The Lord of the Rings
Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
Director:
Peter JacksonWriters:
J.R.R. Tolkien (novel), Fran Walsh (screenplay), 2 more credits »Stars:
Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen | See full cast and crew »Storyline
While Frodo & Sam continue to approach Mount Doom to destroy the One
Ring, unaware of the path Gollum is leading them, the former Fellowship
aid Rohan & Gondor in a great battle in the Pelennor Fields, Minas
Tirith and the Black Gates as Sauron wages his last war against
Middle-Earth. Written by
Anonymous
The worst I can say about it is that it is maybe a tad long - but not that you'd notice . . .
User Reviews
A monumental film
Feeling weary and
battle-worn, I have just staggered out of the cinema after three and a
half hours of special effects creatures fighting other special effects
creatures. I had taken refreshments but barely touched them - probably
because the film I had watched is one of the most mesmerising,
evocative, inspiring, and awesome I have witnessed of any big adventure
epic. Not to mention superb ensemble acting, moods that shift
effortlessly between mediaeval battles of colossal proportions and
convincing bloodshed, beauty and wonderment, fantastic natural and
artificial landscapes and cityscapes, touches of humour, well-paced
dramatic tension, and human bonding that is moving enough to just let
you dry your eyes as the unassuming credits flash by.
Return of
the King is the greatest of the Tolkien trilogy by New Zealand director
Peter Jackson. Although I've seen the other two and read the book, I
felt it would also stand alone well enough for people who hadn't done
either.
The storytelling is much more professional that the first
one - which maybe laboured to introduce so much information - or the
second one - which has little let up from the tension of long battle
scenes. In Return of the King, there is an emotional sting at the start,
as we watch the transformation of Gollum from warm, fun-loving guy to
murderous, mutated wretch. The movie then moves deftly between different
segments of the story - the sadness of the lovely soft-focus Liv Tyler
as fated Arwen whose travails and woman's love succeeds in having the
Sword that was Broken mended, the comradeship of Sam and Frodo (Sean
Astin & Elijah Wood) that is tested to the limits, the strong
commanding presence of Gandalf (Ian McKellen) who keeps an eye on things
whilst turning in an Oscar-worthy performance, the ingenious and very
varied battle scenes, and the mythical cities of that rise out of the
screen and provide key plot elements.
This is a fairy story of
human endeavour, the defeating of power cliques and the triumph of the
human spirit that could almost be compared to Wagner's Gotterdammerung.
It is a fairy story without any sugary sweetness, a fairy story the
likes of which hasn't been told so well before, and is even unlikely to
be done so well in the future. The haunting scream of the Nasgul stays
with you, the physical attractions are not airbrushed, and the battles
are about as far from pantomime characters waving wooden swords as you
can get. The ingenious monsters keep you on the edge of your seat. The
whole narrative maintains the spirit (if not archival, detailed
accuracy) of the original and makes you want to read the book (or read
the book again!)
The worst I can say about it is that it is maybe a tad long - but not that you'd notice . . .