The ultimate testament to the goodness in humanity

Rating: 10/10 (24 December 2018)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is not just a movie, it is a beacon of hope, an array of light, if you will. In more concrete terms, it is quite possibly the greatest film ever made, out of the greatest trilogy ever made.
The Return of the King defines the 'magic' of the motion picture arts like no other. This kind of picture is the reason why we watch movies. The emotions going through you as you are experiencing this utter piece of art are quite indescribable, and need to be witnessed first hand. Peter Jackson has created a monument, to be standing tall for years to come, as a motivational piece for humanity.
Since there are no new characters that need to be introduced in Return of the King ( Except for Denethor if you haven't watched the extended edition of The Two Towers ), Return of the King focuses solely on Sauron's attempted destruction of Middle-Earth. This is not, however, a weakness, because the character arcs of characters like Pippin, Sam & Aragorn are being developed more than ever in this last entry of the trilogy, resulting in great character changes due to drastic events.
The acting is, like the entire trilogy, once again near flawless. Sean Astin & Elijah Wood as Sam & Frodo in particular stand out, while the corruption of the Ring tightens its grip around Frodo, with Sam always being there to save him from it. It is a friendship so real, of which the likes is rarely ever depicted on screen, at least not on this level. The make-up on both hobbits truly makes it look like they have crawled through barren wastelands for months on end, and Sam's melancholy references to the Shire, a forgotten period it seems, are truly as poignant as they come. There is a constant sense of hopelessness in what they are trying to do, but they kept on going anyway, due to an iron will of sorts. It is really this mentality that moves large portions of audiences.
The screenplay is ofcourse once again phenomenal. There are many different storylines & character arcs, and to be invested in all of them is truly top notch filmmaking. As i've stated in reviews of the previous films, this is probably also due to Tolkien's superb literature, but the dialogue, the character arcs, it is all perfection. As stated before, in particular Sam's motivational speeches to Frodo are literary masterful, as are the pre-battle speeches of Theoden and Aragorn.
One is too short on words to properly compliment Howard Shore's incredible work on this trilogy. The diversity of his score, his use of leitmotifs, the raw emotional power, this is definitely and undisputably one of the greatest scores ever created for motion pictures. It is weird to image the LOTR films without his iconic score, which, for a very large portion, added extreme layers of emotional intensity to this picture.
Like the previous entries, Return of the King is once again aesthetically pleasing. There are a couple of sets that might have been average looking, but when you look at the technical marvel of a set that Minas Tirith was, these minor shortcomings can easily be neglected. The shot of Gandalf ascending this titanic city while Shore's score plays is just one of the many examples of the goosebump and emotion inducing ride that Return of the King is. The final shots of Frodo & Sam lying on a rock on mount doom are also some examples of visual beauty.
With everything that has happened, and with the constant sense of hopelessness hanging in the air in this particular picture, this whole fictional world truly does seem to be at risk, and there is rarely a film that makes one so firmly root for its protagonist like this one manages to. When Aragorn & Theoden charge after their respective speeches, you wish as you were charging with them, and actually feel like you are doing so. These are some of the most likeable, well developed and complex heroes ever created, and it is sad to leave them for a time ( At least until the next viewing... ). The battle at the black gate, intertwined with Frodo, Sam & Gollum's struggle for the ring, are another marvel of tension filled filmmaking. The slow motion usage in the battle is not there to look 'cool', but to draw out tension and emotion in the audience. The battle sounds fade, and only Shore's melancholy score plays, as if certain characters were meeting their doom in this battle. The fantastic close ups of the facial expressions of our heroes after Sauron is annihilated is of course also a phenomenal kind of acting.
The many ending sequences are sometimes falsely criticized, since one has to keep in mind that we have witnessed a life changing story for our characters, and Frodo's inability to cope with a coming back to his previous and normal life further adds another layer to the complexity and the humane message of this film. The coronation, and the setting out for the Grey Havens also result in one of the both most satisfying & sad movie endings ever created. Furthermore, it is the kind of picture that should have no loose ends lying around, as every single character was set up to be something in the end, which is what has happened.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is capable of invoking emotions in audience that are never felt during any other film ever made. It is a genuinely humanist story about hope, brotherhood, friendship, and seeing the good in humanity despite all of its corruption and death. This is ofcourse all very resonant to the real world. Featuring great acting, character development, writing, cinematography & a phenomenal original score, Return of the King is a state of mind instead of a film, and my personal pick for the 'Greatest of all-time'.