Well, I drove 3.5 hours each way to see it (to Washington DC from Johnstown, PA) and it was worth every mile and rain drop I had to weather on the way back. The movie, digitally projected, looked AMAZING.
It was like watching it on a big screen TV in High Definition it was that good. This is clearly the future of movie watching. I got there early thinking the lines would be bad and seeing as they warned us about FIRST COME seating, I wasn’t taking any chances.
I was disappointed the turnout was so low. About 100 people total. They checked us in and only asked for the printout of the email, no ID was required. We got free popcorn and soda and after the movie, they had posters out at the exit for everyone, although some took more than one (shame on them).
I guess this isn’t hard to believe, but the movie is much better now with the added footage, if only to explain a lot of what happens in future scenes or in TTT, and to really *flesh* out the story. Someone who is not versed in the books, will really get it now.
I especially like the new beginning with Bilbo and his voice over. Great history on Hobbits. However, the film benefits the most from the added Lorien scenes, beginning with the Fellowship entering the woods til they depart with the gift giving. This sequence has the most footage added, I’d say 7-10 min it seemed like.
The second big thing I like about it is, it gives you a much better understanding why Aragorn is the way he is. When I saw the original, the thing that upset me the most was the portrail of Aragorn and the fact that the movie didn’t explain it well enough (seeing as it deviated from the book).
Well, its in there now. The last thing I’ll mention is the fleshing out of Boromir’s character and his motives, which was well done and much needed.
Overall, the new scenes blended perfectly, There may be one or two *rough* transitions. I also noticed that they changed some camera angles on existing scenes. The new music was great and even some of the original music was changed if the scene was extended or something was added after it. Man, they really worked on getting it right.
So, there you go. Great flick. I’m grateful to see it again on the big screen. Can’t wait til next Tuesday. Bravo PJ and company.
DPM.
P.S. I think the font on the credits was also made bigger. Thank god. I think we may actually be able to read them now, and the fan club roll (at least I could in the theater). They did not roll the fan club names at this showing though.
I saw the same showing that Switz did, at McClurg in Chicago. Very, very cool. The additions were seamless, and really should have been in the original release. There is nothing which is superflouous to this version at all.
My favorite addition is probably the “gift” sequence in Lothlorien, followed by the extended opening in the Shire. Lots of great humor added throughout, which really helped flesh out the characters, especially Merry and Pippin.
Thanks go out to all the people at New Line who decided to do this, it was much appreciated. I was hoping they’d have some “Two Towers” promo items to hand out, but no such luck. This showing was good enough of a gift, though.
I had gotten a VIP pass to the extended cut of FOTR at Chicago’s McClurg Court Theatre – needless to say, an opportunity to see the DVD a week early was too good to pass up! I hadn’t heard anything about digital presentation, so I had assumed that was all it would be – video projection of the DVD on one of their smaller screens.
Imagine my surpise when I was directed to Theatre 1! As any Chicago-area fan knows, McClurg Court’s theatre 1 is the place to be for an event movie – it has probably the biggest screen in town, and the sound system is amazing. Even more, though, I knew it has been digital since AOTC was released in May. So I had my fingers crossed…
They had actually taped off a large section of the middle of the theatre for people with the VIP passes, so I was amazed to be able to get a terriffic seat, even if I didn’t arrive early.
The only catch was that I had to surrender my invitation, which was a lovely piece of parchment stationery with elven script in gold leaf. I was sad to let go of it. But, the seat was sweet. The crowd was small – barely a third of the room’s capacity, I’d say – but very enthusiastic, including many in varying forms of elvish costume. It’s always a pleasure to see something like this with the right kind of crowd.
Eventually, the lights went down, and they kicked right into a full digital trailer for TTT – it was just unbelievably exciting to see something I’d only seen on my desktop, now on a gigantic screen with booming, perfect sound.
When the wargs bound across the screen, it seems like they’re about to leap out into the crowd. Treebeard’s legs were so massive and detailed. The shot that starts on the tower of Orthanc and pulls back through Saruman’s army had to be seen to be believed. Just incredible. When TTT is released, I urge everyone to move heaven and earth to get to a digital theatre to see it.
Then the movie started – I first saw FOTR in pretty much the same seat at McClurg, but that was from film, and this was a whole new ball game. The Last Alliance seemed more grand and awe-inspiring than ever – when they showed the line of elves whirling their blades agaist the Orcish line, every elf was in focus.
There was so much detail in the image, it was almost scary. All through the film, I kept seeing scene after scene, full of details I had never noticed. It was just glorious. My only reservation is sadness for the fans who couldn’t attend these screenings. I really hope they organize some kind of large-scale rerelease down the line so everyone can experience a digital FOTR. It’s that much better than the film version.
As for the extra material, I loved it. I really think it’s a better film, and will probably never watch the short version again! I just wanted to tell all the fans who are still waiting to see it, your faith will be rewarded. Wow. Is it just me, or is it a great time to be a geek right now?
Last night I had the privilege and LUCK to see the Extended Version of Fellowship. I haven’t had such an adrenaline rush since I saw it all those months ago for the first time!
While the cut we all saw for six months in the theatres (I saw it at a theatre in Cleveland in late JUNE) was great and can stand by itself, the scenes that Peter and New Line have put back in only make it better. Often you can understand why scenes were taken out, but here I don’t know why any of these were cut.
The movie is funnier, first off. There are times when we missed lines because we were laughing so hard! From “Concerning Hobbits” (the new introduction right after Galadriel’s narration) to scenes outside of Moira to scenes in Lothlorien, even when things are sad you get a glimmer of the humor that gives you hope Middle Earth will be saved. Some of the jokes are at Pippin’s expense, but a fair number come at Aragorn and Gimli’s.
The characters are also much more rounded and fuller. The hobbits are much more mischievous, the elves more elegant (Elrond is still the holier-than-all-thou-mortals-and-you-can’t-have-my-daughter-until-you-claim-your-throne-you-greasy-ranger” that we have all come to love) especially Galadriel and Celeborn, and even Boromir is more understandable. There is one part that makes his death scene later even MORE poignant.
As for more violence, I think it is offset by the peace and fun you also get added back in. Yes, the Mines have more killing, and, yes, the final battle has more death, but then there are the scenes in the Shire, especially at the Green Dragon. There is also the gift giving scene, that was sweet without making you sick.
I would highly recommend this to any fan of LOTR. It may not be on the big screen, but it will not matter.
I, too, was at the Chicago screening last night. Without a ticket, I might add, but someone who was alone was kind enough to bring me in as their guest.
The theater was *not* full, probably a combination of bad weather and people not valuing things they get for free. I think if anyone had leaked the location sooner, we’d have had every seat full. Of course, then I might not have made it in, since I only found the location an hour before the showing.
The guys giving out the tickets, which included a free drink and popcorn, indicated that there were other “freebies” that didn’t arrive in time to be handed out. Didn’t matter one bit, as far as I was concerned.
The audience, while not capacity, was very enthusiastic about the screening. Applause and hooting when the lights went down; wild applause for the Two Towers trailer; applause again when the movie started (and when it ended, of course). Delighted reactions to all the new materials, no matter how small. Places where one or two lines were added got laughs and cheers.
As for the EE itself, marvelous movie that *everyone* should have seen on the big screen. Small as some changes are, they add greatly to the characterization and the lore of the story. I don’t think I need to go into spoilers, since the DVD reviews get pretty detailed on what is added.
To me, the EE is what the movie should have been all along. The theatrical release came so close, but there were places where I was saying “but…” Not so with this version, which is just delightfully done. Every member of the Fellowship gets to shine a little more, particularly Merry & Pippin, but also Gimli and his relationship with Legolas. Heck, I finally got to see Gimli with his helmet off. And see Legolas’ attitude toward dwarves — or one dwarf – change.
I went home very, very happy and wild to own the DVD (soon!) and see TT.
Last night myself, my wife and a friend went into Chicago to wrangle ourselves a seat for the big screen viewing of Fellowship’s Extended Edition. We were sorely worried that we’d be without seats, as we were a bit late, but there was plenty of room in the theatre when we got there, and we managed to grab some perfect seats.
And, because it was a Tuesday night, the eventually full theatre was packed with die-hard Tolkien nuts. It was the perfect crowd to see this movie with. And, I might add, the perfect place to see this movie. The theatre was THX certified, and they used a Texas Instruments digital projector to get the movie on the screen – it was like watching a movie-sized HDTV!!
This cut of Fellowship stands head and shoulders above the theatrical cut. The extra 1/2 hour of footage makes the film actually feel a bit shorter, because it flows so well together. The additions made are here and there, mostly, little bits that add roundness and soul to the movie.
A lot of the humor got cut, which is a sad thing, because it’s the most genuine humor that I’ve seen in a movie to date. For example (as the party is preparing to leave Lothlorien, Legloas pulls out some lembas and shows it to Pippin and Merry):
Legolas: Lembas; elvish waybread. A small bite will fill a grown man’s stomach for a full day. (He smiles, takes a bite, and puts it back in the pack).
(Merry and Pippin both smile in an over-polite fashion. When Legolas is out of earshot, Merry leans over to Pippin).
Merry: How many did *you* eat?
Pippin: Four. (Pippin belches and gets a *very* uncomfortable look on his face)
But, on to the major stuff:
The first major addition is in the beginning, where we move from the narration by Galadriel to Bilbo penning the first chapter of his book, Concerning Hobbits. The warmth which Bilbo uses to describe the Shire way of life makes it something to be protected. I had known that the Shire was worth protecting when I saw the theatrical cut, but only in an intellectual fashion. Now, having seen the Extended cut, I *felt* that it was something to be protected.
The second addition is the extended Lothlorien sequence. We get to see much more the elven city, even Caras Galadon. The most remarkable part that was put back in was the gift giving sequence. The entire Lotlorien sequence gives Celeborn and Galadriel a softer side – they seem much more like they were in the book. (EVERYONE seems more like they were in the book; that’s the best I can say, as there is too much detail to full convey all of the little bits and pieces that were put back in).
The recut of the film is fantastic: that alone justifies the purchase of the DVD next Tuesday. And after reading the review that Moriarity put up over at Ain’t It Cool News of all the goodness that PJ packed into the special features, I’m near-salivating. 🙂
