The Third Age: the Lord of the Rings [Recent Events]

It’s supposed to turn the heads of fans and critics, but it seems that “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” also is turning the heads of its stars as well.

The first in the trilogy made a “glitzy” world premiere Monday night, attended by more than 2,000 fans in London’s Leicester Square to watch the film’s stars as they entered under a row of burning rings.”

“When I read the book and the script, I really longed to be part of this movie,” said Liv Tyler, who plays the elf-maiden Arwen Undomiel in the film. “We had a lot of fun, and we had a lot of work.”

Director Peter Jackson said he was glad to finally see the first part of three years of work get put on display for the world.

“I’ll be relieved to have people finally see the film because it as been the buzz on the Internet, there have been spies (on the set), it has been gossip and rumor for three years now,” he said. “Three years is too long. People have just got to see it. It is just a movie and it needs to have an identity as a film now and not as this Internet buzz. I’ll be relieved when it is out there.”

Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo in the film, said that he loved the film, and that “everyone involved has done such beautiful work.”

Even Ian McKellen, who plays Gandalf in the movie, said that the first film was “everything I dreamed it might be.”

Any worries that I had that the story may be too complicated, that the special effects wouldn’t be quite as magical as required, absolutely vanished,” he said.