The Moose Hole - Review of The Return of the King

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2003)

`This is your test. Every path you have trod through wilderness, through war, has led to this road.'
Every film this year, both the good and the bad (or in some cases the atrociously horrible), has led to this film. Back in late-2000, there was serious doubt to whether The Lord of the Rings series, the $300 million-budgeted trilogy, would be accepted at all by the movie-going public, let alone the hardcore Tolkein fans that would critique every single move Peter Jackson made on the film adaptation. With the release of The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, those fears were finally put to rest with the domestic gross topping $300 million. The question would then be, will it last till the final film? At the end of The Two Tower's theatrical run, those rumblings were beginning to be quieted as the first sequel managed to out gross the original by nearly $25 million in domestic sales. Along with large box office numbers both domestically and internationally, the previous two films managed to nab numerous nominations and awards but the one thing they both weren't able to accomplish was being declared the number one film of the year they were released. The Return of the King faces little competition for the coveted spot with The Matrix Revolutions failing to surpass even the original Matrix film and Finding Nemo stalled at the $340 million mark. Considering the first sequel's achievement of surpassing the original, it more then reasonable to assume the same here but stranger things have happened in 2003.
The story starts off with the tale of how Gollum came upon the ring of power and how he became what he is in the time of the Lord of the Rings films. After a graphic beginning, the plot focuses back on the developments at hand and picks up where The Two Towers left off in December 2002 with Sam and Frodo moving ever closer to Mordor unknowingly being led into a trap by Gollum. The burden of the ring of power is slowly but surely taking over the young Frodo Baggins and manipulates his mind into believing that Sam wants the ring for himself, creating further tension for the already tumultuous group. Meanwhile, Sauron's forces have been defeated at Helms Deep but the battle for Middle Earth has barely begun. The moving eye now focuses his attention on Gondor and the city of Minas Tirith, the place where Aragorn must go and take his place as the rightful king of men. Unfortunately this is easier said then done as the steward of Minas Tirith, who has guarded the throne for many years, has grown power mad and refuses to see a ranger take his place as the king of men. Many conflicts crossing every area of Middle Earth collide together as large forces, both good and evil, fight for the fate of humanity and the world. The story for The Return of the King is so wonderfully played out in such a way that you can't help but be in awe by the events that play out. Most of the credit has to go to J.R.R. Tolkein, who wrote the original books, but respect should also be given to Peter Jackson. Any other director with the level of filmmaking experience he had may have killed the purpose of the film and it's messages but he kept true to the author's vision and nobody can be more appreciative then those Tolkein fans.
Most of the characters are the same as they were in the previous two features except a slight few that are introduced in The Return of the King. Elijah Wood, as the ring barring hobbit, Frodo Baggins, brings the character to a whole new level. Wood does an absolutely fantastic job at presenting a character that, not only in this film but in the previous two films as well, slowly deteriorates as the journey continues not only physically but emotionally as well. Frodo, in the third film, falls deeper into madness as the ring of powers corrupts his senses and his mind and Elijah clearly shows that development in the feature. Special praise for acting ability should also be given to Sean Astin who presents quite a few tearful sequences as Samwise Gamgee. As Frodo is changed dramatically by the ring, Sam is always there for him but this film showcases the true determination of this little hobbit and the care he has not only for his friend but his home as well. Miranda Otto will give a few feminists out there something to cheer about with a particular sequence at the battle of Minas Tirith that won't be given away here. And Sir Ian McKellen continues his magnificent performance as Gandalf the White showing not only wonderful speaking skill but quite a few good fighting hits as well.
Overall, King makes many leaps and bounds above most of the films this year but fails to achieve the consistency and magnificence that The Two Towers accomplished. The biggest burden for the feature film is its excruciating three hour and twenty minute time length that feels even longer in the last fifteen to twenty minutes. There were several spots where the screen would go black or white or a particular scene would end giving the impression to the audience that the feature was over at that point until suddenly it would start a new scene seconds later. This got quite annoying after the second time and could have been done a different way. In fact, the last twenty minutes could have been cut down a lot more since it is practically the characters just saying good-bye to each other. Other problems consisted of complications based on characters and separate story developments. In the Two Towers, the audience was made to feel sorry for the creature Gollum but all those feelings can be completely thrown out the window in Return of the King. It was quite disappointing seeing the character developed into the way he was here. Whether this is done in the book or not doesn't matter, either way it was a disappointment. One loose end that wasn't quite cleared up was the romantic tensions building between Aragorn and Eowyn that is just abruptly ended by Aragorn saying it's just a false dream. They aren't seen again together till the end and there is nothing said or done to show any remaining emotions. Considering the way they built it up in the Two Towers, this just seemed incomplete and disappointing. There are other problems but focusing too much on the bad would give the impression the film is horrible, which is not the case overall. Overall, The Return of the King is a magnificent artistic achievement that is clearly not perfect but doesn't have to be to give the people what they paid for, which is wonderful action and the message that hope will survive when all else is lost. If this raises the inspiration of just one movie-goer out there, the films' message will have gotten through and achieved victory.
My Rating: **** ½ out of 5 (Grade: A)