The definition of epic fantasy

Rating: Null/10 (15 September 2015)

The end of Middle-Earth draws near as the armies of orcs march against Minas Tirith, the great city of Gondor and the last bastion of Men, while at the same time Frodo and Sam have reached the borders of Mordor with their guide Gollum. Darkness spreads and all hope seems to wane, for even if the diminishing strength of Men were to prevail against crushing odds, their fate rests on the shoulders of a hobbit, the smallest of beings.
The Return of the King is an epic conclusion to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. All the individual plot lines come crashing together as we witness the last great battle between the forces of good and evil. This is grand fantasy at its finest. Every time you're allowed to draw breath and every time you hold your breath in fear and terror, there's something new and even more majestic waiting to reveal itself. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields in front of Minas Tirith is probably the finest individual battle scene I've ever seen put on film. An opinion shared by many. And the thing is, it has aged remarkably well. Here and there you can spot the use of CGI, but not often. I've seen big budget movies this year, full twelve years later, which look noticeably worse than this film in that regard.
I also really like how the scale shows not just in battle scenes but in every other aspect as well. The dialogues are full of emotions, great speeches, deep feelings, talks about fate, the elusiveness of hope, the strength of belief. Sure, it's escapism, but at its finest. This movie is the prime example of why we still tell stories to ourselves.
And yeah, I'm the first to admit that this is the most flawed film in the trilogy. They have turned Gimli into a complete joke character at this point. There are perhaps one or two endings too many. The ghost army subplot comes a bit out of nowhere. The emotions do boil over a touch too much. But in the end, I still love this film and this world. It is an archetype, an ideal against which all alike stories are measured.
The Return of the King is my least favourite film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's still easily one of my favourite movies, one of the finest epic movies ever made and more than worthy of all its praise.