There is a very serious problem affecting a large percentage of this population. Many of us don't recognize it for what it really is. It is a condition that forces its victims to spend a large amount of time in a darkened room, sitting in soft seats with others like themselves, escaping reality. They discuss make-believe events for hours and even get in arguments over them. I call it "extreme Frodoidis." Those afflicted need help.
Yes, I'm talking about Lord of the Rings. And although the majority of people are touched by this movie, they are not completely consumed by it.
With the movie starting on Dec. 17, there is Lord of the Rings mania out there. You can buy the poster, the video game, even action figures. And it is only going to get worse.
Many movie theaters around the country are doing a movie marathon in what is called "Trilogy Tuesday." They are playing the extended editions of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers back to back. At 11 p.m., they will start the screening of The Return of the King, and at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday the film will officially begin.
It will be more than 12 hours of Frodo, Sam, Gollum, Gandalf and the rest of the gang. It will be longer than an average day of work. Just sitting in one place for that long would get to me, but these people are paying for opportunity. When I first heard about it, I thought maybe they would get a couple of people, but they would have to be crazy.
In most theaters across the country, "Trilogy Tuesday" is sold out.
Nathan Kerr is one of those crazy people who attempted to get a ticket for the movie marathon, but he was too late. Kerr got on the Web site the day the tickets went on sale, but they were already gone. Many theaters are playing just The Return of the King at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday the 17th, and Kerr says he would probably go to that.
Kerr then asks me if I want to see the trailer, too, for The Return of the King. He downloaded it onto his laptop and carries it around with him. I guess so that he can watch it anytime he wants, or just to impress other people.
It works. Soon we have about 10 guys crowded around the monitor completely absorbed in the clip. After this, they display more of their Extreme Frodoidis by getting into a lengthy and heated argument about whether or not the director "really followed the books correctly," "why he cut it before" and which characters they thought really fit their roles. They were still arguing when I left them.
The world has gone crazy. I would like to say that as soon as the hype for this movie has gone down we would see the end of this extreme movie-watching phenomenon. But we still have the third Star Wars and even the third Harry Potter to get through. Which means the Frodoidis bug will likely change forms into Anakin Fever and Harry Pox.
Reach the reporter at samantha.xanthos@asu.edu.
