Josh Reviews the Extended Edition of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Last december’s theatrical release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (click here for my review) brought to a close not only the three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, but also Peter Jackson’s decade-and-a-half-long exploration of the Tolkien universe that began with the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings back in 2001. And yet, for me, neither saga would be complete until nearly a full year later, with the release of the Extended Edition of The Battle of the Five Armies. Ever since my mind was blown by the Extended Edition DVD release of Fellowship in 2002, my feeling has been that I have not yet seen the final, definitive version of any of Peter Jackson’s Tolkien films until watching the Extended Edition. The Extended Editions of the three Lord of the Rings films have become, for me, unquestionably the definitive versions of those films. Whenever I re-watch the films, I watch the Extended Editions. While the changes and additions made to the Extended Editions of the Hobbit films haven’t been as dramatic or as essential as those made to The Lord of the Rings, nevertheless I also feel that these Extended Editions of the Hobbit are also the definitive versions of these films.
The Extended Edition of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies adds a number of wonderful short sequences to the film. One of the earliest changes I noticed was in Dol Goldur, when we are treated to a cool bit of an Orc general trying to cut off Gandalf’s finger — because Gandalf is revealed as wearing one of the three Rings of Power given to the Elf Lords. All three Extended Editions of the Hobbit films have added in some references to the Rings of Power — it’s almost like a special subplot running through the Extended Editions — which I love because it better connects the Hobbit films to The Lord of the Rings.
Most of the other additions to the film take place during the titular Battle of the Five Armies. There is a lot of extra attention given to all the Dwarves in Thorin’s company. After developing those Dwarves over two films, I was surprised by how little many of the Dwarves had to do in the theatrical cut of The Battle of the Five Armies. That is nicely fixed here in the Extended Edition. We get to see Bofur (James Nesbitt) taking control of a huge Troll and wreaking havoc; we get to see Bombur (Stephen Hunter) using his girth to great effect in the battle; we even get to see Bifur (William Kircher) lose the ax that had been buried in his forehead — and then actually get to deliver a line of dialogue in regular English! There’s also a fun extended sequence showing just how Thorin and co. got from the main battle up to the peak at Ravenhill (where all the hand-to-hand fighting with Azog and Bolg happens towards the end), by commandeering a chariot pulled by rams and racing it along a frozen river, battling wargs and orcs and trolls all the while. I can see why this sequence was cut from the theatrical edition, but it’s super-fun to have it restored here.
The Battle of The Five Armies was the shortest of the theatrical releases of all three Hobbit films — and, indeed, of all six of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films. That is one of the reasons why I felt it was the strongest of the three Hobbit films. Whereas the first two (especially the first) felt somewhat bloated and meandering, The Battle of the Five Armies was lean and mean. I had worried somewhat that an Extended Edition would ruin the tight pacing of the film, but I’m pleased to report that this was not the case. The film feels as well-paced as the theatrical version. The additions are well-incorporated into the film and feel quite seamless.
Only one change didn’t work for me, and that is the addition of a burial sequence for Thorin, Kili, and Fili at the end of the film. The set for the Dwarves’ crypt is cool, and it’s neat to get clearly established that Dain (Billy Connolly) has been named King Under the Mountain, but I couldn’t believe that they didn’t show Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) there! In one of the best, most emotional scenes in the film, a crying Tauriel declares to Thranduil (Lee Pace) that she wants to bury Kili. So now getting to see this burial, but without Tauriel’s being there, feels like a very weird omission. It feels like a mistake.
One thing I was hoping for from this Extended Edition but didn’t get to see? Any follow-up to Saruman’s declaration, very early in the film after the fight at Dol Goldur, to “leave Sauron to me.” It feels odd that the other members of the White Council wouldn’t choose to assist in the pursuit of Sauron to finish him off. This is a weird leap from where we leave them all here to the situation when we meet them all again in The Lord of the Rings (with Sauron well-entrenched in Mordor and with his evil spreading rapidly across Middle Earth). I would have loved to have seen more material with the White Council, but unfortunately this Extended Edition doesn’t add anything. (The special features, though, do hint at some cool stuff that was planned though not incorporated into the finished film even in its Extended form. There was a sequence in which Gandalf found a a Palantir at Dol Goldur — you can actually see it being held in the hand of the statue under which Gandalf and Galadriel are during the final battle! — and also a very cool-sounding sequence in which Gandalf would have pursued Sauron’s spirit from Dol Goldur to the dessicated Sea of Rhune. Man, both of those would have been super-cool to see!!)
Speaking of the special features, they are, as always, the best element of these Extended Editions. The Extended Edition of The Battle of the Five Armies comes with TWO FULL DISCS of special features, with approximately FIVE HOURS worth of documentaries on EACH DISC. These “Appendices” that have chronicled the making of all six of Peter Jackson’s Tolkien films have been, by far, the most extraordinary behind-the-scenes material I have ever seen assembled for any film. I love these documentaries so much. They are an endlessly fascinating look at the extraordinary efforts a huge array of behind-the-scenes craftsmen and women put into the making of these films, over the course of the years this trilogy was in pre-production, production, and post-production. The incredible effort that this huge team poured into every frame of film is inspiring, and raises my appreciation for these films even higher. I love the way these documentaries allow us to get to know these talented men and women, and get to see all of the details that fly by so fast on-screen. After watching all of these Appendices for all six films, I feel like I know so many of these behind-the-scenes team-members, and so at the end, when we get to watch them all saying goodbye to one another at the end of this years-long journey, it’s very emotional. The documentaries are stuffed to over-flowing with incredible details, funny stories, and fly-on-the-wall looks at how these films were made. And what’s truly incredible is that these documentaries never get boring. They’re just so fascinating and so fun. This is the gold-standard for behind-the-scenes material. I love watching these Appendices as much as I enjoy watching the films themselves!
None of Peter Jackson’s three Hobbit films matched the genius of his Lord of the Rings films. Those films had an emotional depth and urgency that I felt the Hobbit films were lacking. Those films were also were more nimble at telling a very complicated story, with a ton of characters and fantasy creatures and settings, in a way that felt clear and straight-forward (whereas the Hobbit films, particularly the first one, felt meandering and over-indulgent). These incredible honest behind-the-scenes documentaries at last help explain why, as Peter Jackson reveals that he went into production on this trilogy with only a few months of pre-production work, in contrast to the TWO YEARS he spent prepping the Lord of the Rings films. True, the Hobbit films had been in pre-production for well over a year, but that was with Guillermo del Toro as the director. What these documentaries make clear for the first time is that, when Mr. del Toro departed and Peter Jackson took over as director, the vast majority of the pre-production work was tossed out and the departments began again at almost zero. With that knowlegde, it’s staggering that the finished films came out as well as they did. It’s also a shame, because with an extra year of pre-production who knows how much better these films would have been.
Still, even with all their flaws, I am stunned at how under-rated and under-appreciated these Hobbit films seem to be. Try to step back from your pre-conceived notions and opinions and watch The Battle of the Five Armies with open eyes. This film is an extraordinary achievement. What an incredible, astounding fantasy world has been created here. Look at the richness of the environments, of the costumes and makeup. Look at these incredible characters that have been created, and the extraordinary fantasy world that they inhabit. What other film in the last decade even comes close to what has been created here?
I applaud Peter Jackson and his magnificent team, and I thank them for these wonderful films. These are films, and this is a world, that I know I will continue to revisit often in the years ahead.