The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King

First of all, let’s be honest.  Purists who object to the making of the trio of movies will not be happy.  Some of us who have read the books will take issue with the level of creative license assumed by the screenwriters and director.  The rest of us will notice some jarring notes here, no doubt the film equivalent of trying to cram 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-pound sack.  The movie runs for 3 hours and 20 minutes, and there is much not explained that needs to be.  I suspect Peter Jackson succumbed at some point to a desire to focus on the battle scenes, which are not always the most important part of a movie, especially this movie.  The DVD version will probably approach 4 hours in order clean up the loose ends that were still lying around as the final credits rolled.

Yet to Jackson’s credit, and the screenwriters as well, the books are long and chock full of characters and action.  Somehow they pulled it off and created a trio of movies that captured the viewers’ imaginations.  No movie, certainly not one destined for theatrical release, could ever capture all that Tolkien wrote.  Some items, such as the Scouring of the Shire, make sense in the book, but do not necessarily translate well onto the screen.  This would be especially true of the Scouring, coming as it does after the end of the War of the Ring.  It is a depressing letdown after the triumph of victory.  Could it have been done better?  I have no idea, and overall I am happy with the Trilogy as it is.  Time will tell if anyone can come up with a better version.  One reviewer commented that the Trilogy was a huge gamble for New Line.  Had the movies failed, no doubt New Line would be in serious trouble.

Will I go see The Return of the King again?  Absolutely.  There is a lot to like in The Return of the King, even though the movie is not, in my opinion, without flaws.  The special effects are second to none.  Shelob is nothing short of incredible.  I have to believe that the animators closely examined actual spiders, most likely tarantulas and wolf spiders, in creating this monster.  The moment she suddenly pops out of the hole to stalk Frodo will chill you, unless you like creepy, crawly, hairy, giant spiders jumping out of dark places.  The ghost army has been compared to the cursed pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean.  Sorry, not so.  They are not the same and this army needs to be considered on its own merits.  Gollum continues to mesmerize, and his psychotic behavior is frightening as you watch him manipulate Frodo against Sam. 

Speaking of Sam, Sean Astin is fantastic as Frodo’s protector.  He epitomizes the virtue of undying commitment to a cause and to friendship in the face of despair.  Not many would have gone as far as he did, or stayed as long.  Not until the moment of truth, when Frodo stands before the fires of Mt. Doom, does Sam’s hope falter.  Even then, despite all that has occurred, he still protects and helps Frodo.  Sean travels the range of emotions, and you believe every one of them.

Frodo (Elijah Wood) began this journey in Fellowship as a happy Hobbit without a care in the world.  By the time he gets to Mt. Doom he is a shell of his former self, and it shows in his face and his actions.  He literally drags himself forward, trying to complete his quest.  Home again, he seems more fragile than when he started out.  You can’t help but feel that the journey to Valinor is the only way he will regain the joy he once knew.  I hope Elijah Wood doesn’t get pigeonholed into roles that emphasize tragic figures.

Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn grows into the King he is to become, but it takes a while.  We saw hints of it in The Two Towers when he challenged Theoden on the issue of open warfare, and again at Helm’s Deep when he encourages Theoden to ride out and meet the enemy.  There are more opportunities in this movie, but I had a hard time seeing what it was that finally tipped him into acceptance of his path.  The presentation of Anduril by Elrond appears to be the beginning, which culminates on the Paths of the Dead.  It is there that we finally see him as the King he is to be.  Everything depends on this part of the journey.  It is an Aragorn I expected to see earlier.  I don’t know how much is due to the acting, the directing, the way the movie was cut, or the script itself.

We see little of the Elves, aside from a very athletic Legolas who single handedly takes on an Ollyphaunt and continues the wisecracks with Gimli over the number of orcs each has killed.  Hugo Weaving’s Elrond remains a frowning father, unwilling to allow his daughter to marry a mortal or to support Aragorn in his journey.  We all know how that will turn out though.  The Elves were not major players in the book version, although the storyline in the movie does represent a departure from the book.  Based on the trailer, we are missing some scenes here, which will probably show up in the DVD.

Eowyn still pines for Aragorn, until he tells her that he cannot give her what she wants.  Another of the jarring notes: we see her with Faramir at the end, and no explanation as to why, although readers of the book will know.  No doubt this will be added to the DVD.

We see more of Merry and Pippin, and a lot of Gandalf.  Pippin continues to be a “fool of a Took,” but redeems himself on a task for Gandalf, and then saves Faramir’s life.  Pippin’s song for Denethor, Steward of Gondor, is beautiful and sad.  Billy Boyd sang it and he has a wonderful voice.  Merry gets his wish to fight for the Shire, but nearly dies in the process.  Throughout the movie Gandalf the White leads the way.  When Denethor goes mad Gandalf takes over.  His relationship with Pippin mellows and this is most evident during the final assault on Gondor’s heights.  Ian McKellan plays the wizard as a person who has incredible powers, yet is not omniscient or immortal and knows it.  Every time I see him I think of a very wise uncle figure.

I am not sure why we see the events leading up to Sméagol's transformation into Gollum.  However, Andy Serkis' Sméagol looked a lot like Brad Dourif's Wormtongue.  The battle of Pelennor Field takes a while to wind up and get going.  The arrival of the ghost army is too quick, and over too fast.  Rather than focus on the battle at the Black Gate, I think time could have been better spent following Frodo’s climb up Mt. Doom and into the pit of fire.  Instead we are jumping back and forth quite a bit.  This also happened in The Two Towers, which I attributed to multiple events taking place concurrently.  Do you remember the moth from Fellowship who brought the eagle to Orthanc that rescued Gandalf?  The moth is back, another opportunity to expand upon in the DVD.

The story does not end with the King’s coronation, and Jackson’s decision to forego the Scouring of the Shire requires him to come up with an ending that ties it all together.  Frodo becomes the vehicle for this, which seems appropriate since he still feels the wound from the Witch King, fully four years later.  It is Frodo who has the hardest time coming home, and finally must leave.  The Grey Havens are beautiful, although Jackson again departs from the book in the journey to the Havens, and includes a character who did not make take ship west at that time.  It is an upbeat, if emotional ending.  Bring the Puffs just in case.

Howard Shore’s score is wonderful. He manages to weave in all of the major themes; the Shire, the Fellowship, Rohan, and the new theme for the returning King.  Annie Lennox’s “Into the West” is played over the closing credits.  I wish it could have been played as the ship set sail, but that is a personal preference.  Nonetheless, it is a beautiful song and once again, bring the Puffs.

All in all a good movie and worth the time spent.  I suspect I will like the DVD more if it can pick up the loose ends.