a fine close to the trilogy

Rating: 9/10 (4 July 2004)

The core of the final film in Peter Jackson's mammoth 'Lord of the Rings' series is Frodo's journey to destroy the Ring, assisted by Sam and opposed by the ever-desperate Gollum. At the end of 'The Two Towers', Gollum had sworn to kill the hobbits and take the ring for himself - at the start of this film they (or at least, Frodo) still see him as a friend. So there's scope for conflict there which is exploited admirably.
The other main storyline concerns the quest of Aragorn to reclaim his crown - will the king overcome all enemies and claim his birthright? 'The Return of the King' is darker and more bloody than the preceding films as the full force of Sauron and the enemies of man, elf, dwarf, and hobbit regroup and find their strength.
We see a decaying Gondor lost somewhere in time, with Denethor (powerfully played by John Noble) wandering in distain of his surviving son, Faramir, and mourning the loss of his great child Boromir. We see the young hobbits Merry and Pippin both grow up and serve with distinction in battle, while Gandalf, now the all-powerful white wizard, rallies the armies to victory.
Four scenes stand out for me - Aragorn and Legolas commanding the hidden armies to join their king one last time; Frodo's battle with the spider; the final confrontation between Frodo, Gollum and the Ring (although I was disappointed at the decision to make the last key fight an invisible one); and the final grateful bow of Aragorn to his little friends.
Is 'Return of the King' exciting? Yes, there are many meaty battles and situations here. Is it involving and touching? Yes - with Elijah Wood and Sean Astin giving their all as Frodo and Sam, and even Pippin making good. Not to mention the resolution of the story of Arwen and Aragorn. Is it the best film of the three? I'm not sure. For me, the huge scale of the first film, the beauty of Rivendell, the innocence of Middle Earth, the heart-stopping appearance of the Balrog, possibly had the edge. Is this version of 'The Lord of the Rings' really worth the hype? As a nine-hours plus film, undoubtedly.