I can admit that I wasn't one of those fanboys clamoring to see The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring when it was first announced that it was being made into a Trilogy. I never read the book. I knew about it, but it was something I just wasn't interested in. I actually skipped seeing this in the theater and just ended up buying the DVD when it came out. My first impression of the pacing of the film when I finally saw it....I was beyond bored. The first hour of the film for me was torture. I get that the setup is needed so that we understand the history and myth of the Ring and what it represents. The film was only saved by what comes in the final 2 hours.

So, what about now? Well, I have watched Part 1 a handful of times and it has gotten better with each viewing. I still think that the first hour is way to long and see merit in actually cutting it down by 15-20 minutes. But I get why it is what it is. When you think about it, all of Part 1 is basically the set up...or First Act if you will. For those that have never seen this, stick with it and give it a chance because the payoff that comes in Part 3 is well worth it. Even with the slow start in Part 1, I definitely say this is a Buy, just for the world that Peter Jackson dreamed up and made possible.

I just realized something. I've never seen the theatrical version of each movie that makes up the Trilogy that hit the theaters. I've only seen the Special Extended Editions and the thing that I complain about regarding the first hour of the film may in fact be shorter. I wonder just how many scenes they added to make it longer than the original. Hmmmm.....

Well, I would still like to know exactly how much stuff they added to the first hour. I'm curious to know how much different the two are.