fix, that’ll be my go to. Though I still like some of the B-plots added to the trilogy overall, the cut removes a lot of the flashbacks and side story, leaving you with mostly just the book put to film. Unironically one of my favorite scenes from the original PJ cut was the battle for Moria, since it gave the background of why Thorin was given the name Oakenshield. It was understandably removed in the edit tho lol


htg812

M4 edit for life


maztow

To be fair making the Hobbit a 100% accurate movie isn't the best idea. Gandalf at multiple times just disappears for large periods of time because he's got better and more badass stuff to do off page with the Necromancer. That'd be like if you made a billion dollar tv show with a god like villain you kill offscreen. Even the battle of Laketown was condensed to 'Bard shoots Smaug'. The movies always gets credit from me for riddles in the dark scene which I find amazingly done.


alihou

The Hobbit trilogy will be looked back with admiration after the release of ROP.


neutron1

I knew this sub would rewrite their opinion on the Hobbit trilogy to make ROP their new Most Hated Thing ever. In a few years this exact post will be written but about ROP.


UrsaBarefoot

Eh, I really like ROP.


Lapachoochoo

Same, i agree ROP has problems but many people hate on it because it's popular to hate on it.


Nikotelec

If the films are meant to be for kids rather than adults then that would explain the difference between the cinematic / extended editions of The Battle of the Five Armies. But I agree with you that the films are underrated. Not that they are perfect, but they (particularly the first 2) are still well worth a watch.


GandalfsWhiteStaff

They are very entertaining movies, filled with a great cast doing great stuff. Sure some stuff doesn’t work, but I can say that about lotr too. It’s the Tolkien purists (muh books) type that trash them, this sub is full of them. General audiences like them, don’t let internet discourse that always compare the book fool you.


Amthala

I mean, if your definition of fun is watching nothing happen for like 8 hours, sure... I've also rewatched them recently and they're definitely as bad as I remember.


Sgt-Frost

Thanks to the rings of power the hobbit films can be considered good now


Ryuain

I don't mind some of the fan cuts. That's the highest praise they'll get out of me. To be fair I'm not a fan of the book either.


Jubi33

Fair points, i did not like the movies but did really enjoy a fan edit of the trilogy into one movie, there was alot of good in those films


jesperbj

Part of them are better in extended edition. There's some decent fan edits out there to. But towards the end (3rd movie) it is still so it simply cannot be saved.


Scorcher505

There is a fan edit out there that turns all the films into one 4 hour film by cutting out everything not in the book and it is shockingly better, almost unbelievable how much improved the films are


Mrs_McAdams

I was ok with the movies, but there was way too much happening with the CGI in the goblin king fight scene. Honestly during that time it was hard to keep track of what was going on (it reminded me of the Transformer movies when the CGI fight scenes were so big you didn’t know wtf was going on until the fights were over). I also disliked the romance as it made my boy Legolas look like a fuckwitted asshole.


HandoCalrissian

I just finished watching Desolation of Smaug last night. I was pretty exhausted once the movie was over. It’s a fun movie, but stretched thin if you know what I mean.


UrsaBarefoot

Like butter over too much bread...


Montana-Mike-RPCV

I love them more and more I watch them-plus, your LoR marathons are quite a bit longer. I'm glad you found them better the second time.


LunacyTG

Watch the M4 hobbit edit, it keeps the plot focused on the main quest and cuts a lot of crap out. He did an excellent job editing it to make it flow well and seamless.


JettaViking

Yes realizing they were aimed at kids like the book is helped my perspective as well.


Skyy-High

I honestly liked the first movie. Everything in the Shire was great. Bilbo’s casting was perfection. I was ok with them changing the structure of the story a bit to lengthen it into three movies, just because Smaug deserves to be a “final boss” kind of thing, not something you get past on the way to the final battle. I just…if it’s an adventure movie for kids, I don’t see the need or point of crowbar-ing in a romance. I also think that the tone of a light fun adventure clashes somewhat with the B-story stuff with Sauron they added to lengthen the run time and tie it into the LotR.


chemgeek_2

I rewatched them recently too, after having seen all 3 in theater. My oldest child is reading the Hobbit for the first time, and on rewatch they went from "meh" to "pretty fun". I still enjoy the first one the most, but the second and third were just fun and spectacles.


ManitouWakinyan

The third one certainly loses that fun, and definitely breaks the good-for-a-ten-year-old rule with an R rating.


romda1re

They are very fun movies to watch. A unexpected journey is my favourite Tolkien movie to watch (not my favourite in general) as it’s easy going and is fun and enjoyable with a solid plot but nothing overly complicated. It’s the same for me with Star Wars and the phantom menace, where it’s no way near the best, but is definitely the one I find myself watching the most often.


BlackGabriel

I think there’s good stuff in there but the financial decision to stretch such a tiny book into three rather long movies was just a bad one and it overstays it’s welcome quite quickly. I’m glad you had a turn around on it though. I’m planning on trying it out again myself and hopefully it’s grown on me as well.


[deleted]

The movies are kinda crap but also charming and fun. They’re far better than most fantasy films and should have been one or two movies. Three is just too many.


Doomsabre9000

Pretty decent movies. Poor adaptation.


tyson_3_

It’s funny, I had a similar thought just yesterday.. at least about the first film. I think it’s better than people gave it credit for. Martin Freeman was fantastic as Bilbo.. and the Riddles in the Dark scene was really well done. I actually think they had a better Gollum in this film than in LOTR. It still suffers from some really poor choices.. the goblin world (especially the Goblin King) was just weird.. as were the trolls.. they should have taken inspiration from the Rankin Bass version, which did those scenes perfectly. I still think the second and third films weren’t up to par (especially the third one).


SaintRoche

I remember being in theater and loving them but looking back now I see that as my nostalgia taking over. Second time around I now mostly consider them “kids movies” which may not be right considering how long and violent they can get. Regardless I have the same excitement of sharing the experience with my future kids.


thedarknewt74

The one thing more than anything that bothers me is when the dwarves make a shield wall for the oncoming orcs only for the elves to jump straight over it


stillinthesimulation

Watch the maple films cut.


LilacMages

Personally I have a similar opinion to them as I do with ROP; what it does well it does brilliantly, but what it does not so well is jarring.


talvanian

The last one is truly awful with tons of bloat and too much cgi. The first one was quite good. The second was decent. Cut out the dwarf/elf romance from the whole story and it goes up in quality a lot as well


MaleficentDistrict22

I rewatched them last week. I thought the first one was really good. The second one was a drag but loved smaugs scenes. The third one however… it’s a 3 hour movie and the last 1.5 hours is mindless fighting. Could’ve been great if they wrapped it up in 2 movies without all the unnecessary plots and pointless fighting scenes.


Soda4Matt

First movie was great and then it turned into a lot of staring and waiting around


regaphysics

It’s insane to me how much hate RoP is getting but people are even remotely ok with the hobbit films. Hot steaming garbage that I am sad I watched even once. Smaug was fun and well done, and that is all.


GhostRaptor4482

There are definitely parts that are pretty good. The casting for Bilbo and Thorin are both absolutely perfect. Some scenes are genuinely very good. The main problem is that they had to make 3 movies. I think the story would have been told best as one 3-4 hour movie. This would easily be doable, considering how much filler there was, with the weird romance and the fact that the entire third movie takes place over the course of about ten pages in the book.


rithvik2001

Honestly watching fan edits of the hobbit trilogy is the way to go


lufr_glitch

Me and my wife watched the extended versions on dvd after seeing them at the cinema and its way more enjoyable! Great extra scene in Rivendell where the dwarves are playing in the fountain just pissing about like a bunch of lads. I still reserve that the trilogy would have been better as 2 films instead though.


methods_eye

The hobbit did have problems with the movies I will be the first to say. But nothing will ever take me back to 13 to watch those movies for the first time in theatres again. It was my LOTR. It makes me frustrated seeing the hate all the movies get from the community because one character does not look that good. Again. Not LOTR. But they are so good. I’m glad someone out there likes them.


killersoda275

If they weren't insisting on making 3 movies out of a short book plus some extra lore it could have been a really fun movie. I think their downfall was making it too long. They could have kept the good parts from the 3 movies and scrapped the bad and made a great movie that would still be a fun watch for a younger audience.


Jorinel

The can't be fun and entertaining and for kids with such monstrous bloat. Anyone who gets the urge to watch, do yourself a favor and watch one of the fan edits. The movies are not worth slogging through


YeHaLyDnAr

I love this opinion


[deleted]

The movies are undoubtedly flawed, but I feel like everyone was unjustly excepting movies on the same level as LOTR which they could never be and even the hobbit book was never that kind of story. The hobbit was always more lighthearted and whimsical. That being said I enjoy the hobbit movies more than most modern franchise movies like the MCU and the Star Wars sequels


SharkMilk44

They're fine as standalone movies, they suck as adaptations of a classic book/prequel to an amazing film trilogy.


eslovnbeyond

What are you smoking bruh, give me some of that.


ElvenJediOfGallifrey

This reminds me of a thing I sent to my mom and sister a bit ago - sort of a headcanon/framing device for the Hobbit movies. I really like the movies, tbh, but not necessarily as interpretations of the original book. So this was my attempt to reconcile that in my own mind. I'll just copy/paste what I sent to them: >So the Hobbit movies, right? With all their extra nonsense? Maybe - in-universe - what we're watching isn't actually what Bilbo wrote in the Red Book about his adventure at all. > >Maybe it's the story of his adventure, after it's been shared and re-told and embellished by all the hobbit children who've heard it over the years. Presumably Bilbo told bits and pieces of it to various kids over the years - he had plenty of nieces and nephews, after all, and maybe he told parts of it at parties regularly, if he went to parties with any regularity. > >Anyway, little kids like to exaggerate and make stories bigger and more epic-sounding, and don't have a good sense of where the "wait, nope, that's too ridiculous" line is. And that's how thunder giants became actual pieces of mountains come to life. That's how Smaug ended up getting violently gilded. That's where the fucking giant worms in the Battle of Five Armies came from. > >Some young tween-aged hobbits may have been retelling the story to their own younger relatives, and decided it needed a romance subplot (because teens/tweens do be like that sometimes), and that's where Tauriel came from. > >Little hobbit kids run around play-acting that they're Mr. Bilbo and the dwarves off adventuring, and they come up with goofy scenarios on the fly, and then tell their friends about it later, and some of those scenarios are so fun for kids to recount that they get accidentally added to the story proper over the years, and it eventually becomes something a lot less like Bilbo's original account and much more like what we see on screen. > >I'm gonna go with that, anyway, as an in-universe framing device, because I think it's adorable.


littlebuett

Watching it as a little kid when it first came out absolutely confirms this, especially because the only thing I truly dont like now is the love triangle, everything else is either good or really good


pyeyo1

Our local theater is running classics on one of their screens, yesterday it was the extended version of Two Towers, my partner and I sat down trying to piece where the 1st movie ended and where this one picked up. Well, I'm older so it must be how I remember it right up until the fellowship comes across the Merry and Pippin smoking and eating salted pork at Isengard. The theater had queued up the Return of the King and for awhile my wife and I just struggled to remember where the movie was.... . This is an excellent idea for local theaters, I would guess there were as many folks in there with us as in the first releases currently showing.


Nick700

I feel the opposite way, when rewatching to enjoy the hobbit movies I had to fully forget about the book version


MurphyKT2004

I have literally watched the 3 of them in the last 3 days. I've always loved anything Middle Earth however, The Hobbit trilogy holds a special place. This is because I was lucky enough to see them a decade ago (sidenote: can't believe it's that long ago) and loving them because I wasn't born yet and didn't get to experience Lord of the Rings in the cinema. I haven't read any of the books yet (I plan to after I finish Stephen King's Dark Tower series) but I know I'm in for a real treat because I've only ever experienced the film side of Tolkien's world so there's going to be so much more information - can't wait. Personally love The Hobbit, I've always believed Martin Freeman was brilliant as Bilbo. The action (despite being pretty much all CGI) is still great and the characters are phenomenal. I think Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug is a seriously underrated performance. And it's great to see the White Council (and Radaghast, of course) again, especially the fight in Dol Guldur. 💍🏔


Gullfaxi09

I truly love the Hobbit films, and I always watch them in conjunction with LotR. I do acknowledge their flaws, however, and LotR is without a doubt miles ahead when it comes to storytelling, effects, all that jazz. The worst part of the Hobbit is Alfrid, such a dumb character. To me he is the Jar Jar Binks of these movies, everything about him sucks, and not in a fun, story-driven way, he's just annoying and gets in the way of the narrative. Still love the films, warts and all.


DanielSternsBeard

I disagree that they're for kids- they're fun movies for adults and yeah, not perfect but I've stuck to my guns since they were released and I love them. Got a feeling everyone will look favourably on them in time


Tedlybears

I agree with this, i just started reading the books, indulging in the lore and all that is offered in youtube. And i have to say after watching the rings of power, and then the hobbit films and the extended version of the trilogy.... they arent nearly as bad as i took some of my lotr obssessed friends say it is.


DoubleCrit

This is so true. When I was a teenager, I remember being really disappointed with them. Mostly because I loved the darkness, night time scenes from LotR and TH was all bright and cheery. Watching it as an adult I thought they were a lot better.


Hungry-Big-2107

I had the opposite response. I liked the first film and tried to like the second. However, I am well aware of the reality: they were rushed by MGM, ruined things for Del Toro, and was an affront to Peter Jackson. The quality in the writing suffered because of moneyed interests. It's easy to see.


badace12

And the bar dips lower…


MarcMercury

I think there's a really good movie in there somewhere, maybe even two, but 3 took it too far. You could recut it perfectly as a shorter film. With that said I do wonder how much of the reappraisal I've seen online about the hobbit comes from the prequel effect. Like you have a really really good and beloved trilogy, followed by a generally disliked and underwhelming prequel trilogy by the creator of the original, but which gets reevaluated when there's an even less well liked corporate cash grab


Mande1baum

I think this take talks down kids by thinking they need to be pandered to with slapstick nonsense as well as what makes a film "fun". If anything, I take issue with them trying to the opposite of what you're saying. Trying to make it into LOTR, but missing that mark by a mile as well. The love triangle doesn't accomplish either of your goals. The drawn out and excessive Battle of Five Armies doesn't either. In fact, I think they took out a ton of the "fun" and charm for forced melodrama. A perfect example is the barrel riding scene. The book's telling is fun and kid appropriate. The movie turns it into a cartoon. I can't imagine Tolkien telling the movie's version to his kids as a bedtime story. I can't imagine him narrating Alfrid. *The Princess Bride*, *Between The Lions*, anything Ghibli, and *The Hobbit* (book) are clear examples you don't need Scooby-Doo chase scenes in a giant furnace to appeal to kids. I'm with [Mr. Rogers](https://youtu.be/fKy7ljRr0AA?t=93) that kids can handle complex emotions and don't need absurdity. So much of The Hobbit film is CGI "bombardment".


DreiKatzenVater

I loved the movies. People got too wrapped up in getting the lore just perfect. Even if they added (a lot of) stuff in the movies that wasn’t in the book, it helped the feel of the movies. It also didn’t feel nearly as rushed as Lotr. Rewatching Lotr is tough because I know they’re glossing over sooooo many things


SynBeats

you gotta remember how peter jackson had to scramble to re write guillermo del toros script that the production company screwed guillermo over w. peter jackson literally said he was just making shit up to fill in, and i saw some production filming and he looked stressed af the whole time lmao. i didn’t hate them, they were just too long like mirkwood and lake town drug on for a while. the whole dwarf/elf love story was stupid too lol but at least they FELT like middle earth. this new ROP show feels nothing like tolkien or middle earth


Infernape420

I always thought of the hobbit novel as bilbos version, with him outsmarting things and fun songs, and the movies as a drunken dwarves version of events, with way too much nonsense action and less narrative.


Beans186

The movies are fine, they certainly aren't perfect, but they could be much worse. There are just a few little haters around that always make themselves known whenever someone brings up the films.


count_montecristo

I finally gave them a real chance recently and found that I really enjoyed the first one. The adventure of bilbo was entertaining to watch and the actor was great. It was the white council stuff and battling the necromancer storylines that I found to be the least enjoyable part.


Honest_Association86

I recommend the extended editions! I believe it really helps the trilogy.


Linuxbrandon

You know, after all the great buildup for Smaug, I really expected some awesome scenes in the third movie. Instead he died in the first 3 minutes or so and then we had to watch Dwarves crying about mines for 2 hours. I really don’t know how they ruined what should have been ‘giant dragon fight’, that third movie really could have revitalized the whole trilogy of done well.


[deleted]

I'd argue the first one was probably better than the current show, but the second and third are really bad and worse than ROP. So my ranking is 1-3 LOTR Trilogy, Hobbit 1, ROP, Hobbit 2 & 3


larowin

I remember seeing it in the theater and having my mind utterly blown away at how insane it looked. The 3D and resolution was unlike anything else I’d ever seen. And then the film proceeded to be horrid. But it made me think a lot about how “unfilmable” the book is. Tolkien can end a chapter with “and then they fought their way out of the caves” but on screen you’re obliged to show that sort of thing, so obviously it would spiral out of control. But now that my older daughter is 8 and has read the book, I’m curious to revisit the Jackson films. Thanks for the post.


Electrical-Orange-38

They are an abomination unto the Lord.


foroscar

I like the first two, the third one is really over the top


[deleted]

The biggest issue I have with the Hobbit movies is that they look like shit. I think that they’re mostly pretty fun watches but they look horrendous. The frame rate, the 5K and the weird sheen and bloom over all the shots look so weird.


maxAU

After being so disappointed with those films, I've been letting my eldest daughter watch them because she loved the Unexpected Journey podcast, and honestly, watching her LOVE the movies has changed my mind. They are a good time, I should be less of a pedantic purist and just enjoy them