The Return of the Epic Fantasy

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2003)

A good film trilogy is a crescendo if you will emanate for a moment. Slowly building until exalted into resounding pop culture benevolence. Thus making a bad trilogy a decrescendo, that of course the viewer giving the original a super thumbs up, fingernail even extended and the other two installments just a momentarily grunt and sigh, i.e. The Matrix. What can be said for a great film trilogy then? What metaphor could be used and justify its mean. Total speechlessness. To say nothing at all. And although that defeats the whole purpose of this comment box, the entire Lord of the Rings series completely gives resonance to this statement. Sure we can nitpick, we can even say What if and if they did this or that but you know what? It's not our decision. We're not the filmmaker, we're the viewer. And what a treat these films were, not since the original Star Wars did an epic and more importantly fantasy gives us something to reward our eyes upon. Although in this author's mind, the middle of the three was the best accomplishment. Much like the Star Wars' trilogy, the second act is the pinnacle of the storytelling. Mostly because we usually know, as the viewer how the third picture will end but the second is always the mystery. It's dark, it's powerful and it contains the heart of our passions. But this is a response to the third film, not Two Towers. What can be said for Return of the King though is it ends this trilogy better than how it began. Fellowship was an acquired taste, the theatrical release anyway. I did not have appreciation for this series until watching the extended cut which brought justice to LOTR's comparison to Star Wars, when it was the very story to inspire such a space opera to the film's creator, George Lucas. The friendship of Samwise and Frodo blossoms to importance within this chapter. Before I just felt odd being moved by two homo-erotic hobbits. Samwise represents the viewer, Frodo representing the dreamer in all of us of greatness and extraordinary achievements. Ultimately the viewer, (Samwise) carries the dreamer, (Frodo) to greatness. This is the best message in the entire story. Not of friendship or resilience but that in all of us we can accomplish everything we wish. Such as Peter Jackson's telling of this story in not just one great film but three. Sean Astin deserves every accolade this film will receive. He carried this picture much like his character carries Elijah Wood's Frodo. Sure Andy Serkis did wonderful things with Gollum and Viggo and Ian are just as impressive with their roles as Aragorn and Gandalf, respectively. But they are creatures, kings and wizards. Sam is the every man, he is in all of us. Naked all the layers of this picture: the special effects, the epic battles, the turn of time storytelling, the CGI characters, the score, the fantasy and there you'll find what really matters; the heart. The heart in all of us to become what we were destined to be.