There are some fabulous, exclusive pieces up for grabs – including some things which, usually, money can’t buy! Time is running out on some of our auctions too, so best check them out now. Here are just three that might tickle your fancy:

Elijah Wood PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED 8×10 photograph

In EXCELLENT condition, this is an 8 x 10 inch photograph personally signed by Elijah Wood for one of our TORn staffers at ORC 2004 (One Ring Celebration Convention). This is not a pre-stamped signature. It’s the real thing!

For several years, TheOneRing.net would host an ORC Convention in Pasadena, California. At each 3-day Convention, the Hobbits (Billy Boyd, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, and Dom Monaghan) would attend our festivities along with many of the LotR cast, artists, production crew, calligrapher Daniel Reeve (and more), as well as Tolkien artists, authors… you get the picture!

It was during the 2004 Convention that Elijah Wood autographed this photograph for our TORn staffer. There are no snapshots of this happy moment… just the fond memory of its recipient.

Elijah Wood Autographed Photo Auction

TORn’s ‘Road to DragonCon!’ Faux Mirkwood Orc Arrow

Since leaving Los Angeles, California last Monday, TORn’s most Worthy Warriors have taken to the Road on a Quest to DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia. They will arrive at the mighty Con this Labor Day Weekend (August 30 – September 1). The journey has been fraught with danger, travelling through unknown lands, and braving endless cups of questionable coffee.

Now you can own a piece of the ‘Road to DragonCon’. During their trip while at 4-corners USA, they came upon what they have dubbed a ‘Mirkwood Orc Arrow’. Now, we all know that the chance of Orcs being found in Southwest America is pretty slim, but that makes this item all the more unique. Okay… it’s really not from Mirkwood, or Orcish, but what if it was!?”

Because this treasure is on the Road, the exact dimensions and materials of this weaponry are unknown for now… making it all the more mysterious. Let’s make a guess and say the arrow is 16-18 inches long with a wooden shaft and a green stone or plastic arrowhead. Admit it. You’re intrigued! Take a chance and defy reason… make a bid!

Watch for more captivating trinkets as our Rugged Road Warriors find plunder along the way there and back again. Own a piece of the ‘Road to DragonCon’.

And there’s more! Because our Travellers are not at home, there may be a delay of a week or so before your auction Fundraising item can be shipped to you. Thank you for your interest, understanding and bravery!

Faux Mirkwood Orc Arrow Auction

 Bilbo Baggins long-sleeve t-shirt Hobbit

Item is a high quality standard Size Large official New Line Productions long-sleeved T-shirt. New with tags –100% cotton – never worn, never washed (may shrink). It is a light tan color, and the image has been photo-silk screened (it is not a transfer).  Measurements: Across Chest 21.5 inches, Sleeve Length (from sleeve seam at shoulder to wrist) is 23.5 inches, Overall Length (from shoulder to hem) is 31 inches.”

Bilbo Baggins Long-sleeve T-shirt Auction

Or click here to check out all our auctions!

• Bombur (Stephen Hunter) - https://twitter.com/StephenJHunter1
• Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) - https://twitter.com/EvangelineLilly
• Gandalf (Ian McKellen) - https://twitter.com/IanMcKellen
• Bard (Luke Evans) - https://twitter.com/TheRealLukevans
• Bard’s son (John Bell) – https://twitter.com/johnbell123 
• Master of Laketown (Stephen Fry) - https://twitter.com/stephenfry
• Azog (Manu Bennett) - https://twitter.com/manubennett
• Ori (Adam Brown) - https://twitter.com/BrownAds
• Nori (Jed Brophy) - https://twitter.com/BrophyJed
• Fili (Dean O’Gorman) - https://twitter.com/Deanogormano
• Dwalin (Graham McTavish) - https://twitter.com/grahammctavish
• Dain Ironfoot (Billy Connolly) - https://twitter.com/Billy_Connolly

Your favorite Lord of the Rings actors are also highly active on twitter and love responding to fans.

• Samwise (Sean Astin) - https://twitter.com/SeanAstin
• Frodo (Elijah Wood) - https://twitter.com/woodelijah
• Merry (Dominic Monaghan) – https://twitter.com/domswildthings
• Pippin (Billy Boyd) – https://twitter.com/officialbeecake

Folks that make middle earth come to life through the magic of cinema, words and music:

• https://twitter.com/wetaworkshop
• https://twitter.com/TheHobbitMovie
• https://twitter.com/WB_Home_Ent
• https://twitter.com/wbpictures
• https://twitter.com/watertowermusic (soundtrack)
• Royd Tolkien – https://twitter.com/RoydTolkien

TheOneRing.net also publishes unique twitter content, moderated by a select group, which is often more fun and reactive to trends than the home page. Our wide volunteer staff work in a wide variety of industries (and countries) which makes for a robust and diverse community, brought together by a mutual love of Tolkien.

TheOneRing.net primary account – https://twitter.com/theoneringnet

You can also follow us on Facebook or Google-plus if you desire!
* TORn Facebook
* TORn G+

If we missed any Hobbit and Lord of the Rings folks who are active on twitter let us know in the comments!

What a fun movie! Dominic Monaghan (Meriadoc Brandybuck) came on board to be our wonderful narrator! Actually this film is a time capsule of many decades of pop culture history — giving us the full story on how the world has embraced Tolkien’s masterpiece THE LORD OF THE RINGS over 50 years and more!

Winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival, RINGERS was produced in association with TheOneRing.net — this remarkable little film was forged BY fans and FOR fans, just like our website, with the production/writing talent of Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway (who hosts TORn TUESDAY every week), Jeff Marchelletta, and supercool director Carlene Cordova. It was executive produced by X-Men/Transformers guru Tom DeSanto.

With a wonderful rock-driven score and detailing all the outpouring of love bestowed on Tolkien over many generations, this film is a must-have for your digital collection! Get it on iTunes now for only $9.99!

From the original Sony Press Release:

“RINGERS is comprehensive, entertaining and informative pop culture history.”
– The Toronto Star

“…Will always be a salient part of ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’ history…
See it, absorb it, love it.” – FilmThreat

Winner of “Outstanding Achievement” Award at the
Newport Beach Film Festival

RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS

FASCINATING DOCUMENTARY CAPTURES THE HISTORY, INFLUENCE AND PHENOMENON THAT IS LORD OF THE RINGS

CULVER CITY, Calif. (September 12, 2005) – Sony invites you to return to the Shire with the release of the feature-length documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS, direct to DVD.  In association with the popular fan-site TheOneRing.net, Carlene Cordova produced, directed and wrote this award-winning film with executive producer Tom DeSanto(X-Men, X2: X-Men United and Transformers), which charts the incredible influence and ripple-effect that Lord of the Rings has had on worldwide pop culture over the past five decades.  Whether you are a fan or first timer, critics agree, RINGERS, stands as the most comprehensive film documenting the ongoing impact of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary achievement.

Dominic Monaghan (star of ABC’s Lost and the Academy Award^® winning Lord of the Rings trilogy) narrates the documentary as it looks behind the curtain between Lord of the Rings and how it inspired so many artists of different mediums.  The film moves beyond “cult classic” and through different generations unearthing the way legendary rock musicians, filmmakers, professors, actors and authors all unite under the banner of ‘Ringer.’  Interviewees included in the film are Lord of the Rings trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson as well as Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin and David Carradine.  Infused with a dynamic rock-driven score, irreverent cut-out animation (á la Terry Gilliam), and a centerpiece audience sing-a-long, RINGERS is a genre-busting documentary that shows how a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions.

RINGERS continues the momentum of the motion picture trilogy Lord of the Rings, a winner of 17 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Peter Jackson, who made history as the first person to direct three major feature films simultaneously. 

From the official synopsis:

Ringers: Lord of the Fans is a feature-length documentary that reveals the ongoing cultural phenomenon created by The Lord of the Rings.  Very funny and often moving, Ringers shows the hidden power behind Tolkien’s books — and how after 50 years a single literary work continues to spark the minds and hearts of millions, across cultures and across time.

Shot with groundbreaking new digital technology in 24P, Ringers explores the real foundations of Middle-earth; a community of true fans who share a common bond.  Moving beyond “cult classic” and over several different generations, the film unearths academics, musicians, authors, filmmakers, and a plethora of pop junkies — the people gathered under the banner of ‘Ringer.’  From the hippie counter-culture to the electronic age; from the Bakshi animated film to Jackson’s epic trilogy; this documentary brings together extensive footage from across the globe.  With units in Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Bonn, Germany, Wellington, New Zealand, and Oxford, England, our cameras capture the most fascinating “Ringers” and Lord of the Rings events.

What began as the private amusement of a tweedy Oxford professor has now become a new mythology for the 21^st century. Ringers: Lord of the Fans shows how an adventure story published in 1954 has had dynamic ripple-effects through Western pop-culture.  Ringers carefully pulls away the veil between Tolkien’s book and the creations of art, music, and community that have been inspired by it.

Check out the official trailer here:

Cremorne Orpheum Theatre, Sydney Australia – Wednesday 1st May, 2013
Introduced by: Chris Murray (Creative Director Popcorn Taxi)
Hosted by: Oscar Hillerstrom from Popcorn Taxi
by: Deleece Cook on behalf of theOneRing.net

The cheering began as soon as Popcorn Taxi’s Chris Murray walked out on stage to open the event. There wasn’t a spare seat to be had at The Orpheum Theatre at Cremorne for the exclusive screening of The Hobbit and the live on Stage Q&A appearance with Richard Armitage.

700 smiling excited Thorin Fans were in the audience – and they had come from all over Australia for the event – this is what they had been waiting for hours to see. And it didn’t disappoint. It was a wonderful night of entertainment and surprises – Richard was a talkative guest; relaxed, smiling and laughing through the interview and he tried as best as he could to answer every question put to him from the fans, and from the host Oscar Hillerstrom.

Here’s how the night went – plenty of laughter and cheering and just a great vibe all round!…

Chris Murray: “Good Evening! Do I need to ask how you’re doing? Um, I’ve never been to an underwear sale at David Jones but I suppose this is the closest thing. Ladies and Gentlemen my name is Chris Murray and I am the Creative Director of Popcorn Taxi. It gives me no greater pleasure and enormous privilege to have you here tonight to see on the big screen The Hobbit. But not only that I know why you’re here… Richard Armitage on that seat ladies and Gentlemen”

Mad applause.

Chris Murray:  “Yes, you get the chance to ask him questions – I get the chance to curl into a small ball and rock backwards and forwards in the corner.”

More laughter… Then Chris laid down some house rules regarding soft toys and portraits not coming anywhere near the stage, but he mentioned nicely that questions were welcomed from the audience.
Then the first surprise of the night was announced…

Chris Murray: We are celebrating a fantastic film, and that film is out on Blu-ray and DVD today (mad applause)… “Yes! You should buy it! Warner Bros will love me! But, what’s not on that Blu-ray and what’s not on that DVD is what I’m about to play for you now. We have 12 minutes of a little behind the scenes that you will not see anywhere else. (lots of gasps) After that, you’ll get to meet Mr Richard Armitage.

Mad cheering!

Chris Murray: So enjoy the 12 minutes and relax – get the wetness out of the seats – whatever works for you – and I’ll be back! Please enjoy this event.

The sound of the cheering audience was amazing! Then silence. The lights lowered and the huge screen lit up… and then there was Peter…

Peter Jackson: “You want the Hobbit to be a visual experience that goes several steps beyond Lord of The Rings”

And that familiar drone of singing Dwarves speaking of “Pines and Mountains cold” echoed through the theatre – every eye was glued to the screen… it was more than 12 minutes of magic!

The film covered races and character that we see in the An Unexpected Journey – with snippets of comments from the actors and crew members. It shortly gave a brief explanation of the storyline and highlighted some of the production values and costuming as well.

In no particular order – Here are just some of the presenters on the clip, and what they had to say…
____
Peter Jackson: “When we made Lord of the Rings I was absolutely sure that was going to be a once in a lifetime experience. I never realized that ten years later I’d be doing it all over again – and we actually shot the 266 days on The Hobbit which was exactly the same number of days we shot on Lord of The Rings, so I’ve sort of done the once in a lifetime experience twice now (laughs) not a third time – there won’t be a third time”

Peter Jackson: “10 years ago it was Ian playing the character of Gandalf and no one had seen any of the movies, and now that’s an iconic figure. That’s Gandalf.”

Peter Jackson: “The same creative talent. 20 or 30 of the most senior people were Lord of The Rings veterans”

Peter Jackson: “The thing that’s so incredible about Martin is that he’s always exploring, he’s experimenting, he’s always trying to figure out where Bilbo’s truth is”

Peter Jackson: “One of the scary things about adapting The Hobbit is the fact that there’s 13 dwarves – and differentiating those characters was important.”

Philippa Boyens: “I remember the day when I knew we were back in Middle-Earth. I walked over to the costume room and there was Gandalf. And I suddenly thought… We’re Back.”

Philippa Boyens: (about Dwarves): “In the end Pete fell in love with each and every one of those characters. And as much as there is a little bit of Dwarf in Peter I think there’s a little bit of Peter in all those Dwarves.”

John Howe: “I imagine that Peter will do for Dwarves what he did for Elves because he is going to give them much more density, much more history.”

Martin Freeman: (talking about his character Bilbo) “… We join Bilbo as the book of The Hobbit does, as a home faring solitary Hobbit. …certain things struck me about him suggested a certain timidity and a lot of life…”

Elijah Wood: “You’ll get taken on an amazing ride”

Elijah Wood: “To have a chance to return, pop a wig on and feet it kind of feels like I’ve stepped into a time machine. And I get to meet all of these other actors who are coming along for the real long journey and sort of seeing in them a little bit of what we felt like when we started”

Elijah Wood: “A seed is being planted for what eventually comes the time period that we meet in Lord of The Rings”.

Christopher Lee: “Middle Earth seems to be just beginning to rumble and tumble”

Christopher Lee: “The White Council – they represent enormous power. There’s suspicion amongst all of them that there’s this building power of evil – getting stronger and stronger!”

Cate Blanchett: (on Gandalf in the film): “What makes Gandalf the most wonderful hero is the courage against popular opinion. He gets to move on into the darkness that no one else is prepared to go into.”

Hugo Weaving: “Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, Saruman, they play a role in eliminating those [forces?] from the political landscape.”

Ian McKellen: (on his character Gandalf regarding the appendices) “ Gandalf in The Hobbit; he is off and away doing other business and quite what that is, is not revealed in the novel. In the films we get to see what Gandalf was up to.”

Ian McKellen: “It’s magic. It’s pure magic. And you’ll believe it.”

The sound of the Dwarves was heard and the film ended with the audience cheering and clapping once more.

Then it was time for Richard Armitage to grace the Stage…

This past week, I had the incredible honor of being asked by TORn to film at this exciting event! Interviewing Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Elijah Wood, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage and almost all of the dwarves made it a thrilling experience I will never forget. I hope that you enjoy this video with words from all of our favorite hobbity friends! 

So, the question you probably want to hear answered is how The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey compares with LoTR.  From my perspective, it’s pretty favourable – it worked much better for me than RoTK and FoTR, and probably slightly better than TTT.  For context however, this is coming from someone who seriously undermined their enjoyment of LoTR by spoiling themselves rotten – whereas I’ve deliberately kept myself unspoilt for The Hobbit.

The pacing of The Hobbit: AUJ is gentler and more consistent than LoTR – the storytelling unfolds at a much more metered and less rushed pace.  At no point did I feel bored – it felt like a leisurely but appropriate telling of the story.  Also, where story padding is added, it generally feels that it’s actually dramatically required in order to provide additional context for the ‘real’ story, rather than a jarring and illadvised substitution from the books.  For instance, the presence of Radagast is a much-needed and legitimate extension to portray the rise of evil in Mirkwood and Dol Guldur which would otherwise have to be shown as a slightly forced flashback.

Also, the lighter humour and tone of The Hobbit feels much more suited to Peter Jackson’s style – whereas I found myself wincing at many of the incongruously lighter moments in LoTR.  I am glad to say that The Shire is presented much more naturalistically than the rather over-the-top utopia of the LoTR films (especially in the absence of The Scouring to balance it out!) – and there are thankfully no sequences remotely approaching the many “jumping on the bed” endings of RoTK (with the possible exception of needlessly belching dwarves…)

Much of the improved consistency over LoTR can be ascribed to Martin Freeman turning in a pretty much perfect performance as Bilbo, alongside Andy Serkis hitting new highs in his portrayal of Gollum and Ian McKellen growing further into Gandalf.  In fact, almost all the performances are very strong, with the possible exception of the entirely CGI creation of Azog, who unfortunately comes across needlessly one-dimensionally, complete with some very clunky dialogue (bizarrely exaggerated by being subtitled into English) – think Gothmog, but worse.  The contrast is particularly shown up by Barry Humphries turning in a wonderfully charismatic performance as the similarly CGI Goblin King, as well as the spot-on interpretations of the Trolls.

A slightly unexpectedly major overlap with LoTR is the score – beyond the fantastic ‘Lonely Mountain’ theme which underpins the whole film, I didn’t spot any new thematic material at all beyond all the original leitmotifs from LoTR.  Whilst the various themes have been reorchestrated (including a fantastic cymbalom introduction for Gollum’s theme), there really feels like very little new material at all – and in some places (Rivendell, The Shire, The Ring) the audio cues sound taken almost verbatim from the various LoTR scores.  Given that arguably one of the best things about the Star Wars prequels was the vast range of new thematic material that John Williams produced as a prequel in and of itself to the original SW scores, it seems bizarre that the main new theme here was apparently composed by Donaldson/Roche/Roddick/Long rather than Howard Shore.

Outside the content of the film itself, there is of course the question over its presentation in HFR 3D.  The 48fps presentation is unquestionably jarring at first – in my case however, I managed to stop getting distracted by it after about 25 minutes (coinciding with the story really getting going at Bag End).  It’s unfortunately true that the strangely smooth motion does evoke the impression of a shot-on-video 1980’s BBC drama – and this impression is made only worse by the way the 3D glasses mute the colour and vibrancy of the footage.  I actually took off my glasses briefly during Rivendell and was blown away by how vibrant and bright the print was.  Putting glasses on again made it feel slightly as if I was watching it through a fish tank.

The strangest side-effect of the 48fps video however is that certain rapid movements (e.g. Bilbo tying up his dressing gown in preparation to flee Bag End) end up looking as if they’ve been inexplicably artificially sped up, as per the Benny Hill show.  I think this is because when we normally see fast movements on film, they are very obviously motion-blurred.  But if you see movement which is unexpectedly fast without any motion blur, your brain almost thinks it’s more plausible that you’re watching normal movement that has been ‘sped up’.  Either that or PJ is doing something very strange with the framerate in some of the earlier shots in Bag End.  On the plus side, the higher frame-rate added much more detail to the various spectacular fight set pieces – a major complaint of the fight choreography of LoTR for me was that the action was so kinetic and motion-blurred that you often couldn’t really see what on earth was going on.  HFR fixes this problem admirably, which arguably helps with the immersive experience.  (That said, I haven’t seen The Hobbit: AUJ at 24fps yet, so I may be guessing wrong on this).

The 3D is impressive at points – especially in the jawdropping VFX of the Stone Giants’ thunderbattle, and a welcome cameo for Sauron (in a pleasantly understated manifestation as opposed to the boggling eye of RoTK).  However, elsewhere the 3D really doesn’t contribute very much (unlike Prometheus, Thor, Hugo, Avatar or other more 3D-aware films) – and does detract noticeably from the clarity of the image, especially in combination with 48fps.  My recommendation would certainly be to see it at first on a really good 2D 24fps screen – and then follow it up in HFR 3D a bit later.

To conclude: The Hobbit: AUJ is a more than worthy successor to the LoTR films – and learns from many of their mistakes and avoids many of their disappointments whilst standing true to all their positives.  In the end, one of my key metrics for a good film is whether it sucks me in enough for the drama to send shivers up and down my spine… and I’m happy to say that both the sacking of Dale and Thorin’s final showdown managed that big time.  The set pieces are bigger and more spectacular than ever, and the film captures both the essence and the detail of the book.  What more could you ask for?  In IMDB terms, I’d give it 8 out of 10 (with FoTR coming in at 7, TTT at 8, RoTK at 7).

Walking through the morning commuting crowds, heading to the cinema, it was slightly bewildering to think that I was finally going to see this movie.  It’s been YEARS – hoping since The Return of the King that we would get to go ‘back again’; handing out ‘Make the Hobbit Happen!’ buttons at conventions; watching the ‘snakes and ladders’ game of waiting for that greenlight; eagerly taking in every moment of Peter Jackson’s production diaries…  And now, at last, here it is.  Would the anticipation prove too much?  Would I be disappointed?

As the opening credits came up, I knew immediately that the answer, whatever was in store, would be NO.  I was revisiting old friends – and what a great pleasure it was.  I wanted to cry, as Frodo does in The Fellowship of the Ring, ‘It’s wonderful to see you Gandalf!’  What a treat to be back in the Shire, and to delight again in its green beauty.  What fun to explore Bag End some more, and to see Ian Holm and Elijah Wood back where they belong – in furry feet!

Some reviews have commented that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey feels too much like an echo of the earlier trilogy – too many parallels, which perhaps feel contrived.  Those perils certainly exist, when revisiting a franchise: remember the James Bond team desperately trying to smooth over the replacement of Sean Connery with George Lazenby, by throwing in lines such as, ‘This never happened to the other guy!’?  Fortunately, Jackson et al have dodged such pitfalls.  They make no apologies, simply plunging in and enjoying being back.  The fact is, we ARE back in Middle-earth – back in Peter Jackson, Alan Lee, John Howe and Weta’s Middle-earth – and it SHOULD seem familiar!  These are many of the same characters, the same locations; should we expect them to be somehow different?  In a recent interview, Richard Armitage commented that ‘connecting blood vessels to those other films [The Lord of the Rings trilogy] … was giving oxygen to our film’;  Middle-earth breathes again because it is linked to the movies we already know – and that is an encouraging thought.

This first of The Hobbit films does have a somewhat lighter touch than The Lord of the Rings movies, in keeping with the difference in Tolkien’s own style, going from The Hobbit to the later trilogy.  An Unexpected Journey feels, in places, closer to a Jim Henson movie or a Goonies style kids’ adventure tale; and this unfamiliar flippancy was sometimes disorienting.  It seems likely, however, with the way that plot events unfold, that The Desolation of Smaug and There and Back Again will be much darker – so perhaps it is as well to find the humour and the levity where we can!  We see the characters having fun, enjoying each other and developing a rich camaraderie – which will make the dangers and darkness to come all the more poignant and frightening.

The occasional frivolity of this movie is counterbalanced by the anchoring performances of its core trio – Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Sir Ian McKellen.  These three actors are exceptional, and the intensity and focus which they bring to their roles give the film an essential weight and gravity.  Martin Freeman never puts a (rather fat and chunky!) foot wrong in his portrayal of Bilbo – every moment, whether it be a scene of comedy, of danger or of emotion, is perfectly played.  Richard Armitage gives Thorin extraordinary depth – this is a truly heroic character in whom we can believe as a leader and a potential king, but who is also a haunted, vulnerable being who carries heavy burdens of sadness and self-doubt. And McKellen is, of course, everything we want from Gandalf – funny, touching, wise: a formidable presence.  How we will watch this triumvirate journey together, and see their characters’ relationships grow and change, is a thrilling prospect for the next two movies. The Academy is often churlish in rewarding ‘fantasy’ acting roles, but if there isn’t oscar buzz for these three gents – well, there should be.

Not that the supporting cast is overshadowed!  One of the great joys of An Unexpected Journey is that it is so well cast; everyone plays his or her role to perfection.  Each dwarf is a delight – from William Kircher as the silent Bifur, who manages to communicate so much with his eyes and his grunts, to Adam Brown’s adorable Ori and James Nesbitt’s sparkling Bofur - and all the others in between. Ken Stott is particularly wonderful as Balin; as a long time fan of the Scottish actor, I was thrilled to see him bring such resonance to the role of Thorin’s old companion.

As one would expect, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett and Sir Christopher Lee recreate their particular roles with skill and mastery.  The White Council scenes are beautifully played, and Gandalf’s interactions with Galadriel are a joy to behold.  The only slight disappointment is that Saruman here is a difficult, ornery fellow, ever at odds with Gandalf.  It seems a missed opportunity – to have discovered a real friendship here between the two wizards could have been a powerful and poignant set up for the destruction of that friendship in The Lord of the Rings.

It would be remiss to leave out Andy Serkis in this roll call of excellence; his Gollum is better than ever - if that is possible – and the ‘Riddles in the Dark’ sequence is a highlight of the film.

The perfection of the players in the movie is of course, in large part, a credit to their director.  Sir Peter Jackson is known for being a technical wizard, but there is perhaps a tendency to overlook his further brilliance as an actor’s director.  No film would be so full of pitch perfect performances were it not helmed by a master, who knows exactly how to draw such work out of his cast; how to lead them where they need to go and create for them a world in which they flourish.  Directors don’t always get the credit they deserve for enabling their actors – Sir Peter certainly deserves much applause for what he has achieved here.

So, what didn’t I love?  Well, I’ve never been a huge fan of snot gags, but those slapstick moments in which Jackson loves to indulge are all part of the energy of the film, and they quickly pass, so they didn’t spoil my enjoyment.  My only real issue was with the Higher Frame Rate – and even that was not quite the issue which others have found it to be.

Much has been written about 48 frames per second, with some even stating that the visuals at this frame rate made them nauseous.  I had no such problems, but I wasn’t convinced that this new technology is yet where it needs to be.  The clarity is extraordinary, but rather than enhancing the viewing experience, this brightness somewhat mars it.  At 48 fps, one sees EVERYTHING; this means that special effects, computer generated images, and edits do not blend as seamlessly as they would at a lower frame rate.  The quality of artificial studio light, for example, is never quite the same as actual daylight; at 48 fps, in sequences where the close-ups were shot indoors and the wide shots on location, this slight shift in the light is evident and distracting.  The extreme brightness and intensity of everything you see gives the film a rather cartoonish, ‘video game’ quality at times; rather than feeling that I was seeing right into that world of Middle-earth, I felt that I was gazing straight into the film set.  48 fps may well be the future, (and certainly 3D is much more effective at 48 fps), but the future isn’t here quite yet – the rest of movie making technology needs to catch up to this higher frame rate, so that the minor flaws aren’t exposed by the enhanced clarity.

Such concerns were not significant enough to spoil my enjoyment of the film; I will certainly see the movie again at 48fps - and at 24fps.  With such a team of experts at the helm – from director and actors to designers and crew, and not forgetting the magnificent, soaring score from composer Howard Shore – how could the film be anything but wondrous?  I was left with the feeling that I had spent time with a friend whom I had not seen for years.  For almost a decade, Middle-earth has only been what we’d already seen – we could revisit, but it was not new, not living and breathing.  Now, here is our old acquaintance: returned, alive and well, and revealing new treasures!  Hello old friend – it’s wonderful to see you again.  I’m glad you’re back.

To celebrate the release of The Hobbit this month, Kerry Shawcross and Chris Demarais, two members of Rooster Teeth Productions (the creators of the acclaimed machinima series Red vs Blue*, as well as Immersion, and Achievement Hunter), decided to find out for themselves. They’ve set themselves the task to complete in just six days the 120+ mile journey across New Zealand from the filming location of Hobbiton in Matamata to that of Mount Doom on Mount Ngauruhoe.

Are they mad? Possibly! Watch the series — the first episode of which TheOneRing.net is delighted to exclusively debut with Rooster Teeth and Blip — and discover if they’re up to the challenge!

They will sleep on the ground, cross rivers, and of course, eat Lembas. Documenting the entire journey on video, the pair will attempt to prove that in real life — just like Frodo and Sam did in the book and the movie — one can simply walk into Mordor.

* Elijah Wood fans will recall that Wood voiced the character “Sigma” on Season 10 of Red vs Blue.

Wood commented at the time: “After meeting the folks at Rooster Teeth a couple years ago, I was pleased to be asked to provide a voice for Red vs Blue. The character of Sigma, shifty and deceptive, was fun to bring to life,”

Red vs Blue Season 10 has just concluded, and the Season 10 DVD/Blu-ray and “RVBX: Ten Years of Red vs. Blue” (a 14 disc set of all 10 seasons) is now available on DVD and Blu-ray over on Rooster Teeth.

Jackson on shooting at 48 frames per second instead of the standard 24: “We’ve seen the arrival of iPhones and iPads and now there’s a generation of kids – the worry that I have is that they seem to think it’s OK to wait for the film to come out on DVD or be available for download. And I don’t want kids to see `The Hobbit’ on their iPads, really. Not for the first time. So as a filmmaker, I feel the responsibility to say, `This is the technology we have now, and it’s different … How can we raise the bar? Why do we have to stick with 24 frames? …’”

“The world has to move on and change. And I want to get people back into the cinema. I want to play my little tiny role in encouraging that beautiful, magical, mysterious experience of going into a dark room full of strangers, and being transported into a piece of escapism.”

Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) on shooting some scenes without other actors around: “I must admit I found the green screen and all that easier than I thought I would. … I found the technical aspect of it quite doable. Some of it’s difficult, but it’s quite enjoyable, actually. It taps into when I used to play `war’ as a 6-year-old. And the Germans were all imaginary. Because I was playing a British person. So yeah, I was on the right side. …”

On marrying his performance to that of Ian Holm, who played an older Bilbo Baggins in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy: “I knew I couldn’t be a slave to it. Because as truly fantastic as Ian Holm is in everything, and certainly as Bilbo, I can’t just go and do an impression of Ian Holm for a year and a half. Because it’s my turn. But it was very useful for me to watch and listen to stuff he did, vocal ticks or physical ticks, that I can use but not feel hamstrung by.”

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Andy Serkis (interview begins at 14:30)

Peter Jackson (interview begins at 15:08)

Sir Ian McKellen

Elijah Wood

Martin Freeman