Movies / TV
TSM Exclusive Movie Review: The Return of the King
By Dr. Tom
Dec 17, 2003, 15:03

THE LORD OF THE RINGS:
THE RETURN OF THE KING

Starring Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, and Sean Astin
Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson, based upon the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien
Directed by Peter Jackson
Rated PG-13; 201 minutes

Though it lacks the breath-stealing punch of The Two Towers, The Return of the King is the best overall movie in a trilogy that has been a triumph of filmmaking.

For those who have been living under a rock since Yule of 2001, here is the story so far: hobbits Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee (Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, who shines in this film) must destroy the legendary One Ring of Power in the fires of Mount Doom, where it was forged. To do this, they must enlist the aid of the treacherous and tragic Gollum (Andy Serkis) and journey to the heart of dark lord Sauron�s empire. Playing other important roles at the same time are the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), uncrowned king Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), and elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), who are the linchpins of the battles with Sauron�s armies.

The armies of Mordor are preparing to march on Gondor. Gandalf rides to Minas Tirith to warn Denethor (John Noble), the Steward of Gondor. Denethor, however, wants nothing to do with Rohan�s proposed aid or Gandalf�s war, since he knows Aragorn, the rightful king of Gondor, is currently in Rohan. Gandalf ignores Denethor�s petty objections and lights the city�s beacon, bringing Rohan to its aid.

Meanwhile, Gollum conspires to turn Frodo against loyal companion Sam. Sam actually catches him doing this more than once, but Frodo�s sympathy for Gollum compels him to keep the creature around. Finally, Gollum succeeds in driving a wedge between Frodo and Sam, causing Frodo to send Sam back home. The rift is only repaired when Sam finds evidence of Gollum�s treachery and aborts his nascent journey back to the Shire.

Battalions of uruk-hai, orcs, and men fight the combined forces of Gondor and Rohan. A bridge of elephants complicated the battle, and harkens back to the excellent struggle with the AT-ATs in The Empire Strikes Back: men on foot and horseback substitute nicely for the ice speeders, and the desperation of the situation is the same. The fearsome Nazgul and their Witch-King leader join the battle, which gives characters outside the Fellowship their chances to shine.

Frodo, meanwhile, gets ever closer to Mount Doom. Gollum leads him to the most dangerous part of his journey, and gleefully encourages him to walk into a tunnel he dreads entering. Large spider webs and desiccated corpses greet each step of Frodo�s journey, before he comes face to maw with the giant spider Shelob. Magnificently rendered in CGI, Shelob will no doubt cause the more arachnophobic members some severely squeamish moments.

Though it�s not how he expected to get there, Frodo ends up in the heart of Sauron�s bleak empoire. The rest of the Fellowship leads an assault on the Black Gate to distract the Eye of Sauron so that Frodo can fulfill his mission. It�s a struggle each step of the way, but Frodo finally makes it to Mount Doom, only to find that Gollum stands between him and casting the One Ring into a fiery oblivion.

The Return of the King is not plagued by the pacing problems which hindered the theatrical release of The Two Towers (oddly enough, the 45-minutes-longer Extended Edition feels shorter). Its opening sequence is rather pointless, but the rest of the movie is packed with harrowing situations, gripping battles, and visually stunning sequences. The undead army Aragorn calls to him when he takes up Anduril (the reforged Narsil, the sword which cut the One Ring from Sauron) is perhaps the highlight of a film packed with impressive special effects.

While The Return of the King is an excellent movie and a fitting conclusion to an excellent epic, it is not without its flaws. As mentioned, the opening sequence is pointless, only providing backstory on Gollum�s life as Smeagol that adds nothing to the story. Also, none of the main characters really change or grow at all. Aragorn, who should be a dynamic character, basically goes where he is told and does things he is supposed to do because of Who He Is. The best character in the movie turns out to be Eowyn (Mirando Otto), who has a compelling, dynamic role in this movie, instead of being a fawning set-piece like she was in The Two Towers.

Despite its few warts, The Return of The King is a superior movie. If you liked the first two installments of Tolkien�s trilogy, you will love the concluding chapter. It has many intense and exciting moments, and manages to tie up all the main characters� loose ends in a 20-minute final chapter. George Lucas and the Wachowski Brothers should take note: this is how you end an epic trilogy, and how you tell a story that is both powerful and timeless. 9/10

Dr. Tom Fowler
Convince me to do these for TSM more often!
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