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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (review)
By Claire Harvey
December 08, 2003

After seven years of speculation, the final secrets of the film version of Lord of the Rings can today be revealed.

The strict embargo signed in hobbit's blood by all journalists who have seen The Return of the King lifts this morning, ending the agony for fantasy nuts who have been digging for the details of director Peter Jackson's trilogy since he began work in 1996.

The good news is that this film, the third instalment in the trilogy, is staggeringly impressive. It does everything bigger, and most things better, than the first two movies.

It's worth seeing even if you hate fantasy-fiction, even if you got stuck on page five of The Hobbit, even if you thought Bilbo was an endangered chocolate marsupial.

The battles roar from the cinema speakers, medieval in their bloodlust, tightly paced and choreographed.

One thrilling war scene, where the Rohan cavalry gallops across Middle Earth, swords and shields glinting in the sunlight, is simply beautiful.

New Zealand's stunning mountain tops glow above the clouds in another scene, as a string of flaming beacons is lit across Middle Earth to call the forces of good to battle.

The performances of actors such as Sean Astin, playing the hobbit Samwise Gamgee, are so touching that even a cinema of hardened hacks was snuffling before the 200 minutes were up.

Australian stars shine in this film, including David Wenham as the ranger Faramir, and Miranda Otto, whose character Eowyn becomes an Orc-slaying action heroine.

The Australian contingent is led by veteran Adelaide theatre actor and producer John Noble, who hopes audiences do not simply loathe his character, the tortured villain Denethor, twisted by desire for the enchanted Ring.

"I worked my arse off to make him a real person," Noble said. "On screen (he) appears to be a fairly vile man, but I understand him totally. I felt every pain that that man felt."

There is romance, too; the bond between Liv Tyler's elf princess Arwen and the warrior Aragorn, played by Viggo Mortensen, develops to make this film far more complete than the first two pictures.

Special effects creator Richard Taylor has crafted a world that looks astonishingly real.

One of the film's best shots is wizard Gandalf, played by Ian McKellen, charging on horseback through the steep, narrow, cobbled streets of the fortified city Minas Tirith.

"He's been to the osteopath," Sir Ian said of Gandalf, who takes on the fight against evil with new energy.

On screen it looks like the producers must have actually constructed a city with the proportions of Dubrovnik, but in fact, when The Australian visited the Rings set in June, Minas Tirith was a polystyrene miniature about 3m high, being painted by two tousle-haired Kiwis in jeans.

It is cinematic alchemy; as if the film-makers have taken a few paddle-pop sticks and a disposable Esky and created the Death Star.

Of course there are flaws; some appallingly corny dialogue and the odd silly stunt.

But this movie is satisfying and great fun, and among the occasionally cheesy dialogue are some memorable lines.

"A day may come when the courage of men fails," warrior-king Aragorn tells his massed army as it prepares for an attack that seems impossible. "It is not this day. This day, we fight."

Stuff.com

Return Of The King a spectacular triumph

08 December 2003

The Lord Of The Rings trilogy of films is brought to a rousing end with The Return Of The King.

To quote Gandalf, after The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers the board is set and the pieces in motion. In just over three hours New Zealand director Peter Jackson ties up the loose ends of J R R Tolkien's fantasy classic in a sweeping, epic movie.

Where Return Of the King succeeds is by following in Tolkien's footsteps and telling the story of huge events through the perspective of the smallest participants - in this case, hobbits.

In the astonishing battle scene at the heart of the film Jackson frequently swerves from the grand view to that of Merry (Dominic Monaghan) or Pippin (Billy Boyd), hence heightening the effect of the crowd shots.

The first hour of Return Of The King sets the scene for the battle of Pelennor Fields.

Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) and Pippin arrive at Minas Tirith - a towering city, much of which was actually built for the film, with the remainder being filmed using a 1/72nd scale model - to witness the slow mental disintegration of its guardian Denethor, played with relish by Australian theatre veteran David Noble.

Gandalf is forced to take command of the city, a situation which allows McKellen the chance to bring a new dimension to a character he has played wonderfully well in each of the three films.

Meanwhile, the forces of Rohan are gathering to ride to Gondor's aid. However, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) chooses to find Gondor aid in a different direction, trekking the Paths of the Dead to raise a ghostly force reminiscent of some of the effects in Jackson's previous film, The Frighteners.

When the three forces collide with the armies of Mordor, the tour de force of the three films is played out.

The Battle of Pelennor Fields completely dwarfs in scale and ambition the other major battles in The Lord Of The Rings, and like Saving Private Ryan before it will set a standard for conflict on celluloid few movies will match.

The initial siege of Minas Tirith is exciting enough, with huge boulders raining down on the city and smashing masonry and citizenry. However, once the cavalry of Rohan arrives the battle is turned.

The massed charge of the horse soldiers has almost as big an impact on the audience as it does on the orcs, with it feeling as if the onrushing army will burst out of the screen and into the audience.

Mordor has cavalry of its own though, and the arrival of its war elephants is a marvellous digital effect which - like much of the computer-generated trickery in the three films fits seamlessly alongside live action.

Gondor's triumph is much against the odds, which the film makes abundantly clear. It also doesn't shirk away from the terrors of war - which is where the hobbits' perspective of the battle is so effective.

While Pippin and Merry are coping with their fears, their fellow Shire-folk Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are marching into Mordor with only the tricky Gollum (Andy Serkis) for company.

Their story poses Jackson the same trouble as it posed Tolkien - how to weave it into events happening on the other side of Ephel Duath. An additional problem Jackson has is that much of Frodo and Sam's journey involved painful tramping, which doesn't make for gripping cinema.

While their journey to Mount Doom may feel truncated, Astin and Wood make up for it with outstanding performances which readily translate the agony of the march to Mordor. They are particularly outstanding during their duel with the giant spider Shelob - a truly terrifying creation set to become one of the classic movie monsters.

The final moments on the slopes of Mount Doom are well played out, bringing the trilogy to a suitably emotional finish.

As with the first two films, there will be moments Tolkien devotees will earnestly debate, with some sections of the books omitted or altered.

Many will regret Jackson's decision to omit the scouring of the Shire from the Return Of The King – although including it would have made for a film much longer than studio executives would have permitted.

The demise of Saruman (Christopher Lee) was also allegedly cut due to time constraints, but having been a central figure in the first two films it is unfortunate he shuffles off-stage unseen.

However, for having tackled the allegedly impossible task of bringing Middle Earth's many fantastic sights and citizens to life so successfully, most will forgive Jackson such decisions. It is now possible to view the three films as one movie, and the three combined are a spectacular triumph.

The devotion of cast and crew to Tolkien's work shines through, and through their dedication movie history has been made.