Plot Outline: The former Fellowship of the Ring prepare for the final battle for Middle Earth, while Frodo & Sam approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. (more)(view trailer)
Also Known As: Return of the King, The (2003) (USA) (short title) MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images. Runtime:
201 min / USA:250 min (extended edition)
Country:USA / New Zealand Language:English / Sindarin Color:Color Sound Mix:DTS-ES / Dolby EX 6.1 / SDDS Certification:Brazil:12 / USA:PG-13
December 19th, 2001 The day that the first installment of the wildly
popular Lord Of The Rings Trilogy was delivered to us from New Zealand
born
director Peter Jackson, The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
It was also on that day that a jumpstart to a whole new generation of
rabid
fan boys was unleashed, and a whole new meaning to the word epic was born.
One year soon passed, marking the arrival of the second part of the epic
trilogy, The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers. While not as good as
FoTR,
TTT was a very good installment that introduced us to a whole new world of
CGI characters - Gollum. Finally, after another agonizing yearlong wait;
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King arrived, setting the
standard
on how to properly release (and end) a trilogy.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 3 years, the whole
plot
of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy is about a Hobbit named Frodo Baggins who
is sent on an agonizing and rough journey to destroy `the one ring' that
holds the power to all Middle Earth. After creating a fellowship of the
ring, Frodo and the newly found fellowship continue the journey to Mount
Doom - the one place where the ring can be destroyed. The fellowship soon
gets split up, leaving Sam and Frodo all alone. Both Sam and Frodo then
have a run in with Gollum, the former possessor of the ring. After a
brief
fight, Gollum then reluctantly agrees to help Frodo on his quest.
However,
during the painstaking journey, Gollum soon becomes entranced by the
ring's
power once again, secretly turning his back on Frodo. All right, so that
was FoTR and TTT. RoTK is where we finally see Frodo destroy the ring (If
you did not know this, then I have pity on your poor soul. It's how they
get there that matters) and finish his book (Also titled The Lord Of The
Rings)
Regarding the Oscars, I'd say RoTK is a shoe-in for Best Picture. Out of
the all the other possible nominees, this one is most deserving, as both
its
technical merit and entertainment value deliver like no other Best Picture
nominee I've seen. So now that Best Picture is taken care of, what's
left?
The stunning direction by Peter Jackson? Of course! The beautiful and
poetic score by Howard Shore? Without a doubt. The dazzling New Zealand
cinematography? Flawless. Or how about the special effects used to create
Gollum and the rest of the movie? Oh heck, every technical aspect of this
movie is perfect. I believe Elvis Mitchell from the New York Times summed
it up when he said, ' King is the product of impressive craft and
energy.'
Remember Helms Deep from The Two Towers? Ha! The battle on Pellenor Fields
ups the ante and absolutely CRUSHES Helm's Deep. It is quite possibly the
best fight scene I have ever witnessed. Not once did I get bored or want
it
to end. In short, it's breathtaking. There will most likely be countless
studios trying to duplicate and make a better fight scene than this one,
but
quite frankly, I don't think it will ever be beaten.
See this in theatres, folks. Not even a big screen TV and surround sound
system can match this theatrical experience.
Technical details aside, allow me to mention the acting. How I loved the
acting here (Well, all but one performance which will be mentioned later)
There is not a doubt in my mind that someone here will win an acting
award -
particularly Sean Astin as Sam, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Ian McKellen as
Gandalf. I have not yet had the chance to read the highly acclaimed
books,
but I'm sure the performances are worthy and ones that would make JRR
Tolkien happy if he were alive today.
I also just want to take time and mention a performance that I'm sure is
going to get overlooked. Billy Boyd as Pippin. I quite liked the guy
here.
He added something special to the third installment, with his appearances
being high up on my list of favorite moments. His song playing in the
background to when the Orcs arrived on land was beautiful.
When it comes to complaints, I have only one, but it is enough to bring
down
the overall score. That one minor complaint involves the very stupid and
pointless role of Arwen. Why Peter Jackson decided to keep her in this
movie is beyond me. She added nothing at all. Also, it didn't really
bother me, but I know it will for some - and that's the butt numbing
runtime
of 201 minutes, nearly the length of FoTR's Extended Edition.
In conclusion, I am still undecided as to with LoTR is better. A re-watch
on
FoTR might be in order, but for now I think I'll give the slight edge to
RoTK. Regardless of who gets top spot, it's really hard to believe that
the
journey of Frodo Baggins is over. A spectacular finale to a wonderful
trilogy that is sure to be remembered for years to come. Take that Matrix
Revolutions.
company.
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