Like the Fellowship of the Ring, this was a very quick three hours. It's a credit to the film that I sat immobile, without a single trip to the bathroom for those three hours.

I read the Hobbit, hiding from a hurricane in the Na Pali wilderness of Kuaui s north coast, in 1978 and the Ring trilogy soon after, so during the intervening twenty years, I've forgotten much of the plot line.  The film has encouraged me to reread it.

Frodo carrying the One Ring of power and Samwise continue their journey to save Middle-earth following the breakup of the Fellowship in the first book.  The three friends, Aragorn, Legolas (the elf) and Gimli (the dwarf) search for them doing battle along the way and finally helping King Theoden of the Mark against the Sauron's first army led by the black King of the Ringwraiths.  Gandalf the Grey pops in and out of the fray tipping the scales toward the good.  Gimli provides unexpected  humor (is there any other kind?).

The animation that created Gollum, I found just short of amazing.  It was also well worthwhile seeing this in a theater with a large screen and THX digital sound.  The panoramic landscapes were spectacular and they gave emotional power to the dichotomy between the lone warrior for good and the vast armies of evil.

Nevertheless, I had a very hard time deciphering much of Gollum's lispy, slobbery speech.  I am looking forward to the DVD with close captions to help me with the dialogue.

I find it ironic that Tolkien wrote this in reaction to the horrors of WWII and we are seeing it dramatized during a time of imminent war.  Will we learn?  Ever?

I woke this morning imagining this story as a huge game of chess, but with real blood.  Later this morning at breakfast, Linda (her idea) and I played character replacement.  Osama Bin Laden was Saruman (the evil wizard); Colin Powell was Gandalf (good wizard); GW Bush was King Theodon (war is inevitable, damn the consequences); Tony Blair was Aragorn (handsome knight fighting evil).  Scary!