The bearer of the One Ring and his companions battle temptation and mortal enemies as they journey to far lands in order to destroy it in the forge where it was made.

Magical. Not much more to say here than I've already said.

Awesome once again. It's probably been the longest stretch I've ever taken between viewings of this movie, and it paid off by being familiar and refreshing, in addition to being amazing all over again.

I've been looking forward to this for a long time. My son and I have been reading the Lord of the Rings, and he just finished The Fellowship of the Ring (ahead of me, as he got impatient!). As usual, I'm amazed by it all, especially the cinematography. And as for my son, aside from pointing out the inconsistencies with the book, he enjoyed it, too. Of course, after having seen the three Hobbit movies, these ones are what he expects from normal fantasy direction. Hmph.

I can't believe it's been more than four years since I last watched this movie -I'm getting slack! As usual, the movie really inspired me. The music is really moving, even after listening to the Hobbit soundtracks, which incorporate many of these themes. I think I appreciate Ian Holm even more, having seen him at the beginning of An Unexpected Journey. But I now wonder at the director's choice at aging him so much at Rivendell. Gollum, who has been without the ring for 80 years, doesn't age at all.

As I was going away on a long trip, I bought the theatrical version of this trilogy so I could watch each movie over the course of one night, instead of the two it always takes for the extended editions. It wasn't to be, however, as I always got home from my field work late at night. The one night I got back to the hotel reasonably early, I only managed to watch two thirds of it before I got so sleepy I had to turn it off. But the theatrical version is still very well done. The extra scenes on the extended edition aren't really necessary to enjoy it, but they do add some subtleties.

It was as heartwarming as ever to see the group set off and bond. Gimli's posturing before any elf is a nice counterpoint to the deep friendship he finds with Legolas by the middle of the next movie. Yet again, a truly enjoyable watch.

I can't believe I've watched this movie ten times! In retrospect, this is the calmest of the movies, with only one real battle scene, not including the short one from the opening scene. Even after all these viewings, the movie is a pure joy to watch.

I am consistently struck with how amazing Ian McKellen is as Gandalf in this movie. He is a much lesser character in the subsequent movies, as he is a full battle commander there. Here, he struggles to catch up to the knowledge that others have, and he gets to show incredible emotion, in all aspects of the film. His sacrifice in Moria was the perfect manipulation of the character, because by that time, we loved him so much. McKellen should have won an Oscar for this character.

This movie has moved into the realm of "comfort movie". Like Star Wars, I like to pull it out just to see it again, and to get the sense of awe that it brings to me. I listen to the soundtrack CDs all the time, but they just make me want to see the gorgeous visuals.

This is the first time I have watched the movie since reading the novel, and it still holds up very well. The pacing is perfect, as I can't see sitting through the trip to Crickhollow, or the foreverness of Tom Bombadil. As I mentioned back the first time I saw the movie (way below), I like the idea of presenting everything chronologically, as much as possible. In the book, giving so many flashbacks, mostly in the form of characters telling other characters stories, worked really well. The movie required something more direct, and it worked marvelously.

How many times can I keep saying the same thing? After seeing The Return of the King, I wonder how many of the plot threads started in the extended edition of this movie will be picked up. I would hope to see the Sackville-Baggins's at some point, though I can't see how they would put that in the movie. Maybe we'll get to see the three Elvish rings together, between Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel. Regardless, I can't wait for the extended cut of the third movie!

It's been one year since watching this extended version of the movie for the first time. I can't believe I've watched it four times in that year! How does it hold up? Amazingly well, of course. That is expected. I can understand how people might not get into it, though, for it is very long for somebody who is not obsessed with these movies!

I don't have anything new to say about the movie, except that I simply wanted a primer for the extended version of The Two Towers this week. I really can't wait! These extended cuts are truly epics. I still love Arwen's green traveling suit! It makes her look so much more beautiful than in later scenes. Concerning Hobbits is still a great and funny scene, and still seems new to me, somehow.

I don't know if I would go to a "Trilogy Tuesday", however, and see the extended cuts of the first two movies in the same day as the opening of the Return of the King. I can see them in the comfort of my home, with my own bathroom and snack breaks. Still, the best part about seeing it in the theatre is watching it with other people who are as obsessed with the movie as I am (or more, since I won't do it...). I congratulate the people who are going, though. Me, I'll watch the first two at home, and go see the third one opening week. See ya there!

I've never done this before. Watching the same movie three times in two months is something I never did even for Star Wars! However, I am talking about watching the audio commentary all the way through, with barely a break, for the entire extended DVD cut of the film!

The commentary was just so interesting, and the director and co-writers such good speakers, that I was mesmerized. It didn't hurt that I was watching the best movie ever made, once again. It was my intention to watch only a couple of chapters of the commentary, then go on to other things, but they held me through it, pointing out specific instances of scale issues, difficult shots, and most importantly, where the movie went different from the book and why. They also pointed out places where critics thought they saw mistakes, like the car in the Shire or stickers on the apples, which they couldn't find, and neither could I. However, the bandage on Saruman's hand (after he had slammed it in a door) was clearly visible in the freeze frame when he is on top of Orthanc directing the storm towards the mountains! It was all extremely interesting.

It took me about three weeks to watch all of the supplementary materials included in this set, after watching the film the last time. There is just so much material. I never liked still photos on the DVD, and this is no different. I think there are a thousand photos here, and I didn't even thumb through them, for the most part.

Most of the Appendices were simply interviews, otherwise known as talking heads. I wish we could have seen more behind-the-scenes stuff. The first disc is of course mostly pre-visualization, so that is more difficult to show. Which makes it even more important, I think. My favorite parts of this appendix were of Allan Lee and John Howe joining the crew, sitting in Hobbiton and sketching. It was just beautiful! The rest is simply interviews with cast and crew sitting in a static environment, which got a little dull if what they were saying wasn't as interesting, or if they weren't such good speakers. At least the backgrounds kept slowly shifting, with Elvish runes or designs that floated behind them, making me wonder if all the interviews were filmed against bluescreen.

The second disc is more hands-on. There are still a lot of talking heads, but at least we get some demonstrations of techniques that they used, and a little bit of behind-the-scenes material, like when Sean Astin cut his foot running into the water after Frodo at the end. Watching them work through the make-up was fascinating, especially their feet. Seeing some of their off-screen gags was also fun, as when the Hobbits pretend to talk behind each others' backs.

The most interesting featurette was probably about scale, how they used so many techniques to illustrate how the different sized peoples interacted. I also loved the sections on music, as it was so haunting and unexpected to see such a young boy and choir perform some of the best numbers.

On a final note, I had been wondering, once I discovered that Shelob was relegated to Return of the King, instead of The Two Towers, how the director was going to put everything in that last section. I was disappointed to learn, from his commentary for the Mirror of Galadriel, that the Scouring of the Shire was not filmed at all. I am sure that was the right decision, as it takes away from the Ring-quest, but it still would have been wonderful to see. Ah, well. Some things have to go, especially where it affects the pacing of the film. The purpose of the movie was to destroy the Ring, and that is probably how it will end (though hopefully we will see the departure at the Grey Havens).

I can't believe I've watched this DVD twice in a week! But yes, it's that good! I don't know what more I can say. I still haven't watched the special features, so there is not much in the way of new material.

Since I've gushed at how good the movie is, below, I suppose I could mention the two things that I thought could have been done better in this movie. Initially (see below), I had two main complaints, both of which I am coming to terms with, as I really have no choice! I didn't think Aragorn was properly cast, as he looks even less regal than Boromir, who I can see as coming from a royal lineage. Still, maybe that's the point, and by The Return of the King, he will have a stronger bearing.

The second item concerned Gandalf's fall from the Bridge. It looked more like a standard TV ploy, where the main character turns away, relieved to see his enemy fall into the pit, and then is caught unawares. It doesn't seem like Gandalf to me, but it is less annoying than the first time I saw the movie.

This time around, I noticed how fake the scene with Frodo and Aragorn on the stairway in Moria looked. The editing could have been much, much better there. In that same scene comes my second complaint: the artificial musical swelling, the manipulation of our emotions by the triumphant music, as if we didn't know they were going to make it.

Still, these are very minor complaints, and pale in comparison to the good stuff that we are given all throughout the movie, especially in the extended version. I loved all the extra hobbit moments, from the new scenes in the shire, Sam's shy but loving looks at Rosie at the beginning ("she knows an idiot when she sees one" ... "she does?"), and their reactions to the gifts at Lorien (like Sam's "what about one of those nice shiny daggers?" to an amused Galadriel), among so many others.

Can this movie get any better? Every time I think it can't, I am proven wrong. Now, for the second time on DVD, the movie had such a terrific effect on me. This is especially true since I resisted buying (or even renting) the original theatrical release three months ago. But it was worth it, so worth it...

I am totally immersed in Tolkien's world at the moment. Just having finished the Silmarillion audio book, and reading The Lays of Beleriand, book 3 in The History of Middle-Earth, I am in much the same situation as I was in a year ago, when the movie first came out.

I really need a bigger TV! While everything was beautiful on screen, the widescreen version really made me sit closer to catch it all. I would never do without the widescreen, though, as it captured some really neat visuals that would have disappeared in any other version, like the Ring of Isengard, for example, and the entire Fellowship at once.

The movie had the same magic that it had the first two times. The characters were terrifically depicted, the scenery was just as it should be, for good or evil, and the emotions run very high. And now there are so many things that get fleshed out, that it really makes for an epic story. Nothing is dragged out, but there are many scenes that make slow and deliberate progress, making it feel like we are actually journeying somewhere.

The passing of the elves was haunting, as we see them before we even get to see Arwen, shining in light. The extended scenes in Lorien and Rivendell, or seeing Gollum in Moria and hiding on the Anduin, were terrifically placed, and added so much mood to a story filled with mood!

One scene in particular fleshed out Aragorn in a way that I didn't expect. In the marshes before Weathertop, he sings of Beren and Luthien, and he tells Frodo that Luthien died. It is consistent with his fatalistic attitude up to the Council of Elrond. Sure Luthien died of grief with Beren was killed, but she managed to win over Mandos, god of death, with her beauty and tragedy, to allow them both to return to the world of the living, and it was her grandson that freed the world of Morgoth. She died again, eventually, but for the most part, I think it was a happy second life.

We even get more fleshing out of Boromir, a character that I absolutely loved! I didn't think he could be fleshed out any more from what we were originally given, but he really becomes even more of a hero trying to save Merry and Pippin from the orcs. His death scene is still the second most powerful moment in the whole film, and a grand justice to the character.

The most powerful moment in the film comes in an unexpected place, a calm and quiet time. It is the loyalty that Sam shows Frodo at the very end, refusing to let his friend abandon him, knowing that he might have to walk across the water to get to him. As mentioned below, the loyalty shown by Merry and Pippin is also amazing. I loved the look on Merry's face when he realizes that Frodo is leaving them. The smart one in the group, he is.

There is so much more detail, and it is not worth describing it all, because it has to be seen. There is joy, like the new scene in the Green Dragon pub, which was fun, there is menace, like when Gandalf utters the words of Mordor in Rivendell (see the shock on Elrond's face!), and there is a moment when I burst out laughing, after Pippin realizes that he ate four pieces of Lembas, when a tiny bite can fill the stomach of a grown man!

I have not watched any of the special features on this DVD yet. I want to savor the movie, first. There is a multitude of them that I think it will take weeks to get through them all! I did find the Easter eggs, though. Down from the scene selection of The Council of Elrond (click on the ring that appears) is a very funny, though very adult, spoof from MTV -not suitable for kids. On disk 2, select on the right "48", then go down, and click on the tower to see the 4-minute Two Towers preview that was tacked on to the end of the Fellowship near the end of its theatrical run.

I even let the credits roll to the end, where there is a full twenty minutes of a list of fan club members. I didn't read any of the names, but simply listened to the music, which has longer cuts of the soundtrack that I enjoy endlessly -I wish I could get my hands on a longer soundtrack!

I have one complaint about the packaging of the DVD, though. Reading the liner notes, there are so many spelling mistakes! I can't believe that such a carefully prepared disc would have such troubles. Did they not have a proofreader? The introduction has things like "case" instead of "cast", and "created new score" instead of "created a new score". Worse are the spelling mistakes in the chapter titles, like "Balin' Tomb" instead of "Balin's Tomb", or "Farewell to Lorsen" instead of "Lorien", and "Parch Galen" in place of "Parth Galen". This is especially disappointing since the French titles are perfectly spelled, and in the last two cases, they are words from Middle-Earth, and so should not have been changed even minutely from one language from the other! Even a casual proofreader should have discovered these mistakes.

Still, the movie was great, and thoroughly enjoyable, once again. I do think it is better than Star Wars, but in a completely different way. This is very epic, with a strong story to tell, and has a very deep sense of history, because the background to The Lord of the Rings is very deep and long. I think I could watch this film over and over, day after day.

Awesome and incredible... but not quite as good as the first time I saw it.

I found the movie to be less powerful this time around. Whether it was because of anticipation, fatigue or anything else, I'm not sure, but I'm sure it was my fault! I found the opening scenes to be a little slow, and the visuals to be less impressive (though they were still amazing). I think I was sitting too close to the screen! This screen was bigger, and there was just too much to see. So beware -and sit far back.

I was impressed in the themes present in the film. Yes, it was dark, and the darkness is gathering and growing. The capitulation and betrayal of Saruman makes the world dangerous on two fronts, one of which was an ally until not too long ago. But I was amazed at the guilt theme. Gandalf feels guilt for giving the burden of the Ring to Frodo, as does Bilbo. Pippin's face after Gandalf's death was also apparent in its guilt, something I didn't notice before. For it is possible that the orcs would not have found them if he didn't knock the armor down that shaft (though I don't think Pippin had anything to do with it in the book). And of course, Boromir feels so guilty about attacking Frodo.

The battles were amazing, once again. Aragorn's defeating the Ringwraiths at Weathertop was really cool, as he slashed at them one by one. Boromir's death is still the best part of the movie, I think. He knows that he is a walking dead man, but defies death to deal out death; unfortunately, it is not enough. I can understand why some people were disappointed by the magical battles, but magic in Tolkien's world is very different from other fantasy worlds. These wizards cannot conjure up fire, or levitate people out of danger (as was impossible in the stairwells in Moria). Their skills are obviously focused through their staffs. I really enjoyed that battle. And Gandalf has a new staff after he escapes to Rivendell. 

The ending is, of course, a cliffhanger. But I don't think it is without hope. Frodo and Sam are making their way to Mordor without having anybody lusting after the Ring (yet). Yes, Merry and Pippin are captured, but they have three warriors in their wake, intent on their rescue. But there is also a sort of resolution, if not the obvious kind. The task of the Fellowship is finished; responsibilities lie elsewhere. The King must lead his people. The Ringbearer must complete his task. One journey has ended, and two others have begun.

The movie is dark, also. I have heard that maybe it is too dark. But for Good to triumph, don't they have to go through darkness? The world was on the edge of the abyss. Unlike some stories, however, it is not too dark to get out of without a magical cure. We know what has to happen, and from now on, Frodo's story is one of resisting temptation and letting go of the Ring.

I noticed the music more this time around. Wow, is it powerful! When our heroes are in trouble, the music becomes more edgy, when they are at peace, the music is also peaceful. The elves shine in white light, accompanied by wind instruments which seems to make them look even lighter. And I loved the counterpoint when the Uruk-hai are chasing the group down the river -soft on the river, nobody knowing that they are in immediate danger, and a hunting-style of music for the running Uruks. It was great stuff.

I didn't have as much trouble with Galadriel and Elrond this time (though Elrond's line "you will be the Fellowship of the Ring" is a little cheesy). The ones I thought could have used some work were Aragorn and Arwen. Their scene together where she pledges her love to him is very nice, but when they were separate, I found their performances a little wanting. Aragorn's "ride hard", and "let's hunt some orc" could have been changed to better lines. Arwen's look of panic as the black riders start crossing the fjord at Bruinen is also misplaced, as if she doesn't believe the waters will obey her chant. 

For the most part, though, I truly enjoyed the movie once again. I really loved the beginning, where Gandalf meets up with Frodo, entering a peaceful Shire. It is truly an idyllic setting, and it will be terrible to see it put to waste in the third movie. It is so easy to get mixed up in the battles and seriousness of the what comes afterwards, that we forget about the Shire, and the beginning of the story, where everything is joyous, fun, and jolly for a while. Bilbo's calling of everybody's clan name and his insult is just hilarious. 

This is a movie to watch over again, especially when the next installments come out. For it was really something special.

Absolutely fantastic, stunning, and exhausting. The transfer to the screen was done in an incredible manner, with characters that grow, and show a range of personality that changes throughout the movie.  I sincerely did not expect to be so blown away by this movie.

Dare I say that this is the best movie I've ever seen? Was it better than Star Wars? I don't know if I am in a position to say that, having only seen the movie one time, and being a great fan of Tolkien's Middle-Earth epics. As far as reading goes, they are so far above anything Star Wars can produce. In movies... well, I think it was even better than Star Wars. There, I said it. But I'll have to see it a second time to make sure.

The first thing to notice are the visual effects. The orc armies swarming over the screen, battling the elves and mannish armies, were stunning. The towers of Isengard and Minas Tirith (for the two seconds that we see of it) and Barad-dur were incredibly depicted. The felling of all the trees around Saruman's lair and the delving of deep caverns to create his army was masterfully directed in the visual sense.

Smaller effects like Frodo's glowing sword, Gandalf's fireworks, and Bilbo's disappearance were also really neat to watch. 

The landscapes were characters in their own right. The locations that they found to shoot in New Zealand were incredibly beautiful. Rivendell was so calm and peaceful, as expected, and just... beautiful; I'd love to live there. The Shire was so green, and all the places that the hobbits and their companions traveled were beautiful. And all the evil places were ugly, but in a sense that we still couldn't rip our eyes away from them. 

Was the story incomprehensible to the common viewer? To the person who has no knowledge of the Rings of power, to the person who knows nothing of Arda and Middle-Earth, there shouldn't be a problem. For one thing, the movie is about a quest, if nothing else. And that should be enough for the casual viewer. For those interested in the history of the Ring, the story gives more than enough explanation, showing us the forging of the Rings of Power, Sauron's deception of the elves, his battles, and finally his defeat at the hands of Isuldur. Since I am such a fan of the Second Age, I loved watching the Last Alliance defeat Sauron. I have never liked the way Sauron is depicted, with all the jagged armor, but it is consistent with just about all other artists and, I believe, with Tolkien's vision itself. 

The story continues by showing how the Ring wanted to go back to its master and caused itself to be lost at the Gladden Fields, lying at the bottom of the river for thousands of years until Smeagol found it and became Gollum. And then the Ring continues its quest and loses itself, so that Bilbo finds it, and thus it comes to Frodo. The background given is clear, concise, and I think it was very understandable, even if people didn't understand or remember all the names involved. And for those people who were not interested, the visuals were spectacular, so that it is just as enjoyable. (Speaking of names that were not understandable, I think it would have been better to say "the heir of Isuldur" instead of "Isuldur's heir", as the latter is more difficult to comprehend when the character say it.)

The real story begins with Bilbo's eleventy-first (111th) birthday party, with his usual tricks. He leaves the Ring to Frodo, but has a lot of trouble doing it before he goes to the elves of Rivendell. We get a little more history of the stuff that happened on Bilbo's quest in The Hobbit, and we get quiet conversation between Gandalf and Frodo after that. 

Once again, as with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, people will complain that the movie is nowhere near as comprehensive as the book, and at some places it even deviates from the story as told. Abridged versions of this story are always made the same way: the first thing to go is always Tom Bombadil. While I would have liked to see this Miar (he is of the same species as Gandalf, Saruman, the balrog and Sauron), he is not integral to the plot and would have also slowed things down quite a bit. How exciting could they have made the hobbits being swallowed by a tree? The scene where the hobbits are scared by the trolls was also cut. I really thought this would have been shown because Bilbo foreshadows it in his story to the little children at his party. The trolls that Frodo and company are scared of are, of course, Bilbo's stone trolls. We get to see those statues, but not their effect on the little ones. 

The one deviation from the story as told that I absolutely loved was the chronological depiction of the events that took place. It was necessary in terms of the story, and I thought it gave the movie a much better pace than it would have otherwise. When Gandalf leaves Frodo, he travels to Minas Tirith to research Isuldur and Gil-Galad's campaign against Sauron, and discovers the fate of the Ring. He tracks down Gollum (though we don't see this) and discovers that the servants of Mordor have found the former hobbit as well. Instead of getting a lot of talk around the fireplace between Gandalf and the others, we actually get to see the incredible fight between him and Saruman, his imprisonment, and finally his escape from the prison on Isengard. From his point of view, we see the creation of Saruman's army, and his Uruk-hai orcs. 

Another deviation from the book was Arwen's recovery of Frodo after his assault on Weathertop. But it was well worth it. Our first encounter with an elf was time-stopping, as the radiance of the Eldar race shows itself. The scene showing the nine black riders chasing after her and Frodo as they made their way desperately to Rivendell was amazing. I was also amazed to hear Arwen call upon Uinen, wife of the god Osse, lord of the waves, when she needed help defeating her foes at the fjord.

The creation of the fellowship of the Ring was very nicely depicted as well. The council of Elrond was extremely short compared to the chapter in the book, for which I was very thankful. There was not very much in the way of character building when it came to Gimli the dwarf or Legolas the elf, however.  But they both showed their strengths and especially their fighting ability when needed. Their characters will be fleshed out, I'm sure, much more in The Two Towers, where they become friends instead of barely civil to each other. They do a good job of being simply civil to each other for the sake of the quest, glaring, making rude remarks about the stature of each other and about their fighting skill. That was fun to see. I was totally mesmerized by Legolas' skill with the bow.

Merry and Pippin didn't get too much in the way of character development, either. Pippin was always hungry, but other than that, I kept getting them confused. Many might think that they were completely useless in this story, and I would agree, except that they, too, will get expanded roles in the next two movies. What impressed me, though, was their unhobbit-like courage. Their loyalty to Frodo, especially in Moria and then again at Rauros, where they lead the orcs away from their friend, brought tears to my eyes. 

More loyalty came from Samwise Gamgee. He was really the only person that I found seemed different from how I found he should have been. But I can't explain why I felt that. His loyalty to Frodo, both out of friendship and his promise to Gandalf, were extremely gratifying. That he goes with Frodo away from the Fellowship is no surprise, but his determination to follow his charge into the water even though he can't swim is extremely effective.

Aragorn, who is Strider to the hobbits, was well played. He is the reluctant hero, the King to regain the throne in the third movie, but reluctant to take power at this time. He fears the weakness in his blood, the same blood that ran in the veins of Isuldur. He leads the group, after Gandalf, and releases Frodo at the end. He battles wits against Boromir, the heir to the Stewart of Gondor, more than once. Boromir thinks they should use the Ring to defeat Sauron, and to protect his homeland. He tries to steal the Ring from Frodo, and dies a heroic death at the end. We don't get any description of Boromir's death in the novel, but this death is worthy of any hero. His guilt over what he tried to do is apparent on his face as he tries to protect Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-hai, but it takes four arrows to kill him, and even then he holds on long enough to tell Aragorn what happened to the hobbits. This almost makes him a more developed character than Aragorn, and previews what the men of Gondor will be capable of in the Return of the King.

The role of Frodo was perfectly cast. Elijah Wood is Frodo; there is no doubt of that. He is the most reluctant hero of them all. He decides to take the Ring when the others would fight over how to use it. He falters whenever he has to do something big, make a decision, or NOT use the Ring. We can see the temptation written all over his face, as well as the uncertainty, not to mention the relief when Sam joins him at the end. 

The character who steals the show, however, is Gandalf. Ian McKellen did an incredible job with the old Wizard, the Istari. He also faces uncertainty, and doesn't know all the answers. His letting Frodo decide whether or not to take the route through Moria is a strange one, given that Frodo didn't know anything about the decisions he was to make, but that is the only note that felt false. The pain on his face was heart-aching when he sees Frodo volunteer to take the Ring south to Mordor. And when he dies fighting the Balrog, it is gut-wrenching, even though I felt that the scene could have been better-made (Gandalf should have fallen in battle, not being tripped by a whip thrown up from the dark depths afterwards).

Speaking of the Balrog, it was just as I could have imagined it, just as Morgoth would have made it. For the brief period it was on the screen, it was incredible.

Galadriel and Elrond are the last characters to speak of. They were elves, and so they were radiant, amazing to watch. Elrond carried some very strange facial expressions, that made him look more like the guy the actor played in The Matrix more than an elf, but otherwise he just had to sit around and look wise. Galadriel's refusal of the Ring from Frodo was downright frightening, but her reaction "I passed the test!" sounded more like a schoolgirl than a ten thousand year old elf. 

There is so much more to say, but I think I'll wait until the next time, which should not be too long from now, to comment on more. There were so many details, like the leaf-clasps to their elven cloaks, the beauty of Frodo's Mithril armour, or the countless giant statues and watchtowers fallen and chipped that littered the land, doubtless from the time when Gondor and Arnor were strong, before the Great Plague and the wars against Sauron. They make the movie feel like more than just a movie, that there is a history behind the story that we would like to see more of. 

And indeed there is. For a brief account of all that took place before Bilbo found the Ring, the first Appendix and the Tale of Years to the Lord of the Rings tell an intriguing tale. The Silmarillion is even more intriguing, but it is difficult to read for the first time, mainly because of the gigantic timespan that it traverses, and the countless names of elves, dwarves, men and places that it divulges in such a short book. 

The movie itself is exhausting. A simple quest that is not so simple in execution, with characters that grow and change as the three hours pass. There is so much detail, so many huge obstacles that are overtaken by the strength of the characters, that it is impossible to see it all in one viewing. This is a movie that I will return to again and again and again. Its depth was captivating. I think even for people who have not read the books, it tells an interesting story. More than that, it is visually spectacular, and the visuals could be enjoyed without paying any attention to the story whatsoever. But for those who want to invest in the story, it is well worth it, and extremely satisfying.