I have finally managed to see the final part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King. To be honest, I am not sure if I was a little disappointed or not in the last part. Nevertheless, there are many, many more good things than bad and, regardless, it is a superb film. The battle sequences are truly ‘epic’ and, in the case of the catapulted heads, a little horrific. The acting is superb, the bonds between the characters are, at times, tear-jerking. The settings are stunning (and Minas Tirith exactly as I imagined it), the story is edited in an edge-of-the-seat way and the effects that created Sauron’s massive Orc armies are incredible.
Although the effects are really brilliant it is the acting that makes this film (and in that respect it is sad that Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies do not have a bigger part to play and that Christopher Lee – Saruman – does not get anything at all). Elijah Wood is great as Frodo, tormented by The Ring to the very end, but in that partnership it must be Sean Astin who deserves some kind of award. I am not sure there were many dry eyes in the theatre. And how will Ian McKellen every play anything other than Gandalf?
On the downside, Arwen’s decision to become mortal is really not played out (which is a shame) and does leave the very end of the film a little limper than the book.
When I read the book, I was very conscious of Tolkien’s multiple ending points. You felt it went on beyond it’s natural end. You can also say the same about this film (although it doesn’t get dragged out quite so much) and yet I am disappointed that the return to The Shire was not faithful to the book as it really shows the changes that have taken place to The Hobbits. That is, however, a minor complaint. This is a stunning film and Peter Jackson deserves all the praise that has been heaped on him.
On this day…
- 2003: You Spin Me Round