When Did You See ‘Lord of the Rings’ in a Movie Theater?

My birthday was on Monday, and I really wanted to see a movie in a movie theater. That is one of my favorite ways to celebrate another trip around the sun or whatever the measurement is. However, the easiest way for me to go to the movies is to do so in Times Square, after I leave one of my other jobs, which I work until about 9 PM. That said, I’m then at the mercy of New Jersey buses. So, I have to choose carefully. Regardless, I almost risked a very late night to relive some of my favorite memories ever.

When checking for movies, I saw several showtimes for films from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Not only have they returned to theaters, but they’ve done so in their proper, director’s cut form. My excitement knew no bounds until I saw that the earliest one I could see started at 10 PM, potentially getting me home at 2 AM. It just wasn’t worth it, and, instead, I stuck to the comfort of the Shire (and by that, I mean a 119 bus that came at 9:45 and got me home a little after ten).

I ended up watching Clerks at home that night. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been reflecting on the first times I saw Jackson’s films ever since. Those were my first journeys to Middle Earth. They fundamentally changed me and would shape my interests for years to come. While I would have loved a chance to relive those moments in a theater, recalling them on a computer screen will likely be my best chance (for now).

My Dad offered (or at least agreed) to take me to the movies several times when I was younger. They were supposed to be trips that were just between him and me, and he tried to back out at the last minute several times. Fellowship of the Ring was one such occasion. Still, my mom yelled at him (I think), and we went on a Saturday morning in 2001. It blew my mind and was all I could talk about on the drive home. I remember lamenting the death of Gandalf, only for my Dad to nonchalantly tell me that he’ll be back because he’s a wizard. I couldn’t believe it.

That morning trip sent me on a path of fandom that I still hold near and dear to my heart. I thought it would be something my Dad and I could share. I even bought him a copy of The Hobbit that Christmas because he told me how much he loved it when he was little. It was met with indifference. Instead, I continued on the journey on my own, checking out a BBC radio production of the books from the 80s from the library (highly recommend) and consuming every other piece of Lord of the Rings media I could find (I was not a good reader).

The release of The Two Towers was the most excited I had been about a movie up until that point. I watched the trailer on Apple’s website over and over. The video game barely left my PS2, even though it came out almost two months before the film and certainly spoiled it for me. I didn’t care. I wanted to experience Helm’s Deep in every way possible. Since I was older now, I went to the movie with friends instead of my Dad, after school on the Wednesday that it came out. It was awesome.

Well, I didn’t say awesome at the time. My younger brother had told me that my older brother (who didn’t even like the movies) was making fun of how I called everything I liked “awesome” and would likely just say the same thing about this movie. So, when I got home and found my older brother in our family computer room, I tried to use every other adjective I could think of so as not to feel embarrassed. But the movie was awesome, and seeing it with a packed crowd and a couple of friends further cemented my love of the stories.

I wasn’t screwing around by the time Return of the King hit theaters. I was a freshman in high school. Things were different. I couldn’t just be a fan; I had to take things further. So, I managed to convince my parents to let me stay out of school sick to see the movie on opening day. Twice. My then-fourteen-year-old brain didn’t like the idea of leaving the final film and having the memories quickly dissolve, so I assumed that seeing it twice in a row would fix that. It was a fun open secret at school, and I even ended up running into my older brother in the process, as he was “dragged” to see the movie with his English class.

The day felt like some kind of epic journey. I sat both times happily and never wavered or got tired. My friend Stefan joined me for the latter showing, but I was all on my own for the first, which felt appropriate. I’d see it again, a few weeks later, on my birthday, with my dad and my younger brother. That viewing was admittedly more fun (even if a couple of annoying dudes were laughing at Elijah Wood’s face when he’s stung by Shelob. Savages). It still lives firmly in my brain.

So, what was your experience seeing these movies in theaters? Were the experiences overshadowed by family issues? Did you go with friends? How thoroughly did the films sink their claws into you? We’ve survived over two decades with some of the best movies that have ever been made. Let’s reminisce!