I'm so sorry for those of you who had such rotten experiences! *hugs*<P>I went to a 10:50am showing on the 17th, I swear, BEST audience I've ever had the pleasure of sitting with. I was worried at first, the place was slowly filling (I think I was the only one who had advance tickets!) with teenagers, and maybe some first and second year college students. And kids. People were walking in with 4-8 year olds. I was bracing myself. But it was remarkably quiet! Only one cell rang in the whole duration, and laughing was only at appropriate places. Can't say I can remember cheering, but that's ok, I want to hear the movie more Someone made an "OOF!" noise when Frodo recieved his sting, but there were no insane screaming people going bonkers over Shelob. You could have heard a pin drop, except for that point when you just *knew* something was about to happen, then everyone started to squirm. <P>I think Gandalf clocking Denethor recieved the loudest reaction, you just have to put your purist aside and admit that was humorous <P>One guy was, for some reason, audibly grossed out when Pippin kissed Denethor's ring. <P>The fading-to-black sequences left me holding my breath, I would have had a fit if they ended it with Frodo and Sam lying on that boulder But I held my breath, having enough faith in PJ not to screw things up that badly. <P>A few morons left when Frodo woke up and was reunited with the Fellowship in that painfully beatiful scene.<P>All in all, it was awesome. It was obvious these people had a genuine love for the story, and many of them were saying things like "It didn't follow the book 100%, but I liked it!" as they left. Only a few people besides me stayed to the end of the credits (how can you not stay and look at the beautiful artwork?!) and no one cheered, but I was so thrilled. Never before have I been with an audience that was so well-behaved, and into the movie. <P>To any of you who were in a small theater in North Florida yesterday morning, I thank you
|