The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (A or 4/4 stars)
How is it possible to sum up a movie that concludes, arguably, the most famous trilogy of all time? This film is wonderful. It is everything that I could have hoped for to close out J.R.R. Tolkien's story. Peter Jackson, director of all 3 films, has transported his audience back to Middle Earth seamlessly, yet again. The action picks up with the story of poor Smeagol. In the haunting, eerie opening sequence, we learn of his story, how the ring came to him, & witness just how the ring consumes him in his eternal misery. It's a jarring & effective way to get the audience set for what happens later in the film. While Gollum is the classic villain, we feel pity for him til the end. This flashback to Smeagol is the first success of the film; it needed to have a strong opening that no one would forget.
Later, Jackson hits another chord when he shows us Gollum, Sam, & Frodo climbing the steep stair above Minas Morgul. The nine Nazgul inhabit this green city, and Jackson sends shivers up our spine when their army is unleashed. The sound editing in this scene is incredible … the shrieks of the Nazgul take us right back to the first film. In another scene, Pippin looks into Saruman's palantir & speaks with the dark lord, Sauron. Gandalf throws a blanket over the sphere, whips around and yells, 'fool of a Took' in the same manner as he did in 'Fellowship'; great writing in this section. We then witness Gandalf's concern & care for Pippin, calming him down after his encounter with Sauron as a loving grandfather would.
It's difficult to review this film without actually describing it shot by shot, wonder by wonder. Certain scenes, themes, & character developments touch me emotionally & amaze me visually: Minas Tirith is the great Gondorian city that Sauron has his eye fixed on. His ultimate goal is to take down the city, the home of the eventual King of men that would be Aragorn. The city is a work of art; every shot of it is glorious. The steward of Gondor/caretaker of the throne is Denethor (John Noble). He is devastated by Boromir's death & has lost faith in his other son, Faramir. When Faramir comes back from a battle in Osgiliath severely wounded, Denethor loses his mind & control of the city. Gandalf will be the interim caretaker throughout the battle on the Pelennor fields. Gandalf the White is more daring, courageous, & strong in character in this film. He maintains the caring, grandfatherly figure as always, but also showcases bravery in battle.
There's an awe-inspiring scene where the beacons are lit from Minas Tirith and light from mountaintop to mountaintop all the way to Rohan. Theoden will answer Gondor's call & muster up an army of 6,000 men to help defend the great city. 6,000 men are not enough. In battle, he & Eowyn showcase their strengths as royalty and warriors. In one particular scene, Eowyn shows that a woman can be just as important on the battlefield as a man (the audience roars with excitement at her valor). Aragorn will 'become who he was born to be', take up the sword of Anduril and fight to fulfill his destiny as King of Gondor. With his newfound confidence, Aragorn travels through the Paths of Dead to muster an army of ghosts to help defeat Sauron's forces in Minas Tirith. When he arrives with the ghosts on the ships, it is one of those cinematic moments where you witness a great leader fulfilling his destiny; great stuff from a great actor.
Legolas & Gimli are at Aragorn's side at all times and continue their comic banter with each other through each release of bow and fall of axe. And what of the hobbits? Pippin defends Gondor & Gandalf. Merry rides to Pelennor fields with Eowyn and tried to defeat the one enemy said to be indestructible. Sam stays by Frodo, even when Frodo doubts him. Some of Sam's most heart-wrenching lines will stay in our minds for a long, long time. He begs Frodo, 'Don't go to sleep, don't go where I can't follow'. And you've never felt more for a character in any other tale when Sam watches Frodo succumb to the power of the ring at the precipice. But Frodo suffers the most. He has to deal with the stab wound in his chest from the first film, the burden of the ring, saving the world, deciding whether to trust Sam or Gollum in the final hours, and, not to mention, outrunning the spider, Shelob, in her tunnel near Cirith Ungol. When Shelob crawls over an unknowing Frodo outside her lair, it is one of the scariest visions I've seen in cinema. Elijah's acting is also first rate in this film. He confesses to Sam at Mount Doom that he 'cannot see anything, he is naked in the dark, & all he can see is a wheel of fire'; this scene is urgent & completely riveting.
Criticisms of the film? The final 20 minutes didn't have to include 6 or so 'fade to blacks'. In doing this, the audience gets increasingly restless in believing each time that the film is over, & consequently snickers at the absurdity of the fades when the final minutes are supposed to be anything but funny. Secondly, there are some characters that deserve more attention. Aragorn, Faramir & Saruman, get a bit shafted in some very necessary scenes (perhaps they'll show up in the extended version). However, I realize that there's necessity to shorten the film as much as possible for a theater release.
It is essential to note that along with the splendor, it's the characters that we appreciate most of all. For a fantasy epic, the acting is superb. I shed many a tear during the film because I believe in these characters & believe in their world. The film is 'deserving' of countless Academy awards, & maybe an acting nomination or two. I am saddened that the trilogy is complete and that I will have no new journey to look forward to next year. I suppose I can look forward to the extended DVD version that will include Saruman's demise along with the healing of Faramir, Eowyn & Merry by King Aragorn's hands. This movie and this trilogy are the most captivating, impressive, beautiful pieces of work in cinema history to date. How sad I am to type that the remarkable journey is over.
Later, Jackson hits another chord when he shows us Gollum, Sam, & Frodo climbing the steep stair above Minas Morgul. The nine Nazgul inhabit this green city, and Jackson sends shivers up our spine when their army is unleashed. The sound editing in this scene is incredible … the shrieks of the Nazgul take us right back to the first film. In another scene, Pippin looks into Saruman's palantir & speaks with the dark lord, Sauron. Gandalf throws a blanket over the sphere, whips around and yells, 'fool of a Took' in the same manner as he did in 'Fellowship'; great writing in this section. We then witness Gandalf's concern & care for Pippin, calming him down after his encounter with Sauron as a loving grandfather would.
It's difficult to review this film without actually describing it shot by shot, wonder by wonder. Certain scenes, themes, & character developments touch me emotionally & amaze me visually: Minas Tirith is the great Gondorian city that Sauron has his eye fixed on. His ultimate goal is to take down the city, the home of the eventual King of men that would be Aragorn. The city is a work of art; every shot of it is glorious. The steward of Gondor/caretaker of the throne is Denethor (John Noble). He is devastated by Boromir's death & has lost faith in his other son, Faramir. When Faramir comes back from a battle in Osgiliath severely wounded, Denethor loses his mind & control of the city. Gandalf will be the interim caretaker throughout the battle on the Pelennor fields. Gandalf the White is more daring, courageous, & strong in character in this film. He maintains the caring, grandfatherly figure as always, but also showcases bravery in battle.
There's an awe-inspiring scene where the beacons are lit from Minas Tirith and light from mountaintop to mountaintop all the way to Rohan. Theoden will answer Gondor's call & muster up an army of 6,000 men to help defend the great city. 6,000 men are not enough. In battle, he & Eowyn showcase their strengths as royalty and warriors. In one particular scene, Eowyn shows that a woman can be just as important on the battlefield as a man (the audience roars with excitement at her valor). Aragorn will 'become who he was born to be', take up the sword of Anduril and fight to fulfill his destiny as King of Gondor. With his newfound confidence, Aragorn travels through the Paths of Dead to muster an army of ghosts to help defeat Sauron's forces in Minas Tirith. When he arrives with the ghosts on the ships, it is one of those cinematic moments where you witness a great leader fulfilling his destiny; great stuff from a great actor.
Legolas & Gimli are at Aragorn's side at all times and continue their comic banter with each other through each release of bow and fall of axe. And what of the hobbits? Pippin defends Gondor & Gandalf. Merry rides to Pelennor fields with Eowyn and tried to defeat the one enemy said to be indestructible. Sam stays by Frodo, even when Frodo doubts him. Some of Sam's most heart-wrenching lines will stay in our minds for a long, long time. He begs Frodo, 'Don't go to sleep, don't go where I can't follow'. And you've never felt more for a character in any other tale when Sam watches Frodo succumb to the power of the ring at the precipice. But Frodo suffers the most. He has to deal with the stab wound in his chest from the first film, the burden of the ring, saving the world, deciding whether to trust Sam or Gollum in the final hours, and, not to mention, outrunning the spider, Shelob, in her tunnel near Cirith Ungol. When Shelob crawls over an unknowing Frodo outside her lair, it is one of the scariest visions I've seen in cinema. Elijah's acting is also first rate in this film. He confesses to Sam at Mount Doom that he 'cannot see anything, he is naked in the dark, & all he can see is a wheel of fire'; this scene is urgent & completely riveting.
Criticisms of the film? The final 20 minutes didn't have to include 6 or so 'fade to blacks'. In doing this, the audience gets increasingly restless in believing each time that the film is over, & consequently snickers at the absurdity of the fades when the final minutes are supposed to be anything but funny. Secondly, there are some characters that deserve more attention. Aragorn, Faramir & Saruman, get a bit shafted in some very necessary scenes (perhaps they'll show up in the extended version). However, I realize that there's necessity to shorten the film as much as possible for a theater release.
It is essential to note that along with the splendor, it's the characters that we appreciate most of all. For a fantasy epic, the acting is superb. I shed many a tear during the film because I believe in these characters & believe in their world. The film is 'deserving' of countless Academy awards, & maybe an acting nomination or two. I am saddened that the trilogy is complete and that I will have no new journey to look forward to next year. I suppose I can look forward to the extended DVD version that will include Saruman's demise along with the healing of Faramir, Eowyn & Merry by King Aragorn's hands. This movie and this trilogy are the most captivating, impressive, beautiful pieces of work in cinema history to date. How sad I am to type that the remarkable journey is over.