[Meela]

Is the craze still around? Perhaps not for me...

I'm loathed to admit that I've lost considerable interest in the LotR movies, and LotR in general to an extent. It began after Rotk was released on DVD; it suddenly felt as though the three year bubble of excitement and crazed fandom had been popped with a large pin, and I had deflated with it.
I haven't even watched the Rotk DVD since I bought it on the day it came out in May; snippets, yes, but not the entire movie in one go, and I haven't even yet watched the bonus documentary material.
I don't know whether I was simply cut off, but it seemed that there was a noticeable lack of interest. The staple magazine coverage was largely reduced from what it had been for the first two DVDs, and in general there was little hype or publicity.

I'm happy to be able to counter this with my new-found interest in the original material. Now that the movies are less prominent, I'm working my way back towards studying the books, languages, the origins of the characters, and so forth. I'm hoping that the release of the Extended Edition of RotK will renew my interest in the movies considerably.

I was never a true Tolkien fan; a serious admirer, borderline obsessive perhaps, but I never could tackle the books in the intellectual manner that is commonly adoption in the forum. I certainly loved the books, and the spirit behind them.
I think perhaps now that I'm looking at the books and LotR as a whole more insightfully I'll be able to call myself a borderline obsessive once more with feeling.