The Fellowship of the Ring

Earlier this year, back in January or February, I went and bought myself a lovely big boxed set of the Lord of the Rings extended DVDs. It contains 12 discs in all: each movie is spread over two DVDs, and there are also two discs of bonus features for each of the three movies. I'd never seen the LotR films, but I love the books, and I knew that the movies would be good.

They've sat in my cupboard all year! I don't know why I haven't watched them. It can be difficult finding the right time and place to watch my movies, especially when, as in this case, the movie(s) in question isn't really suitable for young children. (There are lots of young children in our house!)

Well, this week I made up my mind that I was going to watch my Lord of the Rings DVDs! Every afternoon after I've finished my jobs and schoolwork, I set myself up in my bedroom so that the laptop sits on a wooden chair, while I sit on the floor listening through my headphones, which I plug into the computer.

Sound like a nice little plan? It is! and it's worked quite well. Most the time, anyway. Problem is, there are always several other people wanting to use the laptop. I have to fight and plead and bribe to get my time on it! My other problem has been shooing out little people from my room while I watch. Aside from it being very distracting having several persons peering over my shoulder, the movies are, as I said, not really appropriate for very young viewers. "But I want to watch too," "Please, I won't be annoying, I"ll be very quiet," "But I want to watch this movie with you, I don't like the movie they're watching on the TV," "Please, please, please, PLEASE!!" I try to explain to them that the movie is too scary for them, etc., but to no avail.


Yesterday needed to let someone else use the laptop, and I had to get off just as it was getting to a really exciting bit. The Fellowship were at the Bridge of Khazad-Dum in the Mines of Moria, just as the Balrog was about to appear, and I had to wait until today to find out what happened next. . . well, I've read the books and I knew what was going to come next, but still. . .

I must say in the end I was a bit disappointed in the Balrog. Of course it looked large and menacing, but it wasn't nearly as hideous or scary as the much smaller orcs. But in pretty much every other aspect of The Fellowship of the Ring I have been very satisfied. Many of the characters and scenes were exactly as I imagined them to be from the book. I was sorry that in all the 200 minutes of the film, they didn't have time to include the Old Forest or Tom Bombadil or the Barrow-Downs. They just seemed to skip over those chapters. I suppose you could argue that Tom Bombadil and co. aren't really important to the plot, but I think they add to the richness of the tapestry that is The Lord of the Rings. Never mind.

So far I've enjoyed The Fellowship of the Ring immensely. I've only got a few minutes of it left, which I'll finish watching tomorrow, and then I'll be able to start The Two Towers!

It gives me a pleasant sort of thrill when I think that (seemingly) most of the western world have watched these movies, but I'm watching them now, for the very first time. It's all new and wonderful to me! And to think that I've still got all of the next two films to look forward to. . .

All of this has inspired me to read the books again. And The Hobbit, and the Silmarillian. I haven't yet read either. I've read quite a few books, but I still get goosebumps when I think of all the good books in the world that are just waiting to be read. . .