[Reg Pither]

I like the Prologue a lot, but.... I don't think there should have been one!

I don't think there is any need at all to 'hold the hand' of newcomers to the world of Middle Earth. Everything explained at the beginning of the film should have been left for Gandalf to tell Frodo or until the Council of Elrond. That way, some of the information about different races and the history would have already been drip-fed to the audience, rather than the massive amount of exposition that has to absorbed by the viewer in the first few minutes of the film. I think that it is all too much.

But the main reason that I think the prologue was a poor decision is that it immediately removes one of the most potent pieces of storytelling in FotR - the discovery that Bilbo's old ring is The One Ring. As it is, we know its true identity right from the start of the film (even if Frodo doesn't) and this takes a big chunk of the mystery and wonder out of the story. Then, at that point, Gandalf could have told Frodo about some of the history behind it. A real missed opportunity IMHO.

I know I seem to be alone on this one, but when I go to see a movie, or read a book, or watch a TV programme, I want to be surprised, intrigued and have my curiosity piqued, not have everything laid out on a plate for me. A sense of mystery, of unanswered questions coupled with the dramatic impact of them being resolved. That's why I feel that the Prologue - great piece of cinema though it is - was in the wrong place.