LOTR Really Does Kick Ass
We rented the "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" DVD this weekend and I think I enjoyed it more watching it at home instead of at the theater. I think watching the movie with subtitles on helped me to organize the story a bit more as I was watching; there are a lot of names, places, and situations mentioned during the movie. For someone like me who hadn't read the books, it seems like you need at least two viewings to really soak the whole story in.
I have to say that the decision to release the movies year-after-year is a great one; the experience of seeing FOTR in the theater is still pretty clear in my mind. Having the DVD versions of the prior movie come out a few months before the next movie's theatrical release is great for many reasons, not the least of which is that it can serve as a reminder of the storyline and cutoff point of the prior movie. Also, I think it stirs up even more demand for the next movie. After watching FOTR again, I'm definitely stoked to see "The Two Towers" in December. I'm also committed to purchasing the FOTR Extended DVD set that's coming out in November.
When I saw FOTR in the theater, I wasn't paying as close attention to the story as I should have. I was watching from a technical point of view for a good portion of the film, particularly how they pulled off the convincing portrayal of the size differences between the hobbits, dwarves, elves, and men. I'm sure that in many of the "back shots" little people were used as doubles for the hobbits, but there are plenty of times where it appears both cinematography and CGI were used to pull off scenes where the different-sized characters interacted. I can't wait to see the behind-the-scenes coverage that is supposed to be in the November DVD set for coverage of this.
In general, the cinematography of FOTR was so strong, in my opinion, that I was probably enjoying the visuals more than the story when I watched it in the theater. In my DVD viewing, I also took note of the excellent choreography in the fight scenes. FOTR is a well-made movie, no doubts here.
If you missed it in the theater, whether it be because you avoid theaters or don't think you'll like it, I encourage you to rent the video. Even my wife likes the movie (based just on watching the DVD with me last weekend) and wants to go with me to see "The Two Towers". But hey, she liked "Attack of the Clones", as well. ;)