Splendid end to a splendid trilogy.

Rating: Null/10 (29 February 2004)

The Return of the King is the most complex of the three books in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I was afraid that Peter Jackson and his team might struggle to do it justice. For a start, the story fragments into so many sub-stories that the job of maintaining continuity is staggeringly difficult; for another, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is such a massive battle in the book that it requires technical bravura beyond anything ever witnessed to be brought to life on the screen. I need not have worried. The Return of the King is an absolutely fantastic film. A major achievement by any standards, and one of the greatest films ever made which can easily rival its competition (including Lawrence of Arabia, The Grapes of Wrath, The Wild Bunch and any other undisputed top 100 movie you could care to mention).
The story picks up where The Two Towers left off. Frodo and Sam are still trying to find a way into Mordor, guided by the corrupt Gollum (who plans to lure them into a dangerous cavern where a man-eating spider awaits). Aragorn and the other companions, having just survived the exhausting Battle of Helm's Deep, are trying to get the long-uncooperative kingdoms of men to join forces to face Sauron's orcs, but must somehow persuade the stubborn steward of Gondor to put aside personal pride for the sake of Middle Earth. Worse still, the army of orcs they must face is the biggest army ever assembled and they have but a fraction of that number on their own side. Thnkgs look pretty glum unless they can find extra fighters from somewhere....
There's nothing that I can say about The Return of the King that hasn't been said here on the imdb already. It's only fault is that there are slightly too many moments where all seems lost only for a last minute reprieve to be granted (The Battle of the Pelennor Fields is all but lost only for Aragorn to arrive with his army of the dead; the Battle of the Black Gate is all but lost only for the eagles to arrive just in the nick of time; and as Mount Doom crumbles around them Frodo and Sam seem lost, only for Gandalf to ride toi the rescue on an eagle, etc.) However, these events happen in the book and the makers are merely being faithful to their source. In every other aspect, the film is outstanding. It has blood, guts, romance, humour, fear, rousing heroism and scenes capable of moving you to tears. Congratulations to Jackson and co. for making this trilogy the awesome experience that it has been.