The pieces are moving...

Rating: 6/10 (12 April 2010)

Antipodean director Peter Jackson here proves beyond doubt that he's picked up Spielberg's mantle as the director most competent at blending dazzling special effects with convincing emotional drama. The third part of Jackson's opus sees the One Ring return to Mordor in the hands of a Hobbit, while the hordes of Gorgoroth sweep into the realm of man in their tens of thousands. Bad Taste this ain't.
This is the boldest of the three movies in that it necessarily must take the most risks in depicting Tolkien's universe. It's a delicate balancing act. For instance, some will love the Jackson of old re-emerging for the Paths of the Dead sequence, while others will resent its Temple of Doom comedy-horror stylings. Legolas skipping up the leg of an olyphaunt and then sliding down its trunk as it falls: fanboys loathe that stuff; the kids love it. But thankfully, due to Return of the King's structure - a series of action scenes built around Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) dreadful narration - one doesn't have to wait long until the next set-piece arrives. And we're spoiled for choice. Gandalf, for example, doesn't only narrate - he also, exhilaratingly, sweeps onto the plain of Pelennor to ward off the Nazgul with a blinding shaft of light. Shelob doesn't disappoint; Weta have created a memorable monster who tickles the neck-hairs of Tolkien devotees and unsuspecting arachnophobics alike (I had not yet read the novel at this point...). And the lighting of the beacons, erupting from far snow-capped peaks, calling to Gondor under the bellowing strains of Howard Shore's aptly triumphant score, might be the single most rousing sequence in movie history. It's the ignition of hope, a glimmer of unbridled joy before the darkness descends.
The biggest omission from the novel is the Scouring of the Shire. I happen to agree with the screenwriters' decision. By that time, we've already had two or three endings. We've been stuffed with a veritable feast in the form of the Battle of Pelennor and the Fall of Sauron; the Scouring, I believe, would have been an unwanted dessert. Besides, Tolkien's epilogue was something of a matter of celebrity. Aragorn's final words to the hobbits, as all of Middle Earth kneels, says more about the height of their standing than any Shire-war would.
Some minor flaws still remain. Legolas and Gimli's character arcs still reach no real resolution (but then, do we really need another two endings?). The position of the Battle of Pelennor in the story's narrative doesn't really lend itself to the classical Hollywood narrative very comfortably - there's a predictable, albeit only slight, feeling of 'winding down' in all that follows. Also, on this extended DVD, the point at which we are asked to change discs comes at a most inopportune time, as the drums of war are at their peak.
But it seems strangely impertinent to sniff out the trilogy's few flaws; to do so is like picking at the hem of the Bayeux Tapestry. Will we ever see such a wholly satisfying series of films again? Not in my lifetime. (N.B. The score is for all three.) This is pure cinema. Jackson and his creative family just don't stop giving. He has successfully translated his love for his source material and created a body of work that will live on and become equally loved. The scope of his achievement is undeniable; as entertainment, this is about as close to perfection as cinema will get.