Dec

17

LOTR: Return of the King

Filed Under Books and Culture 

Wow. Perhaps it is exhaustion (the movie started at midnight and was a good three hourse plus, add getting out of the parking lot, etc. and I am running on little sleep) but I am having a hard time desribing this amazing film. It is magestic and elegant; sweeping and poignant; breathtaking and heartwarming. It was by far the most aestheticaly pleasing movie of the three. Jackson weaves the story lines and the symbols with loving care and artistic genius. To be spellbound by a movie where you basically know the story beforehand is quite amazing.

What struck me was how Jackson managed to keep the movie within itself when it so easily could have been “over-the-top.” There was obviously a great deal of special effects that went into the movie, from the battle scenes to the giant cities to the frightening variety of evil characters, but it never feels fake. The artistry that allows the focus to remain on the characters and their quest is awesome. The whole thing makes the recent Star Wars movies seem like a joke. Or as Slate’s David Edelstein says:

Jackson brings an intensity to the battle of good and evil that makes the stiff, well-mannered drones of George Lucas’ Star Wars epics look like stick figures in a bad, Japanese-made Saturday-morning cartoon.

Watching this film is like staring at a massive work of art. You are awed, excited, and pulled in.

****Warning: Spoilers Ahead****

- The opening scene with Smeagol/Gollum and the finding of the Ring was a great way to bring you back into the story. And it introduces a key theme: that the ring brings evil with it everywhere it goes. Power corrupts. Each ring bearer begins to develop selfish, dark, and ultimately murderous urges. The film begins with this process and it is present throughout, right up to the final demise of the ring itself.

- As I am sure you have already heard, the batlle scenes are simply amazing in scope and size. This film is truly epic. I fear that the small screen of TV/VCR/DVD will not be able to contain it. But the battles are not really that gorey or bloody. They represent the conflict between good and evil not violence for violence sake. They also felt realistic and true despite their obvious fantastic nature. Again, I wasn’t focused on the special effects but caught up in the moment. The elephants are really cool as are the always fearful Naizgul and their fell beasts. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where the Rhohan join the battle and the way the cavelry swept into the orc lines.

- Jackson handles the encounter with Shelob very well. The nasty spider is creepy and the fight scene was exciting but crisp. The way the orcs fall out so that Sam can come in and save the day is also well done. Jackson manages to tell the story without getting bogged down. This was one of my favorite tension filled parts of the book but the detail is not possible in a movie even of this length.

- Pippin’s run in with the Palentir was a little odd. Not only was it transferred from the camp on the way to Edoras to Edoras proper, The Palentir is only mentioned this once and not brought up again. You never see Denethor use his or speak of it, although he does tell Gandalf about what he has “seen.”

- The climatic scene with the destruction of the ring is seemed true to the book, although Frodo’s character change at the end would be startling if you didn’t know it was coming. It seemed he wrestled with the dark side more in the second film. Jackson does a great job of holding you in that moment when the ring is being destroyed. Just when things look hopeless, the ring melts away and Sauron is destroyed and his kingdom with him.

- Finding a place to end the movie was no easy matter. Jackson skips the Scouring of the Shire, which is admittedly an important part of the book, and that will be a disappointment to those who love the books. But I am not sure Jackson had a choice. That story is simply to complex to include without extending the movie beyond reason. As it is, he lets you down gently from the high of celebration atop Minas Tirith. Having the hobbits return to the Shire with it still in tact is jolting but your smile returns when you see Sam getting married.

- The scene with the elves, Bilbo, Gandalph, and Frodo returning across the sea was touching and hit just the right note. It gives you a warm feeling in your heart and leaves you satisfied if a little melancholy; just like the book.

Any complaints are really trivial. I sat spellbound and wide-eyed throughout the entire film just trying to soak as much of it in as I could. I am sure I will go back and try to see and learn new things. With a masterpiece of this magnitude one can do so again and again.

Comments

One Response to “LOTR: Return of the King”

  1. Stan on December 19th, 2003 3:18 pm

    Thanks for your review–you have eased my doubts about the movie. I have seen FOTR and TTT, and thought they were good, even though they do depart from the “textus receptus” in places. But this last part of the trilogy had me bothered when I read of the omission of the “Scouring of the Shire.”

    I’ll look forward to seeing this one a bit more, thanks to your review.

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