The Hobbit Trilogy 4K UHD Blu-ray Review | Nerd of the Rings

[@NerdoftheRings]

Do you plan to pick up The Hobbit on 4K? If you have already received your copy of LOTR/Hobbit in 4K - what do you think?! Purchase Links: The Hobbit Trilogy on 4K UHD: amzn.to/37h9CiB The Lord of the Rings Trilogy on 4K UHD: amzn.to/3lluDOa

[@Doominator8713]

I plan on buying the Collectors Edition next year ^•^

[@imperfectxennial3008]

I plan on buying the Apple TV version to stream

[@FantasticExplorers]

I plan on getting the one in 2021

[@pepppery]

I just rewatched all of the Hobbit trilogy last week, first time since seeing them at the theatres. I basically liked them, but what really stands out in why I did not like them was the obvious kowtowing to the 3-d format, and retreading of very similar themes from LOTR ( the war scenes in particular), and inserting a theme of greed which is fairly present throughout the trilogy, ( a worthy subject, just for another movie). When the format is more important than the story that is when things go south real quick for me , i.e escaping from the orcs, some of the fight scene with smaug, etc. How many times can you fit in a ziplining scene into a movie. We get it . it's for 3-d (a format btw which I despise in movies). Anyhoo, There's a lot of great things in this trilogy. More gandalf !, Martin Freeman's Bilbo is a n A+, Smaug, more Legolas! I also liked Evangeline lilly story. My fave scene of the whole trilogy is Bilbo's monologue at the end of the first movie where he confronts Thorin about not believing in him. What I didn't like, is how the Dwarves were portrayed in general. I didn't like them, and their costumes came off as too cartoonish, ( for me). I didn't like the whole storyline about laketown. Also, Like I said above the cheesy 3-d aspects of the filming. They need to do this series again, but perhaps in a more serialized way, like maybe on tv. Tone down the epicness of it, and make it more of the adventure that it was written as. Thanks I know I rambled on.

[@RobsMemoryLane]

Waiting for the ultimate edition. Wish they'd make the 48p version available

[@aflemish4616]

And 9, 9 discs were gifted to the race of Men.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Haha. Nice.

[@mirkopasaporte3647]

who above all else desire quality...

[@per7658]

@@mirkopasaporte3647 epic dude

[@DustinHarrelson]

Well done😂

[@peavester]

Six.

[@JackSmith-ns1uq]

"While they warrant some criticism, they also don't get the credit they deserve" Couldn't have said it better.

[@NerdoftheRings]

👆 Jack gets it! 😁

[@JohnDRuddyMannyMan]

Those barrel Go-Pro shots ARE Go-Pro shots. They weren’t intended to be used but then they thought “eh, it looks fine!”

[@dpc4548]

@@willparker8498 but... peter jackson said that you couldn't tell!! In the cinema my first thought was, "why did they use gopros" ? It's like using a camera phone's camera.

[@dpc4548]

@@willparker8498 it's likely to have been shot in 4k on the gopros. The problem is the processing these cheap cameras do. Mixing them is a nightmare. That sort of thing is my job and it always sucks when someone films something on their camera phone and expects you to make it look movie worthy. The hobbit is a good showcase of your best results.

[@dpc4548]

@@willparker8498 the cg had problems at times, as did the visuals in general, but yea, the technical aspects were pretty damn good for 95% of it. Those guys and girls are real pros and jackson can frame things with the best. It's not the worst or greatest movie ever, but the look of it really does help with the enjoyment.

[@funtourhawk]

That entire sequence is a joke so it fits....just laugh at how bad the entire scene is and move on

[@gw5976]

I noticed that the first time I saw the movie at the cinema ... I said; It can't be, I can't believe it, it's gopro shots ... But I was not surprised, The Hobbit is a purely commercial movie ... far from being something like the book, unlike the LOTR trilogy

[@ryanpalmer2898]

After rewatching these, I think they’re BETTER than I remembered. And they’re gorgeous! People shouldn’t expect them to have the same chemistry as LOTR, rather these movies stand on their own!

[@WiesoNurMistnamen]

The books are also very different, so I think it makes sense that the movies turned out different as well

[@twinsfan9141]

I will not part with a single disc. Not. One piece of it.

[@21centuryhippie61]

Love the Hobbit movies Bc Martin Freeman was perfect casting for Bilbo Baggins.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Yes he was! I thought he did a wonderful job.

[@hazbojangles2681]

@Pops what about Fili

[@21centuryhippie61]

@Pops true, lol Edit: not funny about Thorin and Kili and Fili, just the Goblin king death was great, haha.

[@hazbojangles2681]

@Pops I kind of am referring to the book lol even though this is on the movie

[@hazbojangles2681]

@@ManOfTheNoldor kili was already mentioned in a previous comment

[@Ninjaned]

There are faults but I cannot help but love the Hobbit Trilogy.. just can't imagine anyone else as Bilbo or Thorin🔥

[@NerdoftheRings]

Definitely. The casting in these films, as with LOTR, is fantastic.

[@gzubeck3]

I didn't like the theatrical release of the Hobbit as it made Bilbo look like a dildo! The extended version cleaned things up a bit with better editing. In some ways I actually prefer the Hobbit over Lord of the Rings for all the irony and Humor that worked so well. Loved Goblin Town, Loved all the Dwarven Singing, Loved the sarcastic ending of so many characters, Loved the bear shapeshifter, loved the third wizard Radagast as the bestest cast character in the Hobbit. I would say the greatest strength of the Hobbit Trilogy is dead on Character casting for the film. Oh and almost forgot the sickly Troll scene. Lots of situational humor. Given that I mostly buy 4k movies for improved audio (Example Bladerunner 4k/ Bluray) I consider the sony 4k Bluray upconversion as adequate for me at the moment and will wait until box set prices come down. How's the audio in the 4k version...maybe that could be the impetus for purchasing the new set!

[@jon4715]

The Hobbit is unwatchably bad. I saw LotR in theaters, I watched the EE's and all the special features 10's of times. I saw Hobbit 1 and 2 in theaters...and I still haven't watched the third Hobbit film.

[@BanjoSick]

The Lord of the Rings has many flaws but is still great! The Hobbit is unwachtable garbage with some great scenes. It’s so bad, especially if you have read the novel.

[@gzubeck3]

@@jon4715 Yup...the theatrical version of the Hobbit sucks badly as Bilbo looks like Dildo. They cleaned it up a lot in the extended version. Yes, the trilogy is really not exactly the same as the book as sometimes they have to change it for the media type. None the less the extended version is much much better than theatrical release and simply could not watch it either.

[@bojakai2102]

I think Peter did ok with not having any pre production, i could be wrong, i believe he was thrown into this late and he had to make stuff as he went along

[@grant1691]

Yes, the timescales imposed on him were completely crazy when you consider how long pre-production was for LOTR. The Hobbit is imperfect in many more ways than we'd like but it's still amazing it's as good as it is.

[@GullibleTarget]

WB played a really nasty trick on del Toro and Jackson. They pussyfooted around everything to wait del Toro out. Once he was gone, they threatened to take production to eastern europe if NZ did not go along with their labour laws(basically they were offered money way below the nz pay grade) . They knew that a middle earth movie by Peter Jackson would sell better and go toe-to-toe with Rowlings Potter movies. They basically gave PJ an ultimatum: make the movie or, we'll take it elsewhere.

[@patrickc9726]

Personal opinion: I'll enjoy The Hobbit Trilogy for what it is. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it bad? I don't think so. The studio dropped the ball on this one but I still find moments that are very enjoyable Edit: grammar mistake

[@NerdoftheRings]

Totally agree. Lots to enjoy in these films!

[@patrickc9726]

@@NerdoftheRings thanks for the great video! I sent the LoTR review to a few friends of mine who were on the fence and are on the fence no more!

[@josephrichter2104]

@@NerdoftheRings I enjoyed the last two quite a bit as a Legolas fan. Trahduil and the rest of the mirkwood elves are great as well. If you don't have it already, I would recommend you try out Battle for Middle Earth 2, rise of the witch king, and the age of the ring mod 6.0 for it.

[@jonbaldwin]

How frequently do you think you'll watch them?

[@GullibleTarget]

Same. A rewatch is not complete if it does not include the hobbit movies

[@jyotichoukikar3392]

If more of us valued 4K UHD over pirated movies , it would be a merrier world

[@xGaLoSx]

I'm one of those dirty pirates. Haven't paid for a movie in 15 years. Since I upgraded to 4k a couple months ago, I've spent more than I care to admit lol. Can't get dolby vision from 4k remuxes.

[@thehunter7422]

Lol the Thorin quote 😁

[@jyotichoukikar3392]

@@thehunter7422 ikr

[@alumlovescake]

Fam what about 4k pirates

[@alumlovescake]

It probably be the opposite like pirates have stitched together the 2 parts of the LOTR Extended films a

[@JohnDRuddyMannyMan]

The Hobbit Appendices are Blu-ray. LOTR Appendices are DVDs ;)

[@kajetandziuda6190]

I haven't seen anything from this channel before these 4k reviews, but if this is indicative of the quality on this channel, you've just earned yourself a new subscriber, sir. What a lovely change of pace to hear a non-binary description of the Hobbit trilogy. Are they as good as the Lord of the Rings films? No, and they never were going to be. The source material was just not rich enough. But boy, do the Hobbit films make me feel like a kid again... they take me back to a time when I was reading the book for the first time and dreamt of an adaptation that would stand alongside the Lord of the Rings movies (which were my gateway drug into a lifelong love of fantasy).

[@gijsvandeneynde1264]

It is better to have a film than non

[@korvkioskshelvete]

Coming from a guy growing up in the 80:s getting lost in movies like ”The Never Ending Story” I feel that kids of today are waaay to focused on effects and CGI and how real it looks. We are supposed to use our fantasy, not be convinced we are watching real footage. I have never understood the ”that looks iffy” comments. I’m just amazed with how movie effects has evolved since I was a kid. I’m greatful that I live in a time where movies like these can be made.

[@MrNiceGuyHistory]

Yep same here as you can probably tell from my early 80s avatar. I first read the Hobbit in 1990 and LOTR in 1991 while I was in middle school long before either film trilogy was released. I am amazed when I watch the films, though they don't follow the books exactly, the scenery and characters are almost identical to what I had visualized in my mind when reading the books as a child.

[@vidkris1535]

“I don’t watch anything as much as I watch the Lord of the Rings” Amen!

[@mgelb3302]

Can't tell you how much I enjoy your channel! Keep it up! As far as the Hobbit trilogy in general- what I realized after watching the Extended versions is besides for the story of the Hobbit (with superb acting from Bilbo/Martin Freeman ; Thorin/Richard Armitage and of course Gandalf/Ian Mckellan) I was most intrigued by the scenes of the White Council and Gandalf's mission. Most of this is pulled from Tolkien's unfinished tales and other books from the Legendarium and they did a fantastic job fleshing out the backstory and portraying it on film in an amazing way. Especially the sacking of Dol Goldur. I love the lore of Tolkien as much as the actual story of LOTR and I feel this is really where the movie shines. It really gives the fan a great feel for Gandalf toils in Middle Earth and how he really fulfilled his destiny and purpose of the Istari. Just my two sense ✌

[@joefidell4068]

These films weren't bad, they were just expected to live up to the best 3 films ever made in lotr.

[@adamk5305]

Yeah, you gotta have a good sound system to enjoy these movies thoroughly. Smaug's voice coming through an SVS Ultra Center and 3 subwoofers will leave a tear in your eye. I feel bad for people who disliked the films yet watched it on their phone Lol

[@Sweeney732]

Please tell me that they fixed those horrible armies of CG elven clones including the scene where Thranduil goes through his troops on his elk.

[@justice4all190]

Honestly that was WAY OFF in all trilogy, just terrible decision for CGI quality.....

[@TeenageMutantZuckerTurtle]

I already have the Appendices in my Blu Ray set and my original DVD set. The video quality is so low on them (which really doesn’t matter because listening to the interviews is really what they’re for, the video quality has pretty much zero bearing on them) that I really see no reason to own them a third time on a 4k disc. Seriously, anyone who is at all interested in watching them likely already has them from another set like me. Putting them into the new sets would just increase the disc count with something the average viewer will never touch, unnecessarily inflating the price with something that 9/10 people don’t need. I would MUCH rather have both the theatrical and extended cuts like in this new set, than have a third copy of the appendices and need to buy a whole different set to also get the theatrical versions. For me, this is really the best way they could have done this set. This is the first time we’ve gotten both cuts together in one package that ISNT some huge special edition that comes in a leather bound book or something and costs $300. And that’s the thing, anyone who’s a serious enough fan to want ANOTHER copy of the appendices is likely to get the upcoming collector’s edition anyway. So I really see no cons in this set not including appendices. The trade off of not having them, but instead getting both cuts of the films in an affordable package, is more than worth it to me. For the few people that want them, there’s the upcoming collector’a edition, or the past blu ray set which will now be far cheaper and have the same video quality on the special features. Nobody loses here.

[@fgdj2000]

I initially disliked The Hobbit.. didn‘t hate it but it didn’t click with me, so much so that I didn’t even watch DoS in cinemas. However in 2014 just before BotFA somehow suddenly they did click with me and I‘ve loved them ever since. To me Hobbit and LotR have become the same 6-part film series and I watch them every year or so, usually alternating between theatrical and extended editions, so it always feels kinda fresh. In recent years I think I‘ve come to prefer the theatrical cuts for their incredible pacing and flow, yet they still deeply immerse you in Middle Earth. Last but not least, The Appendices and Acosta Boates Behind the Scenes are so amazing that I care at least as much about the story of the people who made these films as I do about the films themselves. So, even though I consider myself a bigger Star Wars fan (yes, I love all nine films), I think I still give Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth films the Edge as my favorite film series of all time.

[@johnwoody2587]

I have to disagree with you about the lack of appendices. For 90 dollars, both sets really should come with them frankly.

[@Gabagu]

I love the Hobbit movies, I actually prefer them over LOTR, the story is smaller which makes it a little more appealing and personal, and I just find the antagonists much more interesting compared to Sauron. Smaug, the Elves, even the Orcs feel more charismatic, with better character design, like Azog. And the acting is superb, love the cast.

[@joelcrofts]

The Feast of Starlight motif is also a beautiful part of the Hobbit score. Definitely one of the musical standouts.

[@fgdj2000]

The woodland realm, the forest river battle, tauriel‘s theme, Smaug‘s slithering theme, Azog‘s theme (which is a piece of Sauron‘s theme, quite clever). To me the score is as memorable as LOtR The only real dropping of the ball for me was using the Ringwraith theme for Thorin‘s charge in AUJ (because it had no business being here) and Ed Sheeran‘s I see Fire in the credits of DoS… which wasn’t a bad song, but to me didn’t fit with these movies.

[@GandalfGreyhame3]

Your review is very much how I felt! The surround sound is insane in this, you wont regret upgrading!

[@giles852002]

This 4K set made me fall in love with these movies, a love that wasn’t there for the Blu-Ray. CGI blends better so you’re not distracted by how bad it looked on Blu-Ray!

[@thehunter7422]

It's so tough cause it's like a tradition for me at this point I believe I still have my single dvds for the theatrical versions Hobbit and Lord of the rings (also VHS tapes for LOTR as well) I have the extended editons for the Hobbit and Lord of the rings for dvd and for blu ray as well. Now that I'm hearing so many good things about this I wanna get it so badly . But part of me wants to get the ultimate collection as well. Might just wait cause I spent alot already for Christmas and other stuff . Plus I ain't got a 4k Blu ray player yet which of course that will eventually be the PS5 whenever I can get my hands on one lol

[@friedpickle8332]

Love the Hobbit films to death and just got this as my very first 4K UHD Blu-Ray. Looks fantastic. Perfect films to test new 4k players and TVs. Since I don't watch the Theatrical Editions, I hope they eventually come out with a decent set of just the Extended Editions on 4K.

[@grant1691]

Every AV system I've had in the last (almost) 20 years has always involved a demo of the Hobbiton scene from the beginning of Fellowship (good colour, environmental effects etc), culminating in the fireworks every time. The 4k version absolutely rocked my world and I know the rest of the trilogy will be amazing based off how good it is. I tried out the beginning of Unexpected journey...not dissappointed - the short fireworks excerpt is better than the 1080p / DTS offering and the unexpected party an absolute delight. The only dilemma I'm facing is which trilogy to watch first :)

[@NerdoftheRings]

That’s awesome to hear. Glad you’re enjoying your time in 4K Middle-earth!

[@yungdon1934]

I actually had no idea that a lot of people didn’t like the hobbit trilogy, I just remember watching all 3 and loving them.

[@goldenultra]

Same here, too scared to say anything for this reason. Also loved the get back sessions, and his eighties horror flick when I was a kid.

[@annaroselarsen4218]

Lotr is the best but the hobbit is good too!

[@PleaseNThankYou]

I'm a HOBBIT type of fan but the Silmarillion improved my perspective on LOTR so now I'm just conflicted. No, still Thorin's girl!

[@annaroselarsen4218]

@@PleaseNThankYou yes! Same the hobbit the first one is my favorite and music is awesome the silmarillom is good to and the unfinished tales

[@TeenageMutantZuckerTurtle]

@@annaroselarsen4218 You should read the more recent trilogy of stories from the First Age. (I don’t think it has an official name). Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthian, and The Fall of Gondolin. They’re relatively new (Hurin came out in 2007 I think, Gondolin came out a couple years ago). They were Christopher Tolkien’s final contribution to his father’s legacy, one last gift to fans from Tolkien’s previously-unpublished drafts. They take those three stories, which were slimmed down to form chapters in the Silmarillion, and extend them into their full glory as Tolkien originally wrote and intended them to be. The plots and characters receive a lot more development, given more room to breath in their own book. There are multiple versions of the story, or parts of the story, aside from the “main” one in Beren and Luthien and Fall of Gondolin, as well as (skippable, but interesting) commentary on the differences and how the stories changed over time as Tolkien revised them. If you read the Silmarillion, they will each be pretty familiar (especially Hurin) but there’s enough new depth and context to make them the definitive versions of those stories. It’s basically like the Extended Editions did for the movies, but for three chunks of the Silmarillion instead. To my knowledge, like all of Tolkien’s scattered miscellaneous writings, some things WERE altered or cut to fit them into the Silmarillion and not have any contradictions, so these full versions don’t *perfectly* fit into the Silmarillion’s timeline. But any differences or contradictions are pretty minor and you might not even notice them unless you have the Silmarillion memorized page-for-page and know where to look. They’re definitely worth reading, and in their full forms each story sort of has its own genre and identity. Children of Hurin is an almost-Shakespearean tragedy. Beren and Luthien is like an epic myth. The Fall of Gondolin is actually the first thing that Tolkien wrote in what would later become his Middle Earth legendarium, written when he was recovering in a hospital from an injury during WW1, so its imagery evokes the recent experience of a WW1 soldier. Beren and Luthien (and maybe Fall of Gondolin, I can’t remember) even have alternate versions of the story/parts of the story which Tolkien rewrote in the form of poems. They’re just so interesting to read, and IMO in their full forms the stories are now their own distinct books as they always deserved to be, with fleshed-out characters more similar to those in the LoTR and the Hobbit. I appreciate those stories more and find them more memorable now than I did when they were just chapters in the Silmarillion. I’m so glad Christopher Tolkien put together and released the trilogy in the decade before his death, as one final gift to us from the last living person to know the full extent and depth of all the unreleased Tolkien writings, the last person truly qualified to keep the writing and themes intact while editing them into publishable, book-worthy forms.

[@88alaktal]

In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, there is a DVD with The Appendices Parts IX and X, which is a showcase an immersive multi-part history of the filming of The Hobbit. And there the makers confirmed, that they are used GoPro footage.

[@Andyyybeeeee]

Hi, I’ve stumbled upon your channel after trying to research something. Been a life long fan of middle earth and some of my onLy positive memories growing up, very fond they are to me though. How accurate is the information you provide around lore ? I really appreciate anyone that really takes the time to delve into the pits of knowledge and I’m just wondering wether it’s all fact or some fact and some interpretation. Also great video I’m a lover of both movie sets despite being a book reader before their release. Thank you so much I do love to see passion for this growing daily 🙏🏻👊🏻

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks for watching! I try to be as accurate as possible and consult multiple sources when researching my videos, including breaking out my copies of the books - including the History of Middle-earth set. :)

[@Andyyybeeeee]

@@NerdoftheRings awesome thank you so much, I wish I had the time to pull out all my books but I just don’t , was looking for a reliable source to watch while cooking or listen to at the gym. Thanks for the response really appreciate it and got my sub 👍🏻💪🏻

[@astropictures4396]

OK but BOTFA is so amazing in its extended form imo

[@iforgot87872]

4:15- Can we also add the shot of Legolas riding the horse away from Laketown at the end of Desolation of Smaug? I thought that looked video gamey personally. By the way I think the reason that Smaug/ Thorin shot looks weak is because they ran out of time to render all of the frames and went every other frame or did some kind of blending. It always looked to me like the frame rate actually goes down in that shot.

[@GullibleTarget]

I hate that shot. Reminds me of a horse in Shrek

[@hubertcumberdale2008]

I agree, while The Hobbit Trilogy isn't perfect, I'm still being entertained by them. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is a definite must see Trilogy once (or twice) per year. I usually sit down and watch all three parts in their extended edition in one sitting. Can't wait to do that during my upcoming Christmas holiday. As I already commented on your LotR 4k review, I just ordered them (both trilogies) while watching said review. I guess that's my personal Xmas gift to myself. 😅

[@jomanclus108]

Thanks for the honest review Matt. I enjoyed the films for what they were. Many book to film adaptations are much worse. What people seem to forget is that a lot of what we see is Guillermo del Toro's vision not PJ's. PJ came to the films very late - when a lot of the groundwork had already been done. Time was very tight & he didn't have anything near the prep time he had for LOTR. Given the difficulties he faced, I think he did a better than OK job. We also know that some of the changes were forced on PJ by the studio who, at the end of the day, was paying for the films to be made. I'm just grateful that PJ ended up making the films & enabled us all to return to Middle-earth. I expect I'll get a lot of downvotes for my views ...

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Glad you enjoyed the review. One small thing I would amend is that nothing of GDT's Hobbit was kept for these films. It's all PJ's, but like you said, it was on a crazy short timeline, which didn't help anything.

[@jomanclus108]

@@NerdoftheRings Thanks Matt. I really thought that, because of the very short timeline, PJ got lumbered with some of the decisions that GDT had already made as it was too late to change everything.

[@colinbooth531]

I have an LG 65" OLED and a Dolby Atmos system, I'm not here to brag, I just wanted to say that having really good hardware really makes a massive difference to the 'experience' of watching something mastered to a high standard with spacial audio. Go for it, you'll never look back.

[@TeenageMutantZuckerTurtle]

I actually didn’t mind the more cartoony tone of the action and dialog in the Hobbit trilogy. I was more annoyed by pointless additions to the plot (cough cough love triangle) than I was by those goofy moments. The Hobbit book was far lighter in tone and more like a fairy tale than Tolkien’s other writings, as it was intended to be a children’s book. It never really took itself all too seriously. To make the movies take themselves too seriously would have been (and was, in the case of the third movie) a mistake. I actually think that tone was translated (relatively) well in the first two movies. The Dwarves singing was ripped straight from the pages, the slightly-comedic banter between the characters and the music queues that accompanied it fit the tone well, and because there was of course going to more focus on action than in the book, the more cartoony sequences like the Goblin escape, the Barrel escape, and the Dwarves hijinks against Smaug actually fit the book’s tone much better than gritty serious action scenes would have. TBH the “Legolas killing a giant elephant with ac-bow-batics”-style CGI silliness always fit the Hobbit better than it did the Lord of The Rings. Yes, I like the singing and the goofy tone, and think it’s much better than the alternative of being serious and gritty, fight me. I think the third Hobbit movie is actually one that didn’t fit the tone of the book, or even the other movies. At all. Of course there was going to be too much action, because it is centered around the battle, but it could have at least been better-matched to the tone of the action in the first two movies. But when it was needed most, that light, fun, cartoony tone was almost completely lost, especially in the theatrical cut. It was way too dark, the battle was way too dramatic and overbearingly gritty. The chariot scene and the parts focusing on the more underused, “random” dwarf companions in the Extended Edition added some much-needed levity to the movie, and broke up the gritty misery with some scenes that could at least make the audience crack a smile. But it still really wasn’t enough. TBH I wish they would have cut most of the several “random good guys dying in slow motion to sad music” parts when they were adding the lighter silly stuff into the Extended Edition. I don’t care if that would make the movie shorter, it would have made it better. And yes Alfred was a garbage character, where they tried *too hard* to make comic relief. He shouldn’t have been in the third movie at all. I didn’t mind his two or three short scenes as the Master’s annoying Toady in DoS, but he should have died in the beginning of this movie with the Master and his other goons. Making him a more central character and giving him so much screen time in BoTFA was such a dumb decision. But I did actually like seeing him die in the Extended Edition. Yes it was stupid. Yes it was one more unnecessary scene with an unnecessary character. But it was a pathetic, annoying, stupid, and totally implausible death for a pathetic, annoying, stupid, implausible character. I actually laughed at how stupid it was the first time I saw it. The only time anything involving Alfred succeeding at being comedic to me. If Alfred is going to plague the third movie with so many scenes of his stupid character, he might as well get one more scene that provides him a stupid (and much deserved) death that matches his absurdity. He’s already there so much anyway, that giving him one more scene and a fitting death can’t really make the movie any worse. Anyway that’s my outlook on the cartoony tone and use of CGI in the Hobbit Trilogy. The first two did well enough with their tone, not amazing but not terrible, and then the third threw that tone away and tried to be 300. The departure from the books is a completely different issue that I won’t go into, but for what they were, I actually enjoyed the Hobbit movies (mostly the first two, especially the first one) enough to not hate them. I actually like the first one, it’s for the most part pretty solid and the only one that successfully recaptured the sense of wonder and whimsy that the LoTR movies could have at times.

[@Kacpa2]

I am bothered by lots of stupid omissions and choices with Battle of Five Armies even in Extended edition. They still ommitted the eulogy that Gandalf gives at Thorin's Funeral, only keeping "the King is dead" part like in theatrical cut, same with Gandalf confronting Thranduil about his wife and that his son is more important than her jewels. It also introduced even more inconsistencies and excess instead of fixing it and making the movie feel tigher and more logical, like Goat cavalry shouldnt even be there it shoul be closer to how theatrical cut was with fewer dwarves and just few goat riding officers 1 or 2 carriages and maybe twirly wirlies far back. that actually would get used against the orcs. and to make sure goats and 1 carriage is present in few shots where htey should be so following scenes make sense. They should remove Alfrid/Alfred entirely from the 3rd film, and tone down the love triangle to friendship. This could save quite a lot of time for more emotional scenes. First and Second movies are perfectly fine tho it could be a tiny bit shorter, i guess i will have to settle for one of the fan edits.

[@Kacpa2]

In more brief fashion i could just say that Lotr's Extended Editions were just Directors Cut versions because they didnt have any excess ots just more material from the book trimmed for shorter runtime. And theatrical versions shows it alot with continuity and dialogue that stems from missing footage. Hobbit movies were somewhat lile thos until Battle of Five Armies, where its just more tacked on elements and fluff while more meaningful seqeunces got cut in both versions.

[@pieternaude1469]

Thanks for that review. Truth be told I will not be picking the UHD edition of The Hobbit. I came out of the cinema each time feeling a little sick, and the prospect of sitting through 4k, extended versions of this is just a tad bit too much. May those who like these movies enjoy them for all time. Me? I'd rather just rewatch the LOTR trilogy.

[@bentertainmentproductions8451]

I just purchased the digitals off of “Movies Anywhere” and I thought the rendering/modifications made the entire experience feel like a breath of fresh air. It feels more tonally aligned with Lord of the Rings despite the fact that trilogy still suffers from being a trilogy to begin with. Anywho, I really enjoyed myself returning this corner of the Middle Earth tale.

[@robcharette1915]

Love the Hobbit trilogy. Sure it’s not perfect and some liberties were taken but it’s still a very enjoyable series that i have watched many times. I think most of the casting was really excellent and it’s just so great to see Gandalf again.

[@pho3nix-]

Even if Rivendell looks "cleaner" and more crisp in The Hobbit - LotR had over a year of pre-production prep which really shows. I wish Peter had more time to finish these movies.

[@sharksbean]

Flawed though they are I love the Hobbit trilogy( specifically the extended cut)

[@johnnythesnow253]

Yes, thank you! There's so much more to love about The Hobbit trilogy than to hate. Btw, how does the colour grading look in 4k? Is it still a little bit weird or out of place as it was before? Smaug is the best CGI character in film history (Gollum as well but Smaug is just bloody massive, isn't he:). I wish they would cut out that Bombur scene with the barrel. And of course we all passionately dislike that forced love triangle:)

[@MrNicodemus11]

I bought the extended editions of lord of the rings and the hobbit on iTunes and when I heard it was getting a 4K restoration I was super excited because I knew iTunes would automatically upgrade my purchase. I’m re watching and even in digital form it looks amazing. The only movie that somehow hasn’t changed from HD to 4K is return of the king at the moment only the theatrical has the 4K in iTunes but not the extended but maybe in a few days I changes. Regardless everything you said is on point and this for me is the movie I will demo from now on.

[@TeenageMutantZuckerTurtle]

Yea, it confuses me why Return of the Kings is still regular HD. The only reason I can think of is some error. Some intern forgot to push the 4K iTunes button for that one.

[@Dr_Cole]

I may be a little late to this review but it was outstanding. I have a very similar take on The Hobbit. Despite some screenplay flaws and a few gross over-Hollywoodizing of some action scenes, these movies were fun, moving, and absolutely enveloped me in Middle Earth for many wonderful hours. Our main giant TV is not even 4K, so we’ve only seen this 4K version on our 42” TV. About 2 years ago we added a 75” 4K UHD TV to our second game room and my high school-aged son has been getting deep into Tolkien. I came in when he was watching this version of The Hobbit and WOW did it look great. We do t watch a lot of TV or films in the house but I have ever since been looking forward to rewatching these on the large 4K TV.

[@w-james9277]

Some people love it, some hate it and I just think it's fun but flawed.

[@ofantastycekameralnie1600]

LOTR and Hobbit... in one day

[@outthewindow9773]

I love the hobbit trilogy. Granted I think that lord of rings is by far the best. There is some moments in The Hobbit trilogy that are amazing. For instance when the dwarfs sing their song(so good). Also like everyone else is saying the casting was perfect, especially Bilbo and Thorin. Keep up the amazing work.

[@TheBeird]

Seeing as I never wanted more Middle Earth films after Rings, even when Del Toro was gonna do em, I can’t ever see myself not watching all six in the internal chronology from here on out. I can’t tell people what their subjective view of any film should be, nor would I want to, but with all the craft that went into making the Hobbit trilogy, against the back breaking schedule they had, and with all the care that went into tying it up with Rings without contradicting it and giving more context as best as could possibly be, and given the quality of the performances . . . If you think these belong in the same breath as the Star Wars prequels, or sequels . . . Then you cray cray

[@Bauglir100]

The Hobbit was written first, so it's only right that you should watch it first. Even Peter Jackson once said he hopes newcomers to the series will start with The Hobbit before getting into The Lord of the Rings. I actually showed The Hobbit to my grandma before The Lord of the Rings. In fact, I showed them to her when they were each in theaters and I patiently waited three years for all of them to come out before showing her LOTR. She ended up enjoying all six, and she usually doesn't like movies that are too violent or scary. She once said that she wouldn't have enjoyed the movies the same way if we had started with LOTR.

[@meteorman6167]

I hope it gets rid of the stupid glossy look. It’s horrible. During the battle of the five armies, everyone was glossy and really cgi looking. Ruined it.

[@GullibleTarget]

That movie gave me a headache. Like a long videogame

[@fgdj2000]

I recently got the newly remastered Blu Rays and I have to say, even without 4K, LOTR looks great. I know some people don't like that the new color grading is now very much in line with The Hobbit, but I like that the movies now look consistent. It was something that was actually bugging me, although I didn't quite know until this release.

[@sinistercinemareviews5420]

Definitely will come back for your Amazon show reviews whenever that comes out.

[@MrNiceGuyHistory]

I dread what the modern super woke producers will do to the Tolkien universe.

[@blackgenesisishere]

I am a huge LOTR fan. Owned the movies on both DVD and Bluray...can't wait to pick up both 4k sets. I will honestly pick up any version they come out with.

[@MKF30]

Great breakdown and review bro, few others I watch on here who do movie reviews have all told me to get these that you have listed in your pinned comment! Thanks! They sound like they look amazing on top of them already being amazing! Are you excited for the Amazon Prequel series coming next year?

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks! And yes, I am definitely excited for the Amazon series. Cautiously optimistic, but overall very excited. I just love the experience of being transported to Middle-earth, so if they nail the tone and the cast is good - good things will come!

[@MKF30]

@@NerdoftheRings Yeah same lol. I'm just hoping they don't kill it or tarnish it like almost everything else now days with the whole *woke* bs know what I mean? Like focus on the story and nothing PC and I think it'll do well. Sometimes what hollywood does now is they bank on the popularity of a franchise(ie star trek, star wars movies or shows) ruin it with that crap and it still makes money yet turns a lot of fans off. So we'll see what happens but I too am excited and as you said cautiously optimistic lol.

[@Lead_Foot]

The hdr makes good use of the extra range of brightness. Any difference in colors is just from color grading. This remaster doesn't make any use of wide color gamut.

[@eberco5]

Great review. Will you be doing a 40K live stream next week?

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks! I need to play a little catch-up after taking time away from my regular schedule to watch these 6 movies and do the review videos - not that I am complaining, mind! I'll gladly sit on my couch for 3 days to watch these movies anytime - especially in 4K! I'll probably wait until next week and see where the subscriber count is. I may hold off and do a big livestream for 50k if I'm closing in on that number. :)

[@eberco5]

@@NerdoftheRings Sounds good. And personally I think I’m going to wait until the collectors editions come out to make the purchase. Just seems worth it! Can’t wait! Congrats on 40K!!!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks!!

[@starrynight6268]

Well, in my opinion. I'll give lotr 10/10, the hobbit 8/10. Both have great casting, visuals, storylines and pacing. Even though the hobbit is affected by overuse of cgi and less grandeur than lotr, I think PJ already managed to fulfil a great piece of work through just one child fantasy novel. I still think the new characters are not bad. Tauriel and Kili has a beautiful chemistry and tell us the potential of any kind of platonic and romantic love between elves, men and dwarfs. Another good thing about the hobbit is that it gives us an inner depth of all characters, not just being completely perfect or bad. Eg. Thranduil's pride and indifference comparing with Elrond and Galadriel, Thorin succumbing to madness and redemption arc etc. That's why watching the hobbit and lotr are a wonderful experience to me.

[@OvnicentAparatus]

Well I still don’t know why people shit on the hobbit movies. I loved them just like I love The lord of the Rings trilogy. I love fantasy movies and tv show and I appreciated them all. Harry Potter and Game of thrones been perfect examples why I love fantasy movies.

[@MrNiceGuyHistory]

When I first saw the Hobbit films I was a little let down probably from unrealistic expectations but with each viewing I appreciate them more and more. Only really good films get better with each viewing.

[@davidwilson6577]

Because they're awful. They cripple the narrative by appealing to spectacle and out of place humour, in doing so forgoing investment in any audience that values coherence. Humour of course has its place in The Hobbit, but the tone-deafness of those films permeates everything. Beardless dwarves and drunken elves should not be ignored. About the only saving grace are performances from the LoTR cast, and the man who played Bilbo, whose name escapes me. The CG is terrible, by the way. Game of Thrones is an insult to ASOIAF, the main plot of that show centres on a trope of fantasy that GRRM specifically cited as something he wrote the series to avoid; the Dark Lord, which does not exist in the books. There are many other reasons but that one is just so blatant. This comment could become a many-thousand word essay on the failings of GoT in chronological order, starting with Ros in season 1, the injustice done to those books has left a wound on my soul, but this comment is probably already far too long. Harry Potter is fun, at least, but also hopelessly incoherent. The simplest example is the time turner (no, their convenient destruction does not fix this) and Felix Felicia, or whatever it's called, which are both incredibly overpowered and not justifiably sparse like the Elder Wand.

[@OvnicentAparatus]

@@davidwilson6577 Damn bro, you are full of hate and can’t see nothing good. You are blinded by hate. Your comment mean nothing.

[@davidwilson6577]

@@OvnicentAparatus why is liking a bad film morally superior to disliking a good one? I'm full of appreciation for narratives which are properly crafted, and full of disappointment for the state of modern fantasy and sci-fi.

[@aaronsmith6167]

I'm pretty sure the appendices on the Hobbit blu ray editions are in HD and not SD like the lord of the rings Appendices.

[@FilmGamerHUN]

Yes they are

[@ShadMcNeil]

Just popping by to say the go pro shots drive me nuts!!!

[@TheHipisterDeer]

24 fps, new 4k transfer and re-rendered CGI for the hobbit trillogy? Shit it's like watching it for the first time all over again, can't wait to get it.

[@elongatuspiranha]

7.x.4 would blow your socks off. The Smaug part was very cool.

[@imperfectxennial3008]

I love the Hobbit trilogy but I still like LotR better

[@edbouhl3100]

Time to see what 4K players are on the market and the best time to buy one! I’ll probably wait for summer 2021 for the movies (or later, when the price moderates).

[@zybch]

Just get one of the new consoles, or even an xbox One s. They do a good job and you get a free games system thrown in for free.

[@noelhernandez2589]

I've watched The Hobbit for the first time (watched extended edition) after picking it up on 4K UHD, and even though it might not be as good as TLOTR trilogy, I actually liked it for what it is. Me and my step-dad watched together as he hasn't watched the movies since they first came out, but he liked the extended editions a lot better than the theatrical. I'm planning to get the collector's set possibly for my 20th birthday

[@peterm.4355]

They didn't go back to the original 5K files, these are just upscaled / denoised / sharpened original 2K masters.

[@jjlnguess7354]

I recommend a Denon X4700H with a good 2 channel amp to add 2 extra Atmos speakers. Research and go with a 7.2.4 Atmos system. And get 2 HSU VTF-2 MK5 subwoofers with a Polk or Klipsch 9 channel setup having front, left, right, center speakers and 4 surround speakers and 4 Atmos speakers. Calibrate according to the built in Audyssey mic/software in the Denon and you will not regret it. I promise.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks for the recommendation! I’ve been in the research phase on home audio, as it’s not my area of expertise. I will definitely look all of this up! Sounds like a good setup!

[@jjlnguess7354]

Yes sir. That’s what I have and I love it. LOTR and Hobbit were amazing on my system in BluRay. All the building cracking and crumbling scenes sounded and felt like I was actually there. So yeah it’s worth it. I recommend this group on Facebook to you for Home Theater research. They’re great and helped me max out my setup as good as professionals would do. They’re called “Home Theater Enthusiasts”. m.facebook.com/groups/hometheaterenthusiasts/

[@YoshiCookie]

I have a Denon receiver. Why would I need an amp on top of that?

[@jjlnguess7354]

@@YoshiCookie for instance on my Denon X4500H it can process up to 11 channels/speakers. But in order to get the 10th and 11th channels/speakers (which would be a 2nd set of Atmos speakers) you have to go from the Audio Out ports for channels 10 and 11 on the Denon AVR into the Audio In ports on a 2 channel amp, then speaker wires out from the amp to your 2nd set of Atmos speakers. Essentially the Denon can process the signal for 4 Atmos speakers but can only power 2 of those Atmos speakers, you have to power the other two Atmos speakers with an external 2 channel amp. If you’re going to go for Dolby Atmos, I highly recommend using 4 Atmos speakers. Hope that helps.

[@YoshiCookie]

@@jjlnguess7354 That kind of makes sense. That said, I don’t have Atmos and likely don’t plan on getting Atmos any time soon.

[@imezekiel4299]

Are you not able to show comparisons?

[@anduinbrothar5708]

The barrel scene did feature go pro footage

[@marionbaggins]

IDK, If I will have time yet to Buy and Binge the EE...Guess I will have to Wait and See...

[@GhoulishGwyn]

The Vudu version of the six 4K extended editions includes all the Appendices and other extras from prior releases. Don’t know if that‘s the same for the digital copies that come with the physical 4K.

[@briandeluca4318]

$90 is kinda high tho

[@acurisur]

Just but the digital version, it's much cheaper.

[@maximiliancordedda]

Blasphemist ​@@acurisur

[@MichaelPokeTeacher]

The Middle Earth 6 film Extended set on Apple TV has been upgraded to 4K and includes all the bonus features for a very reasonable price.

[@thomaspalsson395]

But with inferior quality.

[@tonertonki]

The barrel shots, or the barrel scenes, what bothers me is that there are only 13 barrels, where the hell did Bombur get another Barrel after he destroyed his own. Also, when they met Bard, the barrels are 14 including Bilbo, Peter Jackson really got lazy with the hobbit.

[@Abbysfaco]

I will just stick to the Maple Edit. I could really recommend it

[@timn6484]

I got this and I just finished watching all three extended editions and I will say I didn't notice the added scenes too much but I also didn't think it was too long. I really don't get why this trilogy gets so much hate. I really like it.

[@FilmGamerHUN]

May be at 2021 Summer with the collectors edition the extras will be remastered also!

[@Henriksylvander]

I doubt that it did, but did they change/remove the Wilhelm scream from Thrain's death scene in the extended cut of DoS?

[@aran2457]

Agreed! I am not sure if I am to get The Ultimate Editon that will release in summer 2021 or the films only... I think I will wait until TUE is released next year and then take it from there...;)

[@FilmGamerHUN]

May be they will release remastered extras also

[@aran2457]

@@FilmGamerHUN Yes, hopefully 🙏🏾

[@stevelamasney]

Thank you for your great reviews

[@zoet9322]

Hello! First off - huge fan of this channel so far. Really cool stuff. Second off, could you do a video on Tom Bombadil? He is one of my absolute favorite characters but a lot about him seems to be left in the dark when I read the stories. Would be super cool to see a Tolkien Explained vid about him!

[@NerdoftheRings]

So glad you’re enjoying the channel! I will definitely be doing a Tom Bombadil video in the future! I’m trying to balance out the bigger topics with my schedule, but he is definitely on the to-do list. Also, I love the username! 😁

[@zoet9322]

@@NerdoftheRings Woohoo!! Awesome. Haha thanks! lol

[@sergiouggiano3899]

Hello. Do you think it will still impress with just standard HDR?

[@efp722]

Definitely GoPro footage. They briefly talk about it in the appendicies

[@experiencedwitness2575]

Please do a video where you put VHS side-by-side with 4K

[@xGeoThumbs]

They really toned down the saturation in some scenes. For example in Bilbo's house in the beginning.

[@Alandennis1]

When you have a digital copy, are you able to download them into (say) Google play so they are not only available as streamed?

[@elffanatic2000]

Dude, I love your shirt! Has anyone else noticed what it was, or is it just me?

[@NerdoftheRings]

There's been a few that have mentioned it, but it's definitely a deep-cut reference. :) Good catch!

[@elffanatic2000]

@@NerdoftheRings that's a welcome surprise for sure! I knew immediately when I saw it and just had to mention it! Good stuff, brother :)

[@MedievalFantasy93]

I absolutely love The Hobbit films just as much as the LOTR films. IMO, they all blend together well and tell a great story spanning years. I gotta disagree with you on the soundtrack for The Hobbit, though. The scores are really iconic and years later I’ll just find myself humming Tauriel’s theme out of nowhere, or Smaug’s theme. The Sons of Durin track, when they charge out of the mountain is probably the best scene in all Middle-earth movies to me, gives me goosebumps. And the Ravenhill track is also epic, love when Azog charges out of the shadows at Thorin and that chanting music comes on. The scores for these films are too underrated, IMO.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks for chiming in! I will admit, I find myself humming the lake-town theme almost as often as the Fellowship theme. Don’t get me wrong, the music is still great, I just think themes like Isengard, the One Ring, and Rohan are more iconic/memorable than most of the ones in The Hobbit. I will say, I wish they used the “Misty Mountains” dwarves theme past the first film. It’s so good.

[@MedievalFantasy93]

@@NerdoftheRings hey, your opinion is just as valid as mine and I totally agree where you’re coming from. Shore absolutely killed it with all six films, in the end. And Doug Adams stated they chose not to use the Misty Mountains theme after AUJ due to it not really fitting with the other two films, since that stage of their journey was over. The Sons of Durin theme is meant to be the main dwarves theme. Any by the way, I gotta say you’re my favorite Middle-earth KZbinr! Your videos are awesome! 👍

[@Highcastle_of_Tone]

I enjoy the trilogy and I’d rather have them than not. I’m not a huge fan of the Disneyland ride sequences and the love triangle, but it’s still more time in Middle Earth and I like the necromancer plot additions. The acting, cinematography and music are all great. Now that I’m aware of the missing bonus features, it’s easier to hold off until next summer. I know they won’t necessarily include everything on the ultimate editions, but these current versions are pretty sparse.

[@Lost_Vegas]

Does the 4k picture on these Blu-Ray Discs come out at 48fps, as seen in theaters?

[@bryce148]

Hi, great review, as always. I'm a bit late to the party, but should you have an affiliate link that's usable in the Netherlands/Europe, I'd be glad to use it.

[@Sactown15]

If the super duper collectors set has new commentaries im gonna be jealous.

[@rinzlur-k6m]

This all sounds exciting but I think I’m going to wait for summer because I really want those special features since I don’t own physical copies of the movies.

[@rebelembassy7527]

I was going to 100% buy this until you said there’s a collectors edition coming out next year. Also, how the hell have I only just found this channel?!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Haha. Idk! I’m glad you found the channel though! Hope you enjoy!

[@Hervinbalfour]

Damn! Now I wish I had waited.

[@lucasschulze2580]

Despite of getting 2 full trilogies for free you were really honest about what the hobbit trilogy really is. Not great but still good movies

[@aerodactylus8533]

Did Peter Jackson remove Thrain's Wilhelm Scream ? ^^'

[@joelcrofts]

Omg this was so jarring the first time I watched it

[@Shenmue06]

The Hobbit trilogy are good movie's but the first 3 that were released are masterpieces. They're all worth owning in 4k.

[@Tobberz]

Do we have any more info on what the Ultimate Collectors Editions will involve?