We come to it at last...

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2003)

Indeed, we come to the end of an epic filmic quest... THE epic filmic quest. Where does one start when reviewing such a movie?
It's absolutely wonderful. The minor cracks are easily overlooked for the sheer beauty and awesome power of The Return of the King. New Line Cinema is quite lucky to have taken such a gamble, as the studio stands to benefit excessively because of it. A small time indie director working out of New Zealand takes $300million and molds it into an epic trilogy for the ages. Worthy of standing with such timeless classics as The Godfather, the Original Star Wars trilogy, and Indiana Jones.
Despite having already read the books (and thus basically knowing what happens next), I couldn't help but be surprised and excited and saddened and thrilled by RotK.
The Battle of the Pelennor Fields is gigantic in scope and incredibly exciting. Indeed it does make Helm's Deep look like a minor skirmish.
Shelob's Lair and Shelob herself are truly terrifying. I love the attention to the book here, because it was one of my favorite parts, where Sam takes up the ring and vows to continue on. I saw Frodo staggering towards the tower of Cirith Ungol and thought "drat, they went and changed it." But lo and behold, Shelob crept up and mummified him in her webbing. It was breathtaking, eliciting quite a reaction from the midnight crowd.
The death of Theoden King is very sad. I pride myself on being able to hold back the emotion at the theater, but this was one of several scenes where I got all choked up and misty eyed.
The final struggle up Mt. Doom and the confrontation inside were truly suspenseful. Nitpickers looking for the Failure of the Ringbearer will be pleased to see it here. Frodo reaches the brink, only to finally succumb to the ring before being attacked by Gollum.
The CGI was once again top-notch. How will anyone ever do better? I have no idea. Gollum, the Oliphaunts, the Dead Men of Dunharrow all look spectacular and utterly believable... Really outstanding work by Weta Workshop.
Acting was excellent all around, yet again. However, one performance did stand out. Despite being a short Hobbit, Sean Astin's performance as Samwise Gamgee stands head and shoulders above the rest. He's my pick for a Supporting Actor Oscar.
But enough of that, eh? Let's get to the dirt. If anyone has been paying attention to my FotR and TT reviews (and I doubt they have), they'd know I'm not a stickler for word-for-word adaptation. There are some troubling changes... particularly Pippin finding the Palantir in the flooded courtyard of Isengard rather than inside Orthanc. Why they changed it, or why they omitted how the Palantir got there, I'm not sure. More troubling omissions are the Houses of Healing, the romance between Eowyn and Faramir (save for but a glimpse at the end), Faramir being retained as Steward of Gondor, and Eomer becoming King of Rohan.
Also absent is the Scouring of the Shire, of which I'm sure you're all aware. Truth be told, I wasn't a big fan of the Scouring... and I think it's appropriate that it -- and Tom Bombadil from FotR -- be omitted.
But like I said before, these cracks are easily overlooked, because they do not detract from the movie (which is what you paid to see, you didn't pay to read the book).
Besides, I'm sure they'll appear on the Extended DVD!! Yes! One last wait to endure!