Number of viewings in cinema : 7 (I think I might be having a slight obsession!)
When I first heard about �The Lord Of The Rings� being turned into a movie I didn�t really know what to think of it. Being a huge fantasy lover I was very aware of the fact that the whole thing would turn out to be either utterly great or a total disaster. The book is very complex and for some people hard to understand with all the different characters and storylines and since people prefer movies with an easy-to-get storyline there was a chance it wasn�t going to be the hit every fantasy fan was hoping for.
Soon it was time for me to judge about it myself though as the first of many viewings arrived. I was determined to watch it critically but as soon as the first scenes appeared on the screen I was lost in a world called Middle Earth. The film swallowed me completely and after the wonderful and happy Shire parts, the first scares came with the arrival of the Nazgul. The hiding of the hobbits from the Ringwraiths is so much more frightening in the movie than it is in the books, the scenes in �The Prancing Pony� giving the exact dark, threatening feelings I had imagined while reading. I felt horrible when Frodo got stabbed at Weathertop and relieved when they arrived in Rivendell. I was shaking all over after Bilbo�s sudden change when seeing The One around Frodo�s neck. I sat on the edge of my seat when the Fellowship entered The Mines of Moria and I had tears in my eyes when Gandalf fell down the Bridge of Khazad-dum. I could literally feel Galadriel�s strength and got lost in the beauty of Lothlorien and the Argonath. So real, it was all too real to say �it�s just a film�. And then the breaking of the Fellowship. I cried at the death of Boromir, cried even harder when seeing Frodo lost in tears himself on the beach. I could feel his pain and I certainly hated the Ring as much as he did then. And I cried at the beautiful and honest friendship between Frodo and Sam, the love for his Master almost killing him. And isn�t that what we all want in life? Someone to love us so deeply that they would even follow us into Death, not caring about dying if it meant dying with you?
When the sounds of Enya�s �May it be� echoed through the cinema I was left in a surreal state of mind. I needed time to let it all sink into my mind, to come back to the normal world again after having spend what seemed to be a lifetime in a place called Middle Earth. I knew I had witnessed something very special, something that people will talk about for ages. Our children and our grandchildren will watch this film and appreciate it for it�s beauty and message.
All I can say is what a huge amount of respect I have for Peter Jackson for turning the books into something so great and finding the perfect cast for the task. The actors ARE the characters and they are all amazing. The special effects, the make-up and the costumes are the best I�ve ever seen and probably ever will see.
Like Elijah Wood said, it�ll be toture to wait for the next two movies but I�m willing to wait if it means seeing two more movies like this one, and I don�t doubt that they�ll be at least just as good.
Like The One says ;
One Ring To Rule Them All
And now it rules us�