The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition - November 4, 2014

[Taikero]

I am a complete and total fan of this new extended edition. Solved many problems the theatrical cut had and really fleshed out Dol Goldur scenes better as well.

My only gripe (aside that Smaug is still totally incompetent and can't manage to kill one dwarf after all that hullabaloo) is

[Show spoiler]Thrain's movement across screen when he first appears feels much too fast/jerky for someone stalking a wizard. He lurches across the screen so quickly that I'm surprised Gandalf didn't hear him. Additionally, it appears in that scene that Thrain is "going for the kill NOW" not "waiting to strike from above in a few minutes". Minor gripe, but I think just a few extra seconds on that scene would have made a lot more sense.

[robocop35]

Originally Posted by Botchavelli

Anyone else missing the UV code inside the packaging of the extended Smaug? I purchased my copy from Best Buy that includes the Key of Thorin Oakenshield.

I got mine! and man I love that "Key" can't wait to wear it with my "Ring Of Power".

[Doctor Jack]

Just finished watching and I officially can never watch the theatrical cut again. The extra footage made this such a better film. I have seen 90 minute movies that felt longer than this ones 3 hours. Can't wait for Five Armies.

[Dubstar]

I'd normally go the Amazon ordering route, but I have a Best Buy $5 reward zone certificate, but goddamn, Best Buy Tenleytown (Washington DC) are run by dumb-as-@#$% idiots - they didn't have their copies out for sale yesterday (10:30am). Went today at 4pm no copies either... the three young woman (Potomac Yards employees) putting out blurays/DVD's, setting up the displays, knew their store had copies; yet copies for the Tenleytown store are missing...

[Taikero]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

I'd normally go the Amazon ordering route, but I have a Best Buy $5 reward zone certificate, but goddamn, Best Buy Tenleytown (Washington DC) are run by dumb-as-@#$% idiots - they didn't have their copies out for sale yesterday (10:30am). Went today at 4pm no copies either... the three young woman (Potomac Yards employees) putting out blurays/DVD's, setting up the displays, knew their store had copies; yet copies for the Tenleytown store are missing...

I canceled my Amazon order and just went to Target. Same price, didn't have to wait, plenty of copies out on shelves and if you get there right at opening they're generally still stocking so you can grab a copy without the boxes/spider-wrap, usually.

[Cook]

Originally Posted by rexcrk

I take back my previous post lol. I could've sworn that the extended Return of the King came out a few months before November. Maybe I'm thinking of the theatrical cut coming out sooner than the other two movies.

Originally Posted by JackKnightStarman

If my memory serves me, the theatrical DVD release also came out later. I believe late July early August.

Nope it came out in May. FOTR and TTT came out in August.

Edit: Aragorn beat me to it.

[Cook]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jack

Just finished watching and I officially can never watch the theatrical cut again. The extra footage made this such a better film. I have seen 90 minute movies that felt longer than this ones 3 hours. Can't wait for Five Armies.

Same here. Ive only watched the first half so far, but the added Beorn and Mirkwood stuff makes the frst half of the film feel less like a clip show. The mirkwood sequence is genuinely creepy now. That stuff should have stayed in the theatrical cut.

[Adam_WM]

Just got an email from Amazon. My 2D statue version will be next Tuesday.

[rexcrk]

Really happy to hear that people are getting emails for their 2D with statue versions. I hope I get the same soon!

[jaredofmo]

Originally Posted by Botchavelli

Anyone else missing the UV code inside the packaging of the extended Smaug? I purchased my copy from Best Buy that includes the Key of Thorin Oakenshield.

If you're missing the UV code, e-mail Warner Home Entertainment. If you have your receipt, that might also help, especially if you can scan or take a good photo of it. I've never had a problem with a Warner title missing a UV code (that it was supposed to have when I bought it new), but I did have a redemption issue with Universal and was able to get help there and eventually got a new code for free with minimal yelling.

[Steelers629]

My one big gripe with the theatrical cut was how rushed the journey through Mirkwood seemed, since it's one of my favorite parts of the book. The EE nails it. Also loved Beorn's conversation with Gandalf.

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by Steelers629

My one big gripe with the theatrical cut was how rushed the journey through Mirkwood seemed, since it's one of my favorite parts of the book. The EE nails it. Also loved Beorn's conversation with Gandalf.

The Beorn additions were the highlight of the extended cut, especially the funny scene where Gandalf tells the dwarves to gradually come out - the addition makes Beorn seem so much more dangerous rather than in the theatrical version where the scene just cuts to Beorn making breakfast for the dwarves out of the blue.

[Cook]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

The Beorn additions were the highlight of the extended cut, especially the funny scene where Gandalf tells the dwarves to gradually come out - the addition makes Beorn seem so much more dangerous rather than in the theatrical version where the scene just cuts to Beorn making breakfast for the dwarves out of the blue.

It was a wtf moment for me. Gandalf says "He will help us...or he will kill us." and its all ominous and he's chasing them and then next morning he's cooking them bangers and mash. Its so damn bi-polar. The EE definitely smooths that out.

[bb8977]

UV code for sale $10, pm me if interested.

[poke smot]

That's a bold price. Good luck with that.

[tedies]

Originally Posted by Aragorn the Elfstone

I've never felt the slightest bit of guilt about buying both the Theatrical and Extended Editions of the Middle-earth films. Not. One. Bit.

That said, if that's not your thing - you have the option. You have been informed. The choice is yours.

[gregmasciola]

Originally Posted by Cook

It was a wtf moment for me. Gandalf says "He will help us...or he will kill us." and its all ominous and he's chasing them and then next morning he's cooking them bangers and mash. Its so damn bi-polar. The EE definitely smooths that out.

Plus, his time in the theatrical was so short they might as well have just cut him out of the picture entirely. I kind of have a feeling sometimes that Peter Jackson tries to leave things out of the theatrical versions on purpose to make people want the extended versions more. I don't mean that like I think he's "scamming" us, or anything. I just picture him thinking "Hey, this would be nice to include in the extended edition, so let's really trim it down quite a bit."

[Jumpman]

Originally Posted by gregmasciola

Plus, his time in the theatrical was so short they might as well have just cut him out of the picture entirely. I kind of have a feeling sometimes that Peter Jackson tries to leave things out of the theatrical versions on purpose to make people want the extended versions more. I don't mean that like I think he's "scamming" us, or anything. I just picture him thinking "Hey, this would be nice to include in the extended edition, so let's really trim it down quite a bit."

Half jokingly, I've believed this since day one of the EE's.

[Cook]

Originally Posted by gregmasciola

Plus, his time in the theatrical was so short they might as well have just cut him out of the picture entirely. I kind of have a feeling sometimes that Peter Jackson tries to leave things out of the theatrical versions on purpose to make people want the extended versions more. I don't mean that like I think he's "scamming" us, or anything. I just picture him thinking "Hey, this would be nice to include in the extended edition, so let's really trim it down quite a bit."

After watching the film the first time in theaters and even immediately after they leave Beorn I also couldnt help but think the same thing. That Beorn could have been cut from the theatrical cut entirely but...without Beorn how would they get the horses? The way Jackson laid it out and considering the footage he had it was impossible to cut Beorn entirely out during Post Production. The Company approaches Mirkwood on horses and considering the footage and the shots there was no good way to remove the horses from the footage and have them appear to approach on foot without reshooting the scenes and there was no way to explain the horses being there without Beorn. So it left Jackson in a bit of a pickle. Beorn had to be in the film to some degree. The obvious thing to do was that if he couldnt cut him out entirely just to include all those Beorn scenes in the theatrical cut, but I get the impression that Jackson really was trying to tighten DOS's beginning up as much as he could after the complaints of AUJ's beginning dragging along so he cut Beorn and Mirkwood down to the bare minimum in the theatrical cut.

Ironically tho imo cutting those Beorn and Mirkwood scenes actually hurt the film. Beorn became more of a plot device than a character. And the beginning now sped along at a nice clip but then the film gets to Laketown and the film just feels like it screeches to a halt. This is mainly due to the fact that the first half of DOS was originally the climax of AUJ and the Laketown stuff was originally the beginning of There and Back Again. So DOS begins with a climax and the middle of the film is actually the beginning of the film, and this results in some wonky pacing. By adding those Beorn and Mirkwood scenes back in Beorn is a character again and the pace across the whole film feels much more balanced.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Cook

After watching the film the first time in theaters and even immediately after they leave Beorn I also couldnt help but think the same thing. That Beorn could have been cut from the theatrical cut entirely but...without Beorn how would they get the horses? The way Jackson laid it out and considering the footage he had it was impossible to cut Beorn entirely out during Post Production. The Company approaches Mirkwood on horses and considering the footage and the shots there was no good way to remove the horses from the footage and have them appear to approach on foot without reshooting the scenes and there was no way to explain the horses being there without Beorn. So it left Jackson in a bit of a pickle. Beorn had to be in the film to some degree. The obvious thing to do was that if he couldnt cut him out entirely just to include all those Beorn scenes in the theatrical cut, but I get the impression that Jackson really was trying to tighten DOS's beginning up as much as he could after the complaints of AUJ's beginning dragging along so he cut Beorn and Mirkwood down to the bare minimum in the theatrical cut.

Ironically tho imo cutting those Beorn and Mirkwood scenes actually hurt the film. Beorn became more of a plot device than a character. And the beginning now sped along at a nice clip but then the film gets to Laketown and the film just feels like it screeches to a halt. This is mainly due to the fact that the first half of DOS was originally the climax of AUJ and the Laketown stuff was originally the beginning of There and Back Again. So DOS begins with a climax and the middle of the film is actually the beginning of the film, and this results in some wonky pacing. By adding those Beorn and Mirkwood scenes back in Beorn is a character again and the pace across the whole film feels much more balanced.

Beorn is part of the Battle of Five Armies, so unless they cut him from that film, too, they had to include him in the theatrical version.