To be fair, he’s been into Tolkien since adolescence and is really excited to share. It’s just… intense.
Mine tried to go for a weekend marathon. I cannot give that much attention to anything in my life ever.
One day I’ll get to the books so I don’t have to ask for his help every time there is a book vs movie meme, lol.
There is a fun podcast called Drunk History of Middle Earth that is essentially this dynamic the whole time - a husband/wife duo where the guy is trying to teach her about Tolkien. She’s genuinely open to it, so it’s probably less annoying than some other instances of that pattern. Aside from the hearing new perspectives on the lore, it’s interesting to vicariously experience the stories for the first time again.
Also I love their accents, and how they sometimes expose their personal lives to the world and talk through stuff as a couple - it’s very endearing
Edit to add: there are no ads! It’s so refreshing
This will only lead to you eventually reading the Silmarillion, and putting your husband in his place with even more obscure Tolkien trivia.
I had a friend like that with every comedy movie he liked. He’d just stare at you with a goofy grin prior to every part he thought was funny. He’d look over, grinning, just waiting to see your reaction. He’s a great guy, it just made it real uncomfortable to watch a movie with him.
I’m assuming he’ll make you watch it again, regardless of your enjoyment. Like, if you don’t love it, he’ll say he didn’t explain enough or you missed something. If you do enjoy it, he’ll say you won’t mind watching it again.
So, good luck.
My wife fell asleep the first time through. So this is a very real situation for me haha.
I fell asleep the first time, my wife didn’t.
On her side, she was much more of a Tolkien nerd at the time, though I think I’ve surpassed her (an indictment of myself, I assure you).
For my part, I was burned out from classwork and did not experience anything from Moria to Amon Hen. Like, I didn’t even remember that I fell asleep - or rather, waking up. So it wasn’t until I saw it again that I realized I missed Galadriel and a whole lot else. This exacerbates my confusion about what’s in the theatrical/extended, to say the least.
Begs the question what were your wrong reactions on first viewing?
Unrelated but your comment reminds me of a time when my daughter was young.
There was some show on TV where a guy fell out of a tall building plummeting to his death (dramatized, not real).
My daughter watches this and screams, “wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
I about burst several internal organs laughing at that one.
My girlfriend has seen the trilogy many more times than me, she likes it on in the background while she works from home. I’ll sit for a while to watch but it isn’t like The Shawshank Redemption where I will sit down until the end every damn time.
Damn Andy I will see you down in Zaywatanejo
Zihuatanejo, in case anyone wanted to know the actual spelling and that it’s a real place.
I applaud you for being able to correct the spelling and not come off as an asshole at the same time. That is quite the feat on the internet these days. Not only did you not come off as an asshole you actually linked to further information to educate your fellow netizen. 👏
I didn’t know how to spell it myself when I looked for it. I would have spelled Zijuatanejo, so I got to learn, too. Figured I’d share. 😉
Shawshank Redemption, The Birdcage, and The Fifth Element are my 3 favorite movies that I will always actively watch when they’re on, even if I own all three.
