Watch Ringers: Lord of the Fans For Free

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Documentaries about fans are always mishmashes, and never worth seeing through, but I found this one, made by some of the fans themselves, more than usually unenlightening. As a veteran of the original Tolkien craze, forty years ago, I'd hoped for more than the obvious--which doesn't always equate to the true. If there's anyone living who doesn't already know the nature of a fandom, any fandom, from having been or known a fan, he won't discover it here. Between irrelevancies, platitudes (to which the actors from the films are particularly prone), and acting out (by fans making the most--if not the best--of their one shot at fame), I could glean little of the special appeal of LOTR, the special emotional responses it evokes, and the range of the special creative forms those responses can take. In addition, the film is rather lazy: it slights some facts that could have been got across with little effort, e.g. what the exact legal loophole was (the wording of a copyright notice) that permitted the books' unauthorized publication in the U.S. (Speaking of which: I take strong exception to the film's dismissal of the covers on that edition as "irrelevant" and "psychedelic," which they were not. They were the work of Jack Gaughan, a very able sf illustrator of the period, and some fans, including me, found them more apt, and more attractive, than the covers on the rival set.)

I throughly enjoyed watching the movie. I liked to hear what other people who are major fans loved about the movie. I also liked listening to the actors who were in the movie and getting their perspective. I appreciate all the time and effort that went into the interviews and the history behind Lord of the Rings and Professor Tolkien. Hearing the history of the books and the way the books have impacted culture was very interesting. Getting past the Monty Pythonesque cartoons at the beginning was amusing but it didn't detract from the overall presentation of the film Thank you to all those who took time and invested in making Ringers. I am a minor Ringer. I don't go to the premiers or dress up for the conventions, but I love the stories and the films. I think this one was up to the Lord of the Rings standard set by Peter Jackson and his crew for the Lord of the Rings films.

It's a safe bet that if you want to see this film, you're also a fan of LOTR and have seen the trilogy and probably own the EEs (extended DVD editions). The film is fun look at the 40 year cultural impact of Tolkien's masterwork and its co-opting by different generations and its continuing popularity with young people (not unlike Star Wars). However, I feel the film is a little slow in the beginning with too many talking heads covering some of the historical material already seen in the LOTR EEs. Most enjoyable are the fan interviews (done in a private "confessional" box), the breathtaking views of New Zealand, an absolutely hilarious mariachi song parodying all the LOTR merchandising and interviews with Pete Jackson & members of the cast. I would have preferred less official literary history and more about the crazed fans, some of whom are a scream and a wonder and elicit joy as they wax passionately about their fandom. Frodo does indeed live!

I am one of the lucky ones to have seen the film at the Slamdance film festival. I've seen it 2 times now and will be seeing in once more.I'm not great at writing reviews, but I just wanted to let everyone know that this documentary is fantastic. It's great to see both fans and actors come together to celebrate Tolkiens work. Cliff and Carlene have put together a funny but uplifting film.They've also chosen awesome music for the film. I can't wait till I can get a copy of World Without Sundays 'Where there's a whip there's a way'. It's awesome!Carlene, Cliff, and the rest of the crew have done an excellent job. I hope the rest of the world gets to see it soon.