The Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson trilogy)

Peter Jackson trilogy adapting the book The Lord of the Rings.
==First watch (2001-2003)==
===Format===
Cinema no doubt.
===Journal===
The Fellowship of the Ring
I believe I had been intending to read the book, I'm not sure how much, and possibly only because I knew the films were coming out, but hadn't gotten anywhere with it before the first film came out. I can't remember when, where, or who with, I watched the first film, and to be honest it occurred to me in 2012 thinking about how much I love the score that I really was enamoured with this film at one time. Since then I think I've actually suppressed it, worrying about the cliche and not trying to be labelled as the guy who wants to be Legolas, but I really did I think :P I spent a lot of money on replica swords and the One Ring, I had a Legolas poster in my room, and I still always prefer to play a wood elf if I can. I think this was my first introduction to high fantasy.
3
The Two Towers
Now, my memory is very clear about this but it could be wrong - I read the whole trilogy after watching the first film. I intended only to read the first book, then I thought 'Hell, I'll read the first chapter of The Two Towers since it's in the first film' and then I read the whole thing. So I'm basically certain that I read at least the first two books before watching this film.
Anyway, I hated it. I was fully in love with the books at this point, and every difference (and, to be fair, there are some really big, ugly, differences) set me seething.
-2
The Return of the King
I don't know what I thought the first time I saw it, but I was at best unimpressed - I watched it once and then never again, and if I ever thought of it it was in the vein of 'Huh, that was full of weird stuff and had a drawn out ending'. I think maybe the first film kind of defines the book and film trilogy both for me, so this film was meh.
-1 or something?
===Rating===
1 overall I guess, but see above.
==Intermediate watches==
I guess I watched at least Fellowship a bunch of times, I must have, and maybe The Two Towers another time, just to confirm that I hated it.
==2012 watch==
My sympathies to this trilogy started to change in 2012. I think I maybe had gotten over my infatuation with the book, and realised that Peter Jackson had made it his own and that maybe that's alright really. That if you watch the film trilogy without wanting it to be a faithful interpretation of the book as you read it, it's pretty good. Probably the upcoming release of The Hobbit got me thinking about it more, or it may have been just because I finally got round to reading the books again the year before.
The Fellowship of the Ring
I watched the extended Fellowship with Luke, in two parts, in early 2012 I think. He was staying at our house and I put on the first part, and he ended up watching it all the way through. The next day I figured we should get through the second half, and he thought he'd seen two of the three films instead of only the first.
3
The Two Towers
On November 23rd 2012 we watched the first part of The Two Towers. I was kinda hoping we'd be able to watch them all and he'd be interested in watching The Hobbit.
On December 8th I went back to his house and we watched the second part of The Two Towers. Luke seemed to really get into it and I liked it quite a lot too. There was no time after that to watch The Return of the King before The Hobbit came out, but I didn't think he was likely to go to the cinema to see that.
On December 16th I saw him in Stevenage where we went to see a pantomime and he asked if I'd seen The Hobbit yet. When I said I'd seen it the day before he was disappointed cos he wanted to see it! I'll have to take him when he's here for Christmas...
2
The Return of the King
I watched this one with Luke on the 26th of December, at my house. I had rewatched the first half of Fellowship on my own on the evening of December 16th and kinda wanted to watch that again with him before we finished off the trilogy :P It is a bit weird - when these things first come out you have so long between each instalment that you become intimately familiar with the earlier ones, but for Luke he didn't get that experience. Maybe that's inevitable though, and alright.
It was good, we watched it in one 4-hour sitting (phew!). As I've come to like the books a little less, and opened myself up to Jackson's version, everything I liked about Fellowship and the general look-and-feel of this trilogy has finally come through in the second two films.
2
===Overall rating===
2
==2014 watch==
===Format===
On blu-ray, extended editions, with Mum.
===Journal===
In 2014, with Mum and I planning a trip to New Zealand in April, she suggested we watch the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films so that she'd be familiar with the locations we could seek out there. I was surprised but eager to watch them again!
The Fellowship of the Ring (February 2014)
Watched in two parts in mid-late February 2014. I loved it, I honestly think it's like an absolute classic. It's perfect. Such a great movie.
I think Mum was bored for half the time, and half asleep for the rest.
3
===Overall rating===
==Ratings, awards, mentions and recommendations==
Howard Shore score.
Category:Works
Category:Films
Category:Fantasy films
Category:High fantasy films
Category:New Zealand films
Category:2000s films
Category:Middle-earth films
Category:Films watched in 2001
Category:Films watched in 2002
Category:Films watched in 2003
Category:Films watched in 2012
Category:Films with 2 rating