WarOfTheRing.net
Hey Folks,
I am very pleased to finally be able to bring you my thoughts on The Lord of the Rings:The Return of the King! I was able to view the movie last week by invitation from the great folks at New Line Cinema, however I have held my review until now at their request.
The screening took place December 2nd, at The Grove Pacific in Los Angeles, and was under heavy security. We had to pass a security checkpoint where they checked us over with metal detectors to make sure that nobody was carrying recording equipment! hehe
After grabbing my bag of RotK popcorn (no soda, for obvious reasons) and getting a copy of the Production notes, I secured myself a seat dead centre of the theatre, and, along with a packed house, anxiously awaited the start of the show. There was a buzz all over the place as to what was going to be shown and what scenes folks were excited to finally see on the big screen. The only thing that was lacking is that I had to leave my beloved Lady Arien at home and attend the screening by myself. With all of the Press folks there that were screening the movie in preparation for the Press Junket to take place the next day, there was not an empty seat in the house! Needless to say that, given time, I feel mi lady will allow me to make up for this little adventure. ;-)
Finally, at 6pm, after a full year's worth of spoiler images, trailers, hours of discussions in our Community Forum on what RotK was going to be like, debates on what and what should not be left out, and overall anxiety and sadness about the finally being able to see it, the lights dimmed, the New Line logo appeared on the screen, and the crowd erupted in a roar of cheers!
I've thought long and hard about how I should write this review. Do I try and remember everything I saw and list out each and every scene and fill this review with spoilers? Or do I just tell you about the experience and how I felt about what I saw and highlight items of interest? I've decided to do the latter. For one... it would be practically impossible for me to list each and every scene, and also, because I feel that to truly enjoy this movie to its full extent, one needs to try and dismiss everything that you've read or heard, leave your expectations at home, and just go see this movie for what it is! And in my humble opinion, it is a masterpiece of cinematic art and I would like to honour it as such!
Now, do not get me wrong, doing what I just suggested is not an easy task. Because of who I am and what I do here at WotR, I have been exposed to just about every image, video, and plot line spoiler everywhere, and, for myself, it took a concentrated effort for me to push all of that stuff out of my head!! Actually, it wasn't until about 1/4 of the way through the movie that I stopped looking for this and that, and, thanks to the wonderful score by Howard Shore and the overwhelming imagery on the screen, I was able to just loose myself in the "experience" that this movie will come to be known as.
As much as I love the books, seeing this movie up on the big screen is nothing short of an awe-inspiring masterpiece! I honestly feel that Peter Jackson and all the cast, crew, and special effects folks have done a great service for the writings of The Professor and that this film, along with The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, will be cherished by both book and non-book fans alike for many, many years to come.
Return of the King starts with a beautiful scene out on a river, with Smeagol and Deagol having fun, laughing and fishing. There is overlaid narration that tells you that this is actually a memory or dream of the creature Gollum, and it, like the rest of the movie, serves its purpose beautifully! The purpose of this opening is clear. Throughout the previous two movies the One Ring has been referred to as having "a will of its own," and by the time you return from the dream sequence to the main characters, you are left with the knowledge that the One Ring is NOT just some tool of Sauron that wants to get back to its Master, but that it is an evil, wilfull and malevolent entity unto itself. It not only lures Deagol to pick it up off of the river bottom at the risk of drowning, but it also displays its power to corrupt by forcing two young Hobbits, that were obviously great friends, to battle to the death over it. You are taken from a "warm and fuzzy" place between friends in a boat, to a dark place, full of pain and torment, as young Smeagol is torn between the guilt, pain, and anguish over what he has just done, and the overpowering love/lust for the Ring.
This movie takes you on an awe-inspiring, amazing journey through Middle Earth as you have never seen it. From the majestic city of Minas Tirith, both under siege from the evil forces of Sauron, and again in the end, in all its beautiful glory during the coronation of The King, the wondrous heights of the Misty Mountains as the Beacons are set ablaze to signal that Gondor is in peril, to the deepest darkest place in Mordor where Frodo and Sam encounter the evil spider creature Shelob, the scenery, both in splendour and in horror, is done in such a way that one cannot help but believe that Middle Earth is actually a wondrous place that exists in reality here and now. In my opinion, the Oscar for Sets and Design should go to PJ and his teams without a doubt.
There are quite a few aspects of this movie that are worthy of the Academy's attention as far as I'm concerned. To put this spectacular film together (and let's not forget filming the previous two movies at the same time) should merit Peter Jackson the Best Director award. The Special Effects award again goes Richard and all of the talented folks at Weta. I would also say that Best Adapted Screenplay should go to Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Most of all, I truly believe that for his emotional portrayal of Samwise Gamgee, Sean Astin is well deserving of the Best Supporting Actor, if not the Best Actor nod from the Academy. While all of the cast did a wonderful job in bringing their characters to life in their own special ways, Sean's performance spanned the full range of emotion, from heart-wrenching despair and agony for Frodo, anger and rage at the deceit of Gollum, to the love of life in The Shire and the simple joy of coming home to his wife and daughter, truly stole the show.
Now back to the movie...
From the standpoint of a fan of Tolkien and his works...was I satisfied as to the inclusion of the parts of the books that I wanted to see? Well...yes I was... and I'll tell you why. It amazes me, how PJ and this excellent cast are able to convey what quite often took pages in the books, with a simple line or two of text and/or just a glance and a smile between characters in a scene. For example... The Voice of Saruman is a complete chapter unto itself in the book version of The Two Towers, however, the fate of the evil Wizard Saruman is resolved very effectively during a brief exchange between Treebeard and Gandalf after Gandalf, along with Theoden, Aragorn, Legolas, and Giml arrive in Isengard. In the same token, the relationship between Eowyn and Faramir is brought forth with just a simple smile, and a loving glance between them at Aragorn's coronation as King. After viewing the theatrical version in its entirety, I can well understand how the Voice of Saruman scene, being 20 minutes of pure dialogue, would take away the pace that had been developed up to that point. However, I am greatly looking forward to seeing this scene, along with The Houses of the Healing, on the Extended Edition!!
There has been a lot of talk about the battle scenes, and if you like battle scenes as much as I do, you are in for a treat! The battles at The Pelennor Fields and The Black Gate of Mordor are in a word... epic! There is not a single part of these scenes that's not amazing! The sheer enormity of it all is breath-taking, to say the least! Everything is both massive and rich in detail at the same time. The attention to every minor detail comes through as simply amazing, from the Mumakil that have what appears to be wooden barbed wire tied between their tusks (which they use to sweep away the Gondorian Army as they are being driven by tattooed, arrow-slinging Haradrim...evil men in the service of Sauron), to Grond, Sauron's huge, fire-breathing battering ram that they use to break through into the city of Minas Tirith. I have to say, though, that the most significant impact that comes across during these scenes is not from the enormity of the battle itself, but from the emotions of the characters involved. Yes, the Nazgul on their winged steeds driving fear into the hearts of both the civilians and soldiers alike is intense!
The confrontation between The Witch King, the leader of the Nazgul, and Eowyn, the daughter of King Theoden who has disguised herself and ridden into the Battle along with the Hobbit, Merry, is spine-tingling! But for this viewer, it's really a movie's ability to move me emotionally that counts in the long run...and this movie delivers in a major way. It's absolutely wonderful to see Aragorn come into his own, in, of all places, The Paths of the Dead. To go through the joys and agonies of the friendship between Merry and Pippin, who, at one point, must be separated from each other, only to find each other on the battlefield. It's the hope and the courage of Theoden's Rohirrim sweeping through the host of seemingly fearless, jeering Orcs, the impact of the 6,000 horsemen's attack tossing their bodies like waves crashing on a beach, that makes you want to stand up and cheer, and then it's the love and the sadness of a fallen King who cherishes a final few moments with his daughter that makes you want to bury your head in your hands and sob.
The Return of the King, being the third and final part of the story, does an outstanding job in bringing all of the story lines from the previous two movies full circle to a satisfying completion. The One Ring, its fate beginning with its creation by the Dark Lord Sauron and continuing through all three movies, corrupting everyone that comes in contact with it, nearly achieves its goal of returning to its master by its final corruption of Frodo when he claims it for his own rather than destroying it, takes you all the way back to the conflict of Isildur, when, given the opportunity to destroy itl, claimed it for himself instead. Gollum's fate, which started with murder for the love of the Ring, comes full circle as he dies for that same love.
The destiny of the Elves, who, in the first movie, began their departure from Middle Earth on their journey to The Grey Havens, is completed as the last boat leaves, bearing Celeborn, Queen Galadriel, and others whose stories we have watched unfold since the epic tale began, three years ago, with The Fellowship of the Ring. I was very impressed by the fact that the screenwriters even picked up on very small story lines that really have no major impact on the main plot...to destroy The One Ring and defeat Sauron...but serves to satisfy the viewer that good really does triumph in the end, and the brave never go unrewarded. Nowhere was this was shown more clearly than the story of Samwise Gamgee, a shy, gentle, brave, and loyal Hobbit, who, in the first movie, blushes at the very thought of dancing with Rosie, of whom he is obviously very fond, but dares not show it, and the change that he goes through during his journey is brought across as his courage overcomes his shyness, his ultimate reward very evident as he is shown being welcomed home by Rosie, his beautiful wife, and Elanor, his golden-haired daughter, after his return from The Grey Havens. As a fan of he books by J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as a fan of Peter Jackson's achievement in the adaptation of the books, I was very pleased to see the amount of research into the books that had obviously taken place, and the manner in which the information was utilized to provide a sense of completeness to the story.
I'd like to summarize my thoughts by answering some of the questions that I've been asked by friends who know that I've seen the movie. The first one always asked is "How was it?" and I hope that you can tell from this review that I feel the The Return of the King, in conjunction with The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, is one the most significant cinematic achievements of this generation and will last well into the next! Of course, I get asked, "Is there anything you didn't like?" and the reply is...yes, there is a scene or two that I would call "cheesy," but, in the grand scheme of things, for a movie that's 200 minutes long, to have only a couple of cheesy scenes is a major accomplishment, in my humble opinion. Do I like this one better than the other two? I'll say this...a lot of people I know really loved FotR, and, as can happen with a "middle movie," were not as fond of TTT, well...to me, Return of the King is bigger, more visually stimulating, and yes, maybe even better than both of the previous movies combined. I say this not to bring down the other two, but to me, it makes logical sense that you would want the finale to be the best of the three, you know what they say... big finish!!! :-)
The Return of the King is a jaw-dropping, heart-wrenching movie that kept me on the edge of my seat and drove me through the complete spectrum of human emotions and left me not only deeply satisfied, but also with a profound feeling of both joy...from being able to see a story that I have come to be so fond of, and that has become such a large part of my life...but with a feeling of sadness as well. As the final scenes ended, the credits started to roll and the song "Into the West" started to play, the tears welled up once again as I felt that this part of my journey in Middle Earth was over, and it was my time to leave the Havens, bound for Valinor, and, after exchanging a few words with a couple of folks, that's exactly what I did, I headed for the exit and went home.
I now anxiously await all the hype, expectations, spoiler images and all the wonderful discussions that will occur within the War of the Ring Community, and elsewhere, in preparation for the Extended Edition due to be released next year!
In Fellowship,
Illuvatar
Webmaster - War of the Ring.net
A couple of new reviews posted... And there be spoilers herein.
That is a great interview, fun to read. Thanks.
Still regretful about Lee; closure should have been SOMEWHERE in the films.
Dan
Their wedding was filmed, Harry was on the set for that.... Look for it in the Extended?
grrrrrr.... at least he could have kept a little in...
He did keep a little in.... a couple glances....
You'll get it in the extended methinks! and the houses of healing, which was also filmed.... we've seen the pics.
The Super EE TTT maybe? Or maybe he will open the EE RoTK with it, like he initially planned in the theatrical.
To clarify my above reply even more, I thought the ships leaving Middle Earth were destined for the Grey Havens hence the nature of my original question. Boy, I really am tired.
Maybe the will add the romance between Eowyn and Faramir into the extended version. I hope so!
