hallmark of new cinema

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2003)

I think what makes the LOTR movies all the more epic in nature is Jackson's downright strange and eery attention to visual detail. Return of the King has more than the other two; the scene where Sam and Frodo are approaching Mount Doom is a miniature epic all it's own - we truly feel Frodo's burden as he swipes at things in a hallucigenic state, we feel a sense of elation of the human (er hobit) spirit as he breaks into a run with the last remaining ounce of energy, the scene where Shelob crumbles back into the gloom, into the inifite darkness, is more allegory than plot. These are all scenes that could exist on their own - the fact that they belong to a movie that incorporates both epic-scale and human-character study into a seamless whole leaves one both out of breath, stunned, and very reflective. It's one of the best movies ever.
Whatever discussion Tolkien fans have about whether LOTR can be argued from a metaphorical perspective, Jackson allows for all kinds of metaphorical impact. The beautiful, dymamic, soundtrack helps a lot too.
This is a watershed kind-of movie. Stylistically, it incorporates all sorts of effects that are as original as they are effective: tinted lenses, panoramic shots that are absolutely impossible without cgi (like following a boulder as it's hurled through the air from a catapult) and effective but not over-done macro slow-mos'.
I don't have the slightest problem with its length. It was a very short 3 and a half hours - I only remember one person in the theater getting up for the entire movie, and they were quick about it. The conclusion is a protracted 20 minutes, but each final departure is very important and I wouldn't want anything taken out. To understand the trilogy as Jackson's portrayed it is to understand it's most lasting, incredible impact: the epic proportions of it all can be paraphrased in the most simplistic, pastoral scene. That is how the movie ends, with a small family in hobbiton, and we realize that is what the whole shebang after all was all about. I think Jackson gave a perfect ode to Tolkien with his decision of a conclusion. Well done.
10 out of 10.