We’ve been waiting a long time for this – and finally we’ve got the extra cash we need to go and see The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy — The Exhibition at the Museum of Science in Boston! We are going to see it on Friday night. It should be pretty exciting. We’ll get to see scores of original props from the movies, including the One Ring, Aragorn’s sword Andruil, and Gandalf’s robes. There will be exhibits on the special effects techniques used in the films. There will be examples of the “bigatures” used in filming, such as the tower of Orthanc. And there will be interactive experiences where we can see what we would look like as Hobbit-sized folk, or have our motions captured and mapped on screen to digital models.

In the confirmation for our ticket purchase, there was one unfortunate reminder:

qqq|Because of the exclusive nature of ‘The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy — The Exhibition’, no cameras, strollers, bags of any kind, or mobile phones are permitted. And for the safety and comfort of all visitors, no weaponry associated with the films’ characters will be allowed in the exhibition.|qqq

This means that not only will I not be allowed to take photos inside the exhibit, I will also not be allowed to carry in my full-length Uruk-hai sword.*

We will be sure to let you know what we think once we’ve been through the exhibit, but from all indications I’ve read around the ‘net, it’s supposed to be superb. Boston is the first city in the US to have the exhibit, and I’m not sure where it’s headed next… but keep an eye on your local museums for your chance to watch!

* note: I do not have an Uruk-hai sword. I do, however, have a replica of the One Ring which came with my Gandalf bookmark, and a cardboard-cutout Gandalf the White, festively adorned with lai.