Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) by Josiah C — 16 Feb 2017

The extra material may not be as extensive as the extended scenes done for The Lord of the Rings, but they add more depth and personality to the already marvelous story.

SCENE-BY-SCENE BREAKDOWN:

+4:10: Extra footage of Erebor. This added scene shows more of the bad blood between Thorin and Thranduil and that Thranduil is not all to blame. It's brief, but it's important.

+7:03: Extra footage of Smaug's attack. It's very brief, but I liked that they showed how impenetrable Smaug's thick skin is. Also, they changed Smaug's feet in this version so that they coincide with his final design in "The Desolation of Smaug".

+9:38: Scene of Young Bilbo. It was really cool to see how far back Gandalf's relationship with Bilbo goes and how it all started.

+17:26: Extra footage of Hobbiton. Unnecessary, but endearing. I relish any footage of Hobbit life.

+23:15: Extra footage of kitchen raid. I liked the bit about Bifur's ax in the head. It's a bit more explanatory.

+1:25:13: Rivendell "magic". It's a very brief exchange between Gandalf and Bilbo, but Rivendell really is so magical it's hard to deny.

+1:30:29: Extra footage of the Elves meal. Lots of extra footage here. It's all quite funny and gives the dwarves more personality, even if it is unnecessary.

+1:39:03: Footage of Narsil. This scene is great. You get some alone screen time with Bilbo as he looks around Rivendell. He looks at Narsil, the broken blade of the King of Gondor, and the painting of Sauron and the One Ring, the very ring that will shape his future (unbeknownst to him at the time, of course). He also has a nice talk with Elrond. You also see the Dwarves splashing naked in a fountain, which is the only addition to this version of the film that I cringed at. It's just too cheesy.

+1:42:07: Extra footage of Gandalf & Elrond. This conversation adds some backstory to Thorin's family history and the mental illness that plagued his father.

+1:45:10: Extra footage of The White Council. Enlightenment about the 7 Dwarven Rings with some interesting tidbits of information.

+2:04:24: Extra footage of Goblin Town. The Goblin King has an extended song here that feels a bit out of place. He isn't a very intimidating villain to begin with and his song is a bit silly. The dwarves also stall for a time a bit in this scene resulting in a few jokes.