Alright, a few weeks ago I asked for everyone's opinion on whether or not I should rewatch The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and give it another chance. The first time round I enjoyed them mostly (though I do so enjoy playing up the flaws a little - you LOTR fans are almost as easy to wind up as Trekkies) but thought they were more than a little overrated. Perhaps it was the experience of sitting very still in a room full of kids for 3hrs or just my own personal preferences but I found them not particularly well paced and far too long. The second chance won the day so here we are - I have finally started my leviathon marathon and the first of the 3 is all done with. As you all helped me decide I thought I'd let you know how it was going.

The first point I'm going to make is I want to give these films the best possible chance so rather than watch each one in it's entirety I've split each movie in 2. I'm also watching the theatrical releases rather than the extended editions which may have a few extra bits and bobs for diehard fans but to me they're just longer and more tedious. As I said I want to give the films a chance, so maybe the extended editions will appeal another time but not yet.

The Fellowhip Of The Ring it is then. I've gotta admit it is just a little better than I remember. Splitting the film in two has done wonders for the pacing for starters. It still drags a bit here and there (I'm not entirely sure what's going on in the middle distance but it must be good for everyone to stare at it so very much) but the shorter running time results in it becoming less noticable. The whole sequence in Galadriel's place is the perfect example. By the time you get to that bit when you watch the film as one you've already sat through a truly tedious amount of Frodo feeling sorry for himself, Merry and Pippin being quirky, Gandalf being mysterious but slightly grumpy, Aragorn being apprehensive and Arwen being tragically in love. All very important to the plot and the continuing development of the characters but they slow the film to a crawl and the last thing you want is more elves whispering while Frodo feels sorry for himself again. But this was the first time, on my third viewing (I've seen the Extended edition of this one too) however the split in the viewing this time round meant I was fresher getting to the scene and it fared much better as a result. So in conclusion - as far as pacing goes it still drags a bit but is much more enjoyable this way.

Next on my list is the elves. Overall they're great - I can't fault the casting, especially Liv Tyler and Kate Blanchett who really look the part and you have to admire the level of design in they're armour, homes and clothes. It's all realised beautifully. My only complaint is really the occasional way they behave. Why exactly do they have to whisper whenever they speak in Elvish and why the slightly embarrassing attempts at aloofness?(I'm looking at you Galadriel - I half expected her to end every sentence with 'aaawwooooo' with the peculiar lilting voice she can't quite pull off but tries anyway). It's not massively off putting but it's a peculiar enough bit of acting to distract. Some of the supporting elves do a nice job of being superior and condescending in Loth(something, something) but apart from Hugo Weaving the others struggle with it. Incidently am I the only person who expected Elrond to say 'Mister Anderson' everytime he spoke to the fellowship? Just me then. Okay. And finally on the subject of Elves we have Galadriel making that whole speech about becoming a dark queen when offered the ring. It's absurd in almost every way. Not the actual scene, it's nice and tense, just the final part where for no apparrent reason they decide to use a cheap looking special effect to make her all sinister. Why? Even a diehard LOTR fan has to admit that scene doesn't quite work. Why would you resort to such a poor effect when you could just make the background a little darker (you did it with Gandalf remember?) and rely on an admittedly talented actress to provide the correct gravitas and danger. Instead the scene is over done and just falls flat. Oh and Arwen and Aragorn have to be the only lovers in existence who can't make each other smile. Just smile. Once. Even if it's just a half hearted attempt at cheering the other up.

Okay, I'm getting a little carried away with the elf thing so I'm gonna stop there with that. I didn't dislike them but they were just a little less than they should have been which is partly because everyone was trying so very hard to be elvish and mysterious.

How did everything else fare then? Mostly good. I really didn't like Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn the first time round (and the tedious extended version) but he's growing on me a little this time. I would still have preferred Sean Bean as Aragorn but only because his performance as the tragically conflicted Borimir is so exceptional. He's by far my favourite actor in the film and his Borimir manages to just so beautifully nuanced and subtle it genuinely bothers me that he is only in it for the first film. Viggo Mortensen is good but he seems a little flat and uninteresting next to Borimir. The hobbits are another mixed selection to be honest with you. Merry and Pippin are good fun so far and the actors do a great job but Sam and Frodo are less interesting. It's partly a result of the flaws of the book (it has flaws you know) but Frodo comes across a little whiney and a little monotonous. It's not overwhelming yet but I am concerned that with the sequels the amount of time he spends on screen increases and this is gonna depreciate my enjoyment. It's a similar case with Sam, his devotion to Frodo is nice but just too one note. Unlike Borimir, or Merry, or Pippin the actors don't quite manage to give their characters the layers of depth that make them interesting. On that note by the way both Ian Mckellen and Christopher Lee are exceptional - Gandalf has the odd moment of staring into the middle(earth?) distance in a slightly distressed/sad way but is otherwise brilliant and Christopher Lee is everything you'd expect from a veteran of horror. Evil certainly but also greedy and genuinely terrified of Sauron winning - part of his turn to the dark side is pure cowardice. If he's on the wrong side of the war and Sauron wins he's finished and his power is gone. Christopher Lee delivers these depths perfectly.

This is getting a little long now and I really don't want to bore you all with my opinion so I'll summarize. My current reviewing of LOTR is going well and The Fellowship Of The Ring, while still not the absolute genious dreamt up by fans, is an excellent film and I'm actually looking forward to the others now. I'm still not entirely convinced by some of it (I suspect some of the conventions of Peter Jackson's film making run against my personal prefernce) I can understand a little better what you pecualiar people who love them can see in it. I said I'd give them a fair chance and here it is.

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