‘Tis time. At long last, the Hobbit is available on DVD . . . and Middle Earth fans everywhere are faced with a terrible quandary.
For a trap has been laid before their feet. A veritable Shelob’s web designed to draw them in and suck the cash from their hands.
A trap called the Extended Edition.
Don’t get me wrong! As an avid Middle Earth fan and collector of all the Lord of the Rings extended editions, I’m thrilled about the chance to see more of the Hobbit. But therein lies the problem. For the regular DVD just became available for sale . . . but the extended edition will not be released until December!
So everyone rushes to buy the regular DVD now – because we’ve already waited months to see dear Bilbo and couldn’t possibly wait another 9 months – and then buys the extended version again in December.
Thus everyone is happy.
The fans: Hooray! We got the extended edition!
And the movie makers: The fans fell for it again!
Clever. Devious. Brilliant.
A trap. And of course, I’m about to fall for it.
Hamlet, upon considering the impossible situation in which all Middle Earth fans now find themselves, burst forth in soliloquy:
To buy, or not to buy: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
Pangs of patient endurance ‘til December
reveals the Hobbit extended edition
Or buy now, and buy again? To buy: to wait
No more; and through purchasing at last to end
The heart-ache and the thousands of sleepless nights
That fandom is heir to . . .
Yes, now you can see why I became a novel writer, not a bard like Shakespeare. But the problem so eloquently phrased by Hamlet remains nonetheless.
I’ve fallen in to the trap. I ordered my copy of the Hobbit . . . and I have no doubt, I’ll order it again when the extended version becomes available in December. So I suppose I’m precisely the sort of fan the movie makers were counting upon when they formulated their clever plan. Ah well.
How about you? Shall you choose “to buy, or not to buy?”
Maria Elisabeth says
Oh, clever.
My brother bought The Hobbit dvd yesterday, so I'm saving my money now and snitching his copy. One or the other of us will get the extended edition in December too, I'm sure. Although it would be nice to get all the Hobbit extended editions at the same time in nice boxed sets, but there's no way I could wait that long. ;)
I quite like your 'Hamlet' soliloquy, by the way!
Jacinta S says
That was brilliant!! Made my mom and I laugh hysterically! We are falling for the trap too. We are getting it tomarro.
Gillian Adams says
Maria – Sounds like the perfect solution! Handy when you can do that. I know, I doubt I could wait that long either.
Jacinta – Haha. I'm glad. I always wonder if anyone appreciates my humor! ;) My copy should come in on Friday, and I can't wait to see it again!
Mary Ruth Pursselley says
Agh! And here I, hapless cluck that I am, stand feeling full well the agony brought all too close to the forefront of my tortured mind by dread realization of my own condition!
For alas, the knowledge of a forthcoming extended edition has heretofore been withheld from me, and I find myself having only moments ago returned to my abode from an intrepid excursion into the dangerous world known commonly as 'civilization' for the acquiring of groceries – on which outing I did, with great enthusiasm, purchase my own copy of the DVD here in question.
'Tis only now I see the prematurity of said act! And I, too, shall be forced to knowingly submit myself to the status of one of the many forced to purchase twice for the worthy sake of owning the extended edition myself. Alas!
(Sorry – your Shakespearian-ness must have rubbed off on me! ; ) )
Jenelle Leanne says
I wait. :) I fell for the trap the first time with Fellowship (before I realized there would be "extended" versions) and swore I'd never fall for it again). Granted, there are times when the theatrical version is better… read: Star Wars… but with these movies, I know I'll never watch the original theatrical release again once the extended edition comes out, so why waste the money?
That's just me, though. :)
Excellent post.
Writer4Christ says
It's not just you Jenelle. :)
We'll probably wait and get the extended addition. We can always get the movie from the library before then (I'm on the long list of holds on it).
Charley Robson says
It's probably a lucky thing I'm impoverished – I'm going to wait until ALL THREE films are out, probably the extended versions, and just buy them in a box set. I would probably do as you have done otherwise. Good thing my lack of money prevents me, really!
ctalbott21 says
I have not made a decision on this…yet. I'm torn because there are aspects of the extended editions I love. The first two movies were fantastic.
But I've haven't forgiven Peter Jackson for putting that stupid skull scene in Return of the King. Yanks me out of the fictional dream everytime and makes Aragorn looks like a wimp.
Alas, the decisions we face :)