Forget the cinema version

Rating: 10/10 (17 November 2002)

I've waited until now to review The Fellowship of the Ring, even though I saw it last January at the cinema, because I wanted to review the real version... the so-called "extended version."
Well, I've just seen the real version -- and it is head and shoulders above the butchered version shown at the cinema. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the original release, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I watching a speeded up version. A version that rockets from battle to battle with little or no explanation or slow-down. I put this down to Peter Jackson trying to fit it all in and forgave it. Then I heard of the "extended version", with 30 minutes of extra footage chopped out of the original release... presumably because it would have bumped the viewing time up to an unmanagable (for mainstream picture houses) 3 and a half hours.
The longer version is a much, *much* better viewing experience. It takes its time to explain things... it paces itself, and you don't get the feeling that it is a dizzying ride between impressive fight sequences. The characters are fuller... Hobbiton is not just a place where Frodo starts out, it becomes a home with relatives and culture that Frodo wants to protect by leaving with the Ring. Most important of all: Lothlorien isn't just a stop off point and a light show, it now has a purpose and plot points that will be important in later films. Boromir is also a more fleshed-out character and not just a man who goes mad with desire for the Ring.
It's all a much more enjoyable experience. Forget about the cinema edit... the extended version isn't just some BS director's cut. It's how it was meant, and should, be seen.