Well, we knew this was coming, better to just get it out there and deal with it. The Lord of the Rings extended editions were legendary, eagerly anticipated events as those three hour epics still left fans wanting more. When Peter Jackson announced plans for extended editions of all three Hobbit movies, it was not a surprise but given the feeling that the story was already stretched too thin at two, then three movies, let’s just say we all got worried about an even longer scene of dwarves having dinner at Bilbo’s.
Warner Home Video has now announced the extended edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and DVD November 5, and digital download on October 22. The good news is it’s only 13 minutes longer. That’s actually not that much. The first Hobbit movie certainly felt overlong, but an extra 13 minutes should make it feel no more or no less long. We’ll just see if those 13 minutes are actually interesting, and hey, it could make all the difference and give that dinner scene relevance it was lacking in the theatrical cut.
In the press release, Jackson indicates the 13 minutes consists of scene extensions, rather than entirely new scenes. ““I’m thrilled that the Extended Edition will give fans the opportunity to experience certain key scenes in the film as they were originally shot, as well as an abundance of special features,” said Jackson. “It’s exciting to present this expanded and enriched version of ‘An Unexpected Journey’ to allow fans to fully immerse themselves in the movie, before seeing the second part of the trilogy.”
Now the nine hours of bonus features puts this Extended Edition on par with the LOTR releases. It has commentary by Jackson and writer/producer Philippa Boyens, an in-depth documentary called The Appendices (a reference to Tolkien’s extra writing which gave Jackson more material for The Hobbit) and a spotlight on New Zealand. Of course, promoting The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a major component to this release too.
The Blu-ray versions come on three discs while the DVD needs five, so The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition will put a strain on your shelf space. I actually never ended up putting my thoughts on The Hobbit on paper/digital file so I may just have to get this edition to finally get it off my chest.
Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline and the man behind Shelf Space Weekly. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.
