Hundreds of Lord of the Rings fans, some dressed as J.R.R. Tolkien's characters, filled theaters Wednesday to see the last leg of Frodo's journey across Middle Earth.
By CURTIS KRUEGER and KEVIN GRAHAM
Published December 18, 2003
[Times photo: Michael Rondou]
Nika McNulty, 26, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and sister Emilija McNulty, 13, right, of St. Pete Beach, dressed as Arwen and Lady Galadriel to see The Return of the King Wednesday at Tyrone Square Mall. The final Lord of the Rings film opened Wednesday.
Movie review Lord of the screens
Pieces come together in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Director Peter Jackson concludes the Tolkien trilogy in grand style. [12/16/03]
Wanted: your fantasy epics
Our favorite fantasy epics are slowly dying. We may never see another enthralling fantasy series again, unless somebody writes a new one. Why not you? Grab a pencil or a computer and craft a new tale for the world to enjoy. [12/12/03]
It doesn't matter if you've worked all night. It doesn't matter if you're sailing to Miami with your whole family.
If you're a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, all that matters is finding 201 free minutes and a theater showing The Return of the King, the third and final movie in the blockbuster fantasy series.
"I'm very excited," said restaurateur Nika McNulty, 26, who took her sister to a noon showing of the movie Wednesday at Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg. "It's been the highlight of every December for three years now."
The last movie in the epic trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's books set in the fictional (sorry fans) Middle Earth opened across the country on Wednesday. The film drew moviegoers to Tampa Bay theaters who were eager to see the wizards, warriors, monsters, hobbits and elves that many of them began reading about as children.
Some attended showings just after midnight Tuesday, and hundreds more thronged theaters Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Among the first to see the bay area premiere were Adam Gillen, 24, and his friend Ron Green, 31, both of Brandon, who spent much of Tuesday watching extended versions of the first two movies, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.
"You have to have the full effect," Green said.
"It's been a Lord of the Rings day," added Gillen.
Then they showed up at the midnight showing at the Channelside Cinemas & IMAX Theatre, guzzling energy drinks so they wouldn't nod out during part three.
Just in case, they planned to see the movie again on Wednesday.
Curtis Adam Thompkins, 19, spent all night working at Wal-Mart, but he figured a soft drink and a few action scenes would keep him awake during the three-hour, 21-minute film on Wednesday afternoon. He was looking forward to watching Gimli, the ax-wielding dwarf.
The pull of the films on Middle Earth fans is strong. Just ask the Hansons, a family of five people and two dogs from Houston sailing their 33-foot catamaran toward Miami. They stayed in port to see The Return of the King.
"We've read the books, I grew up reading them," said mom Lorna Hanson, a teacher. So has her son Eric, 13, who was helping her carry refreshments into the theater at Tyrone Square Mall.
"I'm the Lord of the Rings fanatic," he said.
McNulty also could be considered a Tolkien fanatic - she said she had read the Lord of the Rings series 17 times, plus other Tolkien writings, including his poetry. She and her sister Emilija, 13, arrived in flowing gowns and sparkling headbands, saying they were dressed as Arwen and Lady Galadriel from the movies.
"It's such a great story and I couldn't believe that a movie could take the images I already had in my head," McNulty said, referring to the first two movies. "It's almost hard to believe it's not real."
Kyle Fetter, 27, of Tampa, has seen every version he could find of the first two movies and read all the books, finding them captivating.
"This is how big of a nerd I am," Fetter said. "I went to a coffee shop with one of the books and stayed in the car and finished it before I went in." He couldn't put the book down.
Although some people won't see a movie until they have finished the book, Nessa Collins, 14, of Tampa took the opposite approach.
"I figured since I saw the first movie, I shouldn't read the books in case they left anything out," said Nessa, who also showed up for the midnight showing at Channelside. "I didn't want want it to be ruined."
