By Becki White

     After seeing Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the 
Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" the first time 
in a theater last December, I wanted to see the 
next two films in the trilogy right then and there.  
Despite a running time of nearly 3 hours, I was 
more than willing to spend another 6 hours in that 
uncomfortable seat because the film was that good.  
No other film has ever made me say that.
     I know that many Tolkien fans complained that 
much was left out from the book.  What about Tom 
Bombadil or the Barrow-downs?  But to include 
everything from the original tale would have made 
an impossibly long movie.  Peter Jackson would 
have had to make a made-for-TV mini-series to 
include every character, every scene.  And who really 
wants to see this classic interrupted by commercials?
     Instead, the writers pulled many of the most 
important events from the book and sculpted them 
into a story that works well on the big screen for 
today's audiences, while still being true to the 
original story.  At every point, the viewer is pulled in 
along with the characters.  You sense the excitement 
when Gandalf sets off the fireworks at Bilbo's 
birthday party; you feel the blows when the 
characters are injured; you are devastated when 
Gandalf falls into the pit of Khazad-dûm.  There is 
never a moment that drags too long; every scene 
works and is believable.
     Perhaps it is the believability that makes this 
film so special.  The amount of special effects needed 
to carry off a film of this nature is enormous.  But 
unlike the last two "Star Wars" films, the computer 
animation is not the star of this film.  "Episode II - 
Attack of the Clones (2002)" in particular seemed 
to be a demonstration of the wonders of special 
effects, with a story created to justify the movie.  In 
"The Fellowship of the Ring", the story and acting 
are so strong you almost believe that this is a 
straight documentary, that all of these things could 
really happen.  The computer animation and special 
effects are blended in and accent the movie, not 
define it.
     After I watched the film in the theatres and 
sat down with the first DVD release, I didn't think "The 
Fellowship of the Ring" could be improved. But the 
extended edition (approx. 208 minutes) released on 
Nov. 13 did just that.  The added scenes are a 
treasure-trove of details, large and small.  Lord 
Celeborn finally is allowed to be more than a prop 
for Lady Galadriel.  And Bilbo writing in his 
book provides an excellent narrative during the 
beginning of the film, when we are introduced to 
hobbits.  
     I could go on and on, but I'd hate to ruin all of 
the surprises for you.  The blending of the added 
scenes with the original version is flawless, and I 
read that they even added new music.  The new 
scenes and add-ons are sprinkled throughout the 
film, rather than clumped in a couple of areas or 
kept entirely separate as an added extra, so 
sometimes you wonder if you saw a scene 
before or merely imagined it.  This is the version 
you'll want to watch, not the original/theatrical 
release. 
     Do we really have to wait until December 18th 
for the next installment??  I'm ready to see "The 
Two Towers" right now.