A stunning achievement by Peter Jackson and friends

Rating: 10/10 (1 January 2004)

Return of the King is a sweeping, moving, and breathtaking achievement. As with the first two films in this remarkable trilogy, director Peter Jackson has done a masterful job of translating Tolkien's prodigious book into a streamlined and cunning movie. In the process, Jackson may very well have created the greatest movie trilogy of all-time. Moreover, King stands on its own as a great film for its depth of story, character development, imagination, and visual brilliance.
The film follows two story lines. First, there is the tale of the hobbits' journey to Mount Doom to destroy the ring of power. Here, Jackson does a masterful job of developing the deep friendship between Frodo and Sam even further, creating an even stronger bond between the two friends who come closer and closer to peril with each step they take towards Mordor. Building on the foundation of the first two films, Jackson's work in King enables the viewer to feel true emotions for Frodo and Sam. Sitting in the theater, you pity and admire these two characters. Indeed, while the name of the film is "Return of the King," at the heart of the movie is this friendship between Frodo and Sam and their joint battle against the great evil of the ring. Bolstering this rich story of friendship is Jackson's artful depiction and development of the complex character Gollum, as well has his edge-of-your-seat work with Shelob.
The second storyline of the film is, of course, Aragorn's return to Gondor to reclaim the throne of men. Here, the film is packed with stunning and powerful battle sequences that seamlessly blend digital special effects with terrific live action. As war sequences go, King stands amongst the very best in film history. Amidst the action, Jackson is able to deliver stories of heroism and human frailty that empower and move the viewer. Particularly well done is Eowyn's confrontation of the Nazgul Witch King. Each time I saw the film, the audience cheered.
These two stories are artfully cut together in a way that keeps this 3 hour and change film moving. Almost gone from this film are the slow-talking Ents introduced in the Two Towers, which threatened to put some audience members asleep.
Of course, Jackson was forced to cut certain stories from Tolkien's third book in the interest of not keeping the audience overnight. Gone are the downfall of Saruman, the romance between Eowyn and Faramir, the the hobbits recapture of the shire. While the elimination of some of these scenes from the film may disappoint some of Tolkien loyalists, Jackson's choices work and enable Tolkien's main themes to come to life on the screen.
The most difficult challenge facing King is our tendency to compare it to Jackson's other two films. Naturally, one's inclination is to immediately decide which of the three films was the greatest. This analysis has the risk of diminishing the audience's appreciation for the splendor and depth of King as its own film. At the end of the day, Jackson's achievement in King is two fold. He has not only made a great movie, but has now made three great films in a row. King is a powerhouse movie. See it.