To celebrate the release of the Extended Editions on Blu-ray Fathom Events is releasing them in the theaters for the first time three Tuesdays in a row.
It has been ten years since Fellowship of the Ring was released in theaters in 2001, and it was quite an experience to be sharing this nostalgia with both old fans and the next generation.
Sitting in the theater, waiting for the movie to start, looking down the row of seats I was in were a father and son duo. The boy was around 10 years old, and I could tell by their conversation that this was the first time that he would be watching this movie. His dad sat next to him, explaining where this series was filmed, and how popular it was. Over the next 30 minutes, I eavesdropped on their conversation as he filled his son in on the back story of The Hobbit, and even some of Aragorn's family line from Numenor.
This is one of the greatest things about fandom. Not just being exposed to some of the greatest storytelling of all time, but getting to witness it making marks on the new generations. I was hit with a remarkable feeling of nostalgia sitting there on Tuesday night, remembering the first time that I got to experience Tolkien's world and all the inspiration that Lord of the Rings still gives me today. I was thirteen years old when I started reading the series for the first time, and it was only a few weeks later during the Christmas of 2000 that my family and I saw the very first trailer for the movies, and I was freaking out in my seat.
In a strange and nerdy way, Lord of the Rings defined much of my high school experience. Although I had been a fantasy and science fiction nerd for most of my life, Tolkien's world was my entrance into serious fandom. Costumes, fan fiction, conventions. Everything. And being able to witness someone else's induction into that culture felt like nerd history all over again.
It was great seeing the movie, and the extended version, in theaters again. As it should be seen. Although by now I have seen Fellowship of the Ring hundreds of times over, and could dictate the movie to you line by line, it still invoked massive emotions from me. I don't remember the last time I cried watching this movie. And yet, I did so three times on Tuesday night. I was once again, overwhelmed by how groundbreaking and truly masterful these films are, and the impact that they had on modern filmmaking.
Although every part of me wanted to return home and pop The Two Towers into my DVD player so I could continue the series that night, I somehow resisted. I can't wait to be back in the theater thursday night for the second installment, and my favorite movie of the series.
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