Official Synopsis
Bilbo Baggins is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome Dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the Wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of 13 Dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild, through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins, Orcs and deadly Wargs, as well as a mysterious and sinister figure known only as the Necromancer.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the Goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum.
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Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him; he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities…A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
My opinion of The Hobbit has changed over the past few months. I still feel like Jackson does a fantastic job, as he did with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, of putting together a very detailed, intricate story straight from the book whence it came. It’s respectful, entertaining and honors the epic story that J.R.R Tolkien left behind for the world to enjoy. My original review of the March release of The Hobbit can be found here.
With that said, let’s discuss the extended edition of this film.
Much like LOTR, The Hobbit adds some more depth to the story through these extended scenes. For example, at the beginning of the film you get a bit more understanding of the failed relationship between the dwarves and the elves. You understand through the extended cut how greedy the dwarves became and how the elves pretty much had good reason to turn their back on the dwarves when they needed help. Through this additional footage, you also understand the hatred between the two groups, which eventually spills over to the next film. The added footage just gives the story a bit more girth and helps magnify what’s to come.
Another scene worth mentioning, though it is brief, is the inclusion of the infamous ‘whizz-popper’ footage of Gandalf when he first makes contact with the Shire. You get to see a young Bilbo Baggins slap him around with a wooden sword. Is this scene necessary? Probably not, but it does give movie goers a chance to understand how long Gandalf has been around and what he was originally known for in the Shire.
There are extended moments through out the film that help put a bit more depth or explanation to the characters and overall story. Of course, there are moments like the dwarven dinner song with the elves that simply add some comedic elements (although, it also reinforces the lack of dinner manners for the dwarves). Anyway, I don’t want to give away too much, but just know that it’s all properly done and just goes to show how much detail (and love) that Peter Jackson and cast/crew put into these films. I’m very impressed with this release, not only because of small improvements it gives to the film, but also because it feels like it tells a faithful full story from the pages it was extracted from.
The Blu-ray portion of this film looks just as sharp as when it was originally released in March. Lots of vibrant colors for a young Middle-earth spring forward with this release. Heavy greens, blues and reds really do populate the picture of this world and translate well to HD via Blu-ray. There is little to no graininess with this release, as well as no compression issues. You’re getting one of the best looking releases on Blu-ray from Warner Brothers with the Extended Edition of The Hobbit.
The audio is delivered to you in 7.1 Dolby Digital and thou get the film in a 2.4:1 aspect ratio.
As for the extras you get with the extended edition, here’s what you’re looking at:
• Commentary with Peter Jackson, Director/Producer/Screenwriter and Philippa Boyens, Co-Producer/Screenwriter
· The Appendices
· New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth
It may not look like much when you see the list above, but you’re in for a timely surprise with the length of these features. There is an entire Blu-ray disc dedicated to the entire production of The Hobbit. You get to see the birth of the production, the casting, the preparation, the actual production process and various other ways the film came together. It’s possibly one of the most fascinating special features I’ve seen from the LOTR and The Hobbit Blu-ray releases. It’s long, interesting and detailed to death. The fact that they go into the Del Toro part of the production story is pretty bold and fascinating. If you ever wanted to know anything about The Hobbit production then this is the place to come.
The second disc is dedicated to the characters of middle-earth, each one broken down into detail (actor interviews to hiring) and also contains a very interesting ‘return to middle-earth’ documentary about the locales. Combined with the first special features disc, it’s amazing how much stuff you get with the extended edition release. This is on top of the filmmakers commentary, which is just as cool as you can imagine.
The special features included with the extended edition are worth your time and additional purchase (especially if you are a fan of the original release). The side effect of these special features, something you don’t need much pushing on, is how excited you’re going to be for the next film. It will definitely put you in the mood.
Get The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition on Blu-ray today.