The Theatrical edition I didn't like because it misses out some important stuff, right at the beginning. The scene where Bilbo and Gandalf first meet. It's an essential part of the story and, more to the point, it's in the book. As far as I'm concerned, anything in the book should be in the film, anything that Jackson invented should be tossed. Also some of the ridiculously slapstick fighting scenes should be scrapped.
The extended edition is excellent. It has most of the first few chapters. Radagast and his ridiculous rabbit sled is mostly gone. Some of the stupid scenes in the goblin caves missing, although the fights and escapes are still a bit long. The sequence between the eagle eyrie and Beorn's place is a bit confusing. The fight between the barrel riding dwarves and the orcs is still slapstick, but thank goodness the elf involvement is gone. The sequences in Laketown don't quite hang together, but at least, no mad elf battles and love affairs with dwarfs.
Bilbo under the lonely mountain is missing a bit. In the book there were three excursions by Bilbo alone from the dwarf door. In this, just one which morphs into the dwarfs fighting with Smaug under the mountain. Thank god the whole stupid molten gold thing is gone. There is still the fight between Thorin and Azog on the mountaintop which was pure Jackson invention, fantasy! Oh wait! Legolas dancing on the falling rocks in mid-air is consigned to the scrapheap of stupid.
The whole thread of the thrush or raven telling Bard about Smaug's weakness is gone. Right from the part where Bilbo gets Smaug to show his chest off. Pity. That is an important story from the book.
Overall though, an excellent edit. Way better than wading through the three movies. This is way closer to what the Hobbit should have been.
The Theatrical edition I didn't like because it misses out some important stuff, right at the beginning. The scene where Bilbo and Gandalf first meet. It's an essential part of the story and, more to the point, it's in the book. As far as I'm concerned, anything in the book should be in the film, anything that Jackson invented should be tossed. Also some of the ridiculously slapstick fighting scenes should be scrapped.
The extended edition is excellent. It has most of the first few chapters. Radagast and his ridiculous rabbit sled is mostly gone. Some of the stupid scenes in the goblin caves missing, although the fights and escapes are still a bit long. The sequence between the eagle eyrie and Beorn's place is a bit confusing. The fight between the barrel riding dwarves and the orcs is still slapstick, but thank goodness the elf involvement is gone. The sequences in Laketown don't quite hang together, but at least, no mad elf battles and love affairs with dwarfs.
Bilbo under the lonely mountain is missing a bit. In the book there were three excursions by Bilbo alone from the dwarf door. In this, just one which morphs into the dwarfs fighting with Smaug under the mountain. Thank god the whole stupid molten gold thing is gone. There is still the fight between Thorin and Azog on the mountaintop which was pure Jackson invention, fantasy! Oh wait! Legolas dancing on the falling rocks in mid-air is consigned to the scrapheap of stupid.
The whole thread of the thrush or raven telling Bard about Smaug's weakness is gone. Right from the part where Bilbo gets Smaug to show his chest off. Pity. That is an important story from the book.
Overall though, an excellent edit. Way better than wading through the three movies. This is way closer to what the Hobbit should have been.