Great if slightly flawed

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2003)

Films of books aren't the book itself, and movie-goers have to accept that. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, brought to a spectacular climax in 'The Return of the King' redeems some of the weaknesses of the second instalment (The Two Towers) and firmly places this among the great films of movie history. We should be thankful that Peter Jackson had the vision to inspire, plan and direct a wonderful event. The sheer scale of it all and the scope of the story is awe-inspiring and he does full justice to a story that rests securely on so many mythological cornerstones. The flowing action scenes are perfectly handled, showing the pace and drama without losing sight of the multiple characters central to the plot. The attention to detail is outstanding throughout. What it must be to not only act in this epic but be given your handsomely crafted sword at the end of it! Aragorn emerges a great leader (his rallying speech to justifiably frightened troops is truly inspiring), Sam Gamgee turns out to be the real hero in doggedly keeping the wavering Frodo going on the quest to destroy the ring, Gandalf shows steel in battle under his wise exterior while Merry and Pippin play their part to show that even 'minor' characters can claim their place on the great stage of history. Andy Serkis deserves the highest award - though probably won't get an Oscar - for how he helped make Gollum the finest CGI character ever. The score is beautifully judged and the editing first rate. However, for those who have read Tolkien's masterpiece there is a sense of frustration that there was, inevitably, some 'cinematic twisting' of what is essentially a story of small people (literally) driven to overcome a challenge they never believed possible. The Hobbits travel in hope rather than faith and achieve things none of their fellow- creatures, cosy and ignorant back in The Shire, could have ever imagined. A great film... but, alas, not quite the greatest. There were a few edges that should have been smoothed, or re-worked. The not particularly convincing love interest of Aragorn is highlighted by him choosing the fairly insipid Arwen while rejecting Eowyn, the woman who had the guts to fight at Minas Tirith, there is a faintly unbelievable attack by the ghost army (as wraiths who can't be killed how do they wield weapons that kill?), a badly damaged Minis Tirith apparently made good in short time (unless Gandalf's magic helped) and a strange final departure of Frodo from the Grey Havens when he was supposedly dying from an old wound but in fact looked pretty healthy. Compared to his call for valour earlier, Aragorn's crowning speech, with its half-hearted appeal for all to share in peace, seemed like a modern-day sop to those who think we ought to all love each other no matter what needs to be done.
The fact that Gollum sank into the volcano's lava flow as if it was water, the way that Frodo and Sam were able to cling to a rock in a torrent of lava (wouldn't they have been roasted by the sheer heat?) and their rescue by heat-proof eagles suggested that at the end the trilogy and this final part ran out of steam a little. Oddly, I noticed that on one occasion the wizard in white on a horse was anything but Sir Ian McKellen and had more the shape of a female from the back, and I found I was more aware in this final film of children playing the Hobbits in long shots. Perhaps the haste to wrap up was understandable after so many years in the making and an inevitable tiredness set in. No doubt the extended DVD version will fill in some gaps and perhaps bolster the weaker elements. But even with a handful of flaws and oversights this film successfully closes the book (and the trilogy) and will be recognised for years to come as one of the great films of our time. One final observation: Sam goes at home to Rosie at the very end of the film and his house number is three. There's probably a whole lot of significance and symbolism in that...