The Lord of the Movies

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2018)

I first saw "Lord of the Rings" as a sixth grader. My dad and brother forced me to watch it, so I suffered through "Fellowship" with a pout on my face. Needless to say, that lasted perhaps five minutes, before I was mesmerized by the world. Everything was beautiful to me: the music, the costumes, the sets, Galadriel's voice. Indeed, "Lord of the Rings" was my chief motivator in life for a good time after.
It should come as no surprise then, that "Return of the King" had the greatest impact on me. My young brain was constantly filled with stories (as a self-proclaimed "LEGO Expert," I figured my storytelling was top-notch), and Peter Jackson's take on Tolkien's world left me stunned. Everything about it, from the "Continuation of Awesome," which the "Two Towers" began, to the crushing finale(s), left me in, well, awe. "Return" is kind of the first for me, in multiple aspects of film viewing: first time crying about an ending, first "chill/goosebumps" moments, first time appreciating a film's soundtrack, etc.
Thus, I feel a review is necessary of this fantastical film. Plot-wise, the movie is very, and I mean VERY, formulaic. It adds on to the other two films in the trilogy, which in total, form the "Hero's Journey." Everything works out in the end, because that is the type of story this is. Sure, there may be some failure, some defeat, but this is not "Game of Thrones."
Visually, "Return of the King" is stunning. I simply do not know how else to describe it. The costumes are majestic (or, in the case of Sauron's forces, hideous). The sets are wonderful: Minas Tirith, Isengard, Mordor, Shelob's Lair, etc. All of them, upon reading the books, fit perfectly into the Tolkien's world. The movements of characters/armies is incredible. The CGI is great; not overpowering/detracting from the experience of the film.
Sound plays a major role in the movie. Of course, all the medieval sounds one would expect to hear in a movie such as this are present. What I care most about is the music! How well it fits with everything! Howard Shore crafted a masterpiece with "Return of the King," which is crazy, considering how good the first two soundtracks were! Similarly to "Star Wars," "Lord of the Rings" could not exist without music. Imagine watching some fires light atop mountains without the music, or Rohan's charge upon the Pelennor Fields.
"Return of the King," if this has not been made obvious already, is one of my three favorite movies, so obviously I am incredibly biased in favor of it. I give no real criticism to it, and really just describe my favorite parts. As a review, this may not be worth much, due to that fact. However, I hope some will read this, and possibly be prompted to give the trilogy a watch, if they have not already seen it.