Great but Flawed...

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2004)

I have seen "Return of the King" three times now. The first time I saw it was on opening day with a few of my friends. I liked it, but I withheld back real judgement due to bad theater conditions (second row seating and bad sound). Then the following day, the chance came to see it with a few other friends so I did. Overall the theater and the seats were better, yet I was still unable to really state my verdict on the film and its merits. I could already point out things I liked and didn't like, but I couldn't put my finger on the real problem. On my third viewing, I finally came to a decision, although my thoughts on the film will still not be complete until the Extended Edition is released.
To start with, "Return of the King" is my favorite of the books. I also deem it the hardest of the books to convert into a film since it's narrative becomes fragmented into various sub-narratives, which are hard to cut together. This is where, in my estimation the film fails. For for all Jackson and his crew's hard work, the film is not edited well enough to really make it feel cohesive, or for that matter complete. This film does not feel complete. Throughout the movie, there are some incredible moments of cinematic brilliance and some heartbreakingly moving scenes that it really does have the material to be a great if not one of the great epic classics, such as "Lawrence of Arabia". It's level of meaning and depth also support the film in comparison to more artistic endeavors, such as "Ran". The fatal flaw here however does not allow it to achieve its rightful place. Its pacing feels at times off and certain scenes which might be incredibly powerful are underdeveloped. For example, in the scene where Frodo is attacked by Shelob, it is painfully obvious that the scene is too short and much too fast. Tension was lacking and that sense of fear that was so chilling when Gollum first hinted at his plans at the end of the "Two Towers" was lost. Certain scenes as this and times when you wish there was more emotional development here or more action here or more build-up there were missing. Gandalf declares that the Battle of Pelennor Fields will be the "Great Battle of Our Time", yet for lack of build-up before the battle and too little actual footage of the battle shown it feels smaller than Helm's Deep (where the odds are much better and the consequences much less dire). Moments in the battle which are filmed brilliantly such as the Death of the Witch King and the Charge of the Rohirrim feel out of place and anti-climactic because of this lack of battle 'filler', and the despair of the people within the city of Minas Tirith is not as clear as it was as in Helm's Deep. Finally when the heros arrive with a great undead army, there is a sense of anticlimax. So again although each of these individual sequences were wonderful and although what was in the film was magnificent, what was cut our and/or left unfilmed is painfully missed. In short the film could've been much longer. In terms of what was actually in the film, the only real part that felt ridiculous was when the gates of Minas Tirith are broken open and three Trolls storm through. I missed greatly the operatic moment from the books where Gandalf and the Witch King meet face to face. In my opinion, there was simply no need to reinvent the wheel here.
In terms of everything else, this film was superbly crafted. With a much stronger script than the first two and therefore much stronger acting, this one really does close out the trilogy beautifully. Andrew Lesnie's cinematography is now fully developed and full of wonderful imagery and power. And most notable of all, Howard Shore's score has really come to a high point in "Return of the King". The themes now all fully developed and orchestrated feel more full, vibrant and at times truly menacing. In a scene where all these qualities come together perfectly, Gandalf and Frodo say farewell to the hobbits as they sail away into the west from the Grey Havens. In conclusion, everything about this film is bigger and yet more intimate and powerful than the first two. Were it not for the one flaw in the editing, this film really would be one of the greats. Perhaps with the advent of the EE, it will make the distance.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is rated PG-13