The end of all things

Rating: Null/10 (19 December 2003)

I was always worried that the Return of the King would be a let down somehow. I don't really know why. Perhaps it was because I enjoyed the book so much that I couldn't see how any cinematic conclusion could ever compare to it. Perhaps it was because The Fellowship and The Two Towers were such exceptional films I couldn't beleive that Peter Jackson could keep it up for the third one. Or perhaps I'm just a pesamist. Thankfully, my worries were totally unfounded and the Return of the King turned out to be, for me at least, one of the most amazing cinematic experiences of my life. There wasn't a moment out of place. Everything worked, everything was as I hoped it would be. From the overwelming and unparelleled battle scenes to the smallest, intimate character moments every second of the film was an absolute wonder to behold. There were a couple of things that bothered me. Denethor was an odd character and he didn't have enough screen time to establish him well enough for us to care about what he was doing. He just came accross as mad, and in the book there seemed to be more to him than that. And Frodo is still a little too whiny. And yet, I can't rememeber the last time I came out of the cinema with such a feeling of total satisfaction. The climax of the film worked better than I could have hoped for. I can't wait to go see it again.