The third and final chapter of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King broke records
both financially and critically. It became only the second film to surpass $1
Billion at the box office and received a record equalling eleven Academy Awards
having won in every category it was nominated for. It also became only the
second sequel to win Best Picture and the first to win when its predecessor
hadn’t. Much like The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, I loved
the film upon its initial release and also like the first two; my affinity has
waned in the subsequent years. Personally I don’t think it is much better than
the other two films and have a feeling that its huge awards haul has more to do
with the series as a whole than the individual film.
While Frodo, Sam and Gollum edge ever closer to Mordor,
Gondor’s capital Minas Tirith comes under attack from an even larger Orc force
than was present at the battle of Helms Deep. Gandalf sends word to Rohan and
an old alliance is rekindled as the two nations of men stand side by side one
final time. Even with help, Gondor looks set to fall unless Aragorn is able to
muster fresh troops and Frodo is able to destroy the Ring.
The Return of the
King’s plot focuses on two main areas. The first is Frodo’s mission to
destroy the Ring and the second is the preparation for and battle of Minas
Tirith. The battle itself dwarfs even Helms Deep in scale and length and is
played out in various stages. The introduction of new forces at various points
helps to keep the battle fresh. Had it been a repeat of Helms Deep it probably
would have ended up feeling quite repetitive and mundane but the addition of
different armies at different stages of the battle helps to keep it ticking over
and remain interesting. I’ve always felt though that Aragorn’s part in the
fight felt like a bit of a cop out. It’s nothing new to come in at the last
minute to save the day but the force he brings with him never felt like it
fitted with the rest of the world. I’ve always thought that it slightly ruins
the battle. Even with Aragorn’s surprise (well…) appearance, the war is far
from won and the second, smaller battle has its problems too. I like the idea
of our heroes riding out towards almost certain doom, against insurmountable
odds and the way it ends is also fine but there is a sudden crack in the Earth
through which many of their foes fall which has always annoyed me. The
Earthquake type thing stops at their feet, forming a semi circle around the human
forces. I’ve always thought it looked silly and was totally unrealistic.
Something I like about the plot is that all four Hobbits are
given a role to play. In the previous films Merry and Pippen were a little
underused but here both go their separate ways and are integral to the final
outcome. Sam too shows his worth, not giving up even when all looks lost. If
anything Frodo appears as the weakest Hobbit in the final film, albeit with the
Ring taking hold of him and his actions. As the title would suggest, the final
film is also more Aragorn heavy than the other two. Aragorn finally takes
control of his home nation and is integral in sealing any potential victory. If
there are any characters who feel a little forgotten then it is Legolas and
Gimli. They are given little to do other than kick ass in battle and the long
final farewell that most characters are given has less impact for them. Miranda
Otto’s Eowyn is also given a larger role as a sort of proto-feminist,
determined to fight for her land and people. There is also little attention to
details which I find really impressive. I only noticed on this my forth or
fifth viewing of the film that during a scene when Sam kills a group of Orcs
with Frodo’s sword that as soon as the final one dies, his sword turns from
blue, back to its natural colour. It’s only a little detail but it’s the sort
of minutiae that makes Jackson’s
world so deep and believable.
All three films in the series feature incredible special
effects but the effects in Return of the
King are the best in my opinion. There are fewer instances where the CGI
shows signs of ageing and there are plenty of wonderful looking battle scenes
and individual shots. The giant spider Shelob looks really impressive and lacks
the telltale shine of lesser effects. The ghostly Dead Men of Dunharrow also
look really impressive although I’m not a fan of their role in the film. The
giant elephant like Mumakil are another example of the remarkable visual
effects and creature design done by Weta. The prosthetic work is again
exemplary and nearly a decade on I don’t think the look could be bettered. I’m
a big fan of the design of Minas Tirith, the Gondor capital which is the
setting of the saga’s final battle. The sets look reminiscent of the Eastern Mediterranean and the way the city rises up from
the earth is really striking. We see a darker, more imposing side to Middle
Earth in this, the final chapter. The scenery is still beautiful but is often
much more craggy and alien. My favourite shots of the film and possibly the entire series are those of the Orc army marching towards Minas Tirith. The scale and detail is extraordinary and I love the view of the entire battlefield from above.
It’s perhaps strange given the film’s success but I have
more problems with this film than any of the others. As I’ve mentioned I don’t
like the Dead Men of Dunharrow and I think the way the Earthquake shapes around
Aragorn et al looks ridiculous. Something else which has always bugged me is
the appearance of the giant Eagles. They arrive as the battle closes but why
didn’t anyone suggest during The Fellowship of the Ring that the Eagles just fly to Mordor and drop the Ring
into Mount Doom? Something else that has always
confused me is Gandalf’s use of magic. I’m sure that he could have done
something about destroying the Ring or at least used his powers to help a
little more. To be honest these are problems with the series as a whole and
stem from the source material but over the years they are niggles at the back
of my mind which have grown in size. The film also has what feels like several
endings. While it was nice to see what happened to the various characters after
the expedition, it dragged on a bit.
Despite my criticisms I still really like The Return of the King. I don’t think it
deserved eleven Oscars but much like Scorsese’s The Departed win; it was perhaps Peter Jackson’s turn. I find it
difficult to choose my favourite from the series but overall I think The Fellowship of the Ring just edges
ahead of The Return of the King as I
prefer getting to know the characters, even though I already now know them so
well. I’ve given all three films 8/10 ratings but on my first viewing all would
have rated at nine or maybe even ten. The overall scale and detail of the series is what helps to make it so great. The trilogy is undoubtedly one of my
favourites and I can’t wait to return to Middle Earth for The Hobbit.
8/10
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