The Return of the King Review

Peter Jackson completes his career defining project in spectacular fashion with this commercial and Oscar sweeping success of a film. Return of the King once again takes place merely days after 'Towers'. Whilst the opening scene is set 500 years ago with an un-corrupted Sméagol, the rest continues where the last film finished. As Frodo, Sam and the plotting Gollum make their way towards a secret way into Mordor, Aragorn, Gandalf and co. are reunited with Merry and Pippin. However, Sauron is preparing for his biggest assault on the realm of Gondor. Once again the story is split into three main stories (as well as the host of subplots); Gandalf and Pippin arriving in Gondor's capital of Minas Tirith and organising the defence of the city; Aragorn and Théoden rallying their own armies for the war and Frodo's journey which is increasingly taking its toll on the poor hobbit. However these stories manage to intercut seamlessly and characters are reunited. The most I entertaining section is the build up to the colossal Battle of the Pelennor Fields: a vast slaughter of a battle where Gondorians, Rohirrim, Orcs, Nâzgul, ghosts and giant elephants (Mûmakil) constantly turn the tide in a brutal siege-turned-melée on the plains before Minas Tirith. The battle scene is on par with Helm's Deep with greater numbers resulting in more epic scenes. The almighty cavalry charge of the Rohirrim is captured perfectly by long cameras and close ups whilst the subsequent arrival of the Mûmakil is even better filmed as the camera moves in closer and closer to the giant beasts, moving at the same speed as the surrounding horsemen. What makes 'Return' so spectacular is that each set piece improves on the last. The astonishing lighting of the beacons is a beautiful display of New Zealand and Howard Shore's soaring score but this is upped again by the aforementioned cavalry charge before this is upstaged by Aragorn's passionate and motivating speech before the walls of Mordor and his alone sprint into the Orc army before his comrades run in after him. Viggo Mortenson shines as Aragorn and his character arc comes to a close as he becomes a leader of men instead of a grim ranger and his speech is leadership personified- men will and do follow him into death. Sean Astin and Elijah Wood as Sam and Frodo are equally great. Whilst Frodo is always tired and slow moving, the destruction of the One Ring takes this weight off Frodo and you also feel this weight being taken off, thanks to Wood's performance and the music. Sean Astin also gets numerous hero moments here and he may carry Frodo, but he arguably carries the film his character is so tearfully acted. Sam stating who he would've married is deeply heartbreaking and it is a shame Astin didn't continue making more films. Andy Serkis continues his gonzo performance as Gollum as he prowls around Frodo and Sam and drives a huge wedge between their beloved friendship which people have adored since 'Fellowship'. Another tragic moment comes from Pippin (who, in a nice change of his character, swears fealty to the father of Boromir and Lord of Gondor, Denethor) who is asked to sing whilst the camera alternates between Denethor horribly eating tomatoes whilst his son, Faramir, is leading a suicidal charge to please his father. The slow motion, tension and the juxtaposing image of tomato juice dripping down Denethor's chin as his son and his men get pelted by arrows is haunting, especially with actor Billy Boyd's soft singing voice. In fact, 'Return' has more character drama than any other blockbuster this side of the millennium. As I have previously mentioned, Peter Jackson's use of practical effects over CGI is wonderful. Of course for a film like this, CGI is required for many things but it is never overpowering or obvious, it is used more like a background to allow the characters to be the most interesting thing on camera. By not overplaying computer work, the film just looks better. There is a lesson to be learned here: if blockbuster directors took a leaf out of Jackson's book, then these huge films would be consistently good instead of having fake explosions and action being the most important thing on screen. Then there's the endings. If there is one complaint about this film the public has is that it takes fifteen minutes to end. I believe a two hour film should have around five minutes of ending as soon as the action and drama has finished. This allows time for the resolution of characters and plot threads. If you are like me and view LOTR as one film split into three parts (like Back to the Future), then you would be with me in saying an eleven hour film needs around fifteen minutes of closure, especially when there are so many plot threads and characters that need to be signed off. 'Return' ends with five different endings and each one is perfect: the Fellowship reuniting, Aragorn's coronation, Sam's wedding and the hobbits returning to the Shire and welcoming the peace and quiet of their home that they have all sorely missed. It is hard not to get emotional as the film's credits come up, not just because Frodo and Gandalf have left their friends but because you will never see these beloved characters again. This trilogy has left such a profound impact on its audience that it really is one of the three greatest films ever made. Return of the King is a suitably fitting final chapter to The Lord of the Rings trilogy where everything has been increased: running time, battles, characters... But the film has the ability to keep you watching for over three hours and twenty minutes because of how well it is acted, scored and how unconventionally emotional a fantasy film it is.