Return of the King: A Review
Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2003 @ 13:52:32 MST by waldo
Well, last night I had the chance to see an advanced screening of Return of the King. Interested in my review? Read below. (Note-- there will be spoilers, so if you want your experience pure and unspoilt, don't read.)
First off, here's a disclaimer-- I haven't read the books. I thought the first film was a little too "Xena-like", in that I wasn't always sure what was going on, what the rules were for the world, etc. and didn't quite get into the weightiness of the drama. I liked the second film a lot more and like everyone else was impressed with the special effects, particularly Gollum.
But the third film-- this Return of the King-- was just a breath-taking experience that in some ways reminded me of when I saw Star Wars as a little kid. This is the film that delivered what the new Star Wars movies promised. ROTK is not a flawless movie, and I'm not saying it's Star Wars per se, but then I'm not six years old any more. If I were, this film and The original Matrix would be my Star Wars films. I can say this: the LOTR series is without a doubt the best fantasy genre film series ever. Move over, Conan.
There are two stars in this movie. The first is the special effects, which appear in nearly every shot and put ILM and PDI's recent work to shame. They are so natural, and the transitions from CG to live action so seamless, that you have to keep reminding yourself that this place doesn't really exist because your brain is telling you, "But it's there! I saw it!" From the giant spider to the battle sequences (which reminded me very much of the AT-AT walker Hoth invasion from Empire Strikes back amped up about 1000%) to the Gollem's new Schitzophrenic plotting (this time talking to his reflection in a pool of water), the New Zealand effects team has crossed a line in special effects. They are the team to beat. The gold standard. They are the ILM of this generation.
The second star of this film is Sean Astin. At first I couldn't figure out why the American kid from Goonies would be cast in a fantasy epic like this. But Astin tears up the film, and should be nominated for, if not win, a Best Supporting Oscar for his performance here. Though most of the movie consists of he and Frodo making thier way through Mordor (?) to throw the Ring into a volcano, his character Sam's unflagging devotion to his friend and his determination to succeed is so pure and utterly heartbreaking at times that even I found myself choked up. Astin is the real standout star of this third film, no question in my mind. This is his film.
Visually, the film is among the best I have seen, but as I said the movie is not without its flaws. I did get bored at times during this almost 3 1/2 hour experience, particularly in scenes involving Liv Tyler's elf and her father. I just didn't know what the hell they were talking about. I also felt a lot of scenes repeated over and over ("get up Mr. Frodo." "no sam, I can't.. Too tired." "I'll help you Mr. Frodo"..) but I assume that's a reflection of the book, and although it got tough to sit through for three hours, after it's all over it isn't too bad.
Nor did I understand exactly where these giant eagles came from towards the end (maybe it was explained, but I missed it). And there were a lot of other conveniences-- it just so happens that there is an entire undead army around when you need them who happens to owe you a favor. I've noticed that much of the LOTR plotting involves getting armies to battles in time to show up and kick ass.
The biggest note sure to be brought up again and again is the 25-30 minute ending to the film. Or rather, endings. We see the same "goodbye, thank you for your help" scene two or three times, intercut with various "returning to the shire" scenes. One of each would have sufficed. And at one point everyone gets on a boat in the Elf village to sail away. Where and why I'm not sure.
So there are some problems, but these are minor flaws in a film that has so many strengths and awesome moments that they basically fade into the background.
I've been a fan of Peter Jackson's since his early, independent "bad taste" films like "Dead Alive" and "Meet the Feebles". It's really cool to see him ascend to such heights. He's worked tirelessly to get there. So a big congrats to him and the many thousands of people who made this movie happen.
The Fanboys will not be disappointed. I've already seen "Cold Mountain". I've seen "The House of Sand and Fog". I've seen "Mystic River". I've seen "Seabiscuit". This one film rules them all.