Hobbit: The Spence Edit, The

So I recently re-read THE HOBBIT, finished a couple nights ago. Loved it. When the movies came out, though, I basically cached out at the Bombur Barrel Roll. However, this time around, I perused the available fan edits, hoping I could find a version that cut that scene. I ended up watching the Spence edit. It’s one of the shorter options at 3hrs 45 or so for the whole trilogy. Obviously cuts a lot. Notably, it cuts Beorn entirely, a character who is certainly in the book, and I’m sure that’ll bother some, but I felt okay with it. The Battle of Five Armies felt particularly choppy and a little un-dramatic, and having only seen the original once, I can’t say whether that’s the fault of the source or the edit. (Incidentally, I’d completely forgotten that the Orcs had Nydus worms!) I actually wish he’d have cut a couple more very small silly bits, like a Bombur Belly Smash, or Legolas’s first surfing entrance, but overall, I really enjoyed watching this version. That was a big change and a big surprise. Not being triggered by all the dumb stuff helped me see all the good stuff. Martin Freeman is just the best Bilbo. So fun to watch and to root for. I love the distinct personalities of each dwarf, which is an accomplishment considering there are 13 of these characters, and you find yourself actually caring if one of them dies. More Gandalf and Gollum is great. Doing LSD in Mirkwood. And Bilbo saying he’s going to finish the quest because he values the principle of home and the Dwarves need to reclaim theirs—a gem that the movies added to the story. Basically the good stuff shines through when it’s a tighter narrative (though admittedly not without some tradeoffs). Oh, and my favorite change in the Spence Edit (aside from no Bombur Barrel Roll) was that Bard shoots the dragon with his great longbow instead of a mounted turret gun! That just seems much more heroic to me. Anyway, I think some of you like the Hobbit movies, and I sincerely think that’s great, but this was a big win for my personal tastes at least, so I thought I should report in! I’m grateful to have more good Tolkien content!

This is my 100th fanedit review...an I open with a huge APOLOGY!
I thought I had reviewed this...but alas...OOPS!

THIS EDIT (and one other), were the driver to my return to this forum a couple of years ago.

THIS EDIT...inspired me to creat my own Hobbit edit....and it was and remains a game changer...not just for me, but for many other fan editors.

Spence did things here which had not been done by anyone at that point.

The Logolas solution, The removal of the Black Arrow, The Barrel ride, The scoring change as the dwarves emerge and SO much more.

This was and remains an inspirational edit. I've watched it more times than my own...and many others have too, and also borrowed many of the genius flourishes within...(yes, I am guilty of this too).

Little did I know back then that I would get the honor of working with this genius.

To be able to strp away near on two thirds of the material and retain a compelling, balanced and well paced narrative is already a huge achievement...but to then sig down and refine it to this polished finish is a glory to behold.

OVERDUE, I thank you publically, for your work, your frienship and humility in permitting me to borrow from your creative efforts.

This remains MY GOTO....

No point going into the technicals...they are spot on.

Long may you REIGN!

As a simple guy that likes movies I really enjoyed this. The story works so much better and feels much more in the spirit of lord of the rings as one great lean adventure film as opposed to 3 bloated movies. The pacing was great. There were only a few spots I could really tell it was edited namely the dragon raid and legolas showing up out of nowhere at the end. There were a couple others too but they slip my mind now. Considering the shear volume of stuff removed it's amazing there were so few easily noticeable instances. Great edit as always Spence!

I consider this edit to be one of the "Big Five," and is actually the first of the group!

Basically my only complaint about this edit was when Smaug gets hit by the regular arrow (genius idea) he sort of just teleports up into the air. I understand this was done to cut out shots of Bard and Bain, but it jarred me out of the experience a little. This was also done because, as stated, you wanted to cut out as much as physically possible whilst retaining a functional movie. You succeeded in this goal, no question.

The counterpoints to my one complaint are:

Legolas throwing orcrist back to Thorin after running out of arrows was a 200 IQ move on your part and I've seen it re-used be a few editors out there just due to how ingenius it was.

You also replaced the theme of Thorin & Co. busting out of Erebor with the Misty Mountains Theme, and I've only ever seen that in your version, and one other (Wraith's) who did it as a shoutout to your own! Another stroke of genius here brother.

Anyone who wants to watch a version of the Hobbit that has absolutely no fat on it, this is the one you want. Absolutely bare-bones version here, and executed to perfection. Not to mention the inspiration this edit has had on many many others. Nice work Spence!

This is, by far, the best way to watch The Hobbit. I'm a huge fan of the LotR Extended Editions and this is the perfect companion to incorporate into a binge watch. I'm glad that the extra material was left in rather than a straight book cut which I don't think was the issue with the films. But all of the bloat was taken out making this a rip roaring film.

The only real issue in this edit is the battle of the five armies but, like previously mentioned by other reviewers, is an artifact of how messy the original cut of the battle was. I'm still surprised how cohesive this cut is and will probably never watch the originals ever again.