Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellan, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davis, Miranda Otto, Liv Tyler
Director: Peter Jackson
Synopsis: Tolkein/Jackson’s epic concludes in memorable fashion
Reviewed by: Ali Khan

So we come to it…3 years on from the Fellowship of the Ring, the Lord of the Rings saga has come to an end. For millions the world over the final installment of the trilogy has evoked frenzied anticipation and then a hollow feeling that the journey has come to an end. What will next Christmas be like without Frodo and company? I glanced at my watch several times in the film – usually a sign of boredom – but in this case it was a fervent wish that the film would somehow stretch beyond its 3 and a half hour running time. But alas all good things must come to an end!

Picking up from the Two Towers Frodo and Sam, accompanied by the malevolent Gollum, continue their perilous journey to the fires of Mordor. The fate of Middle Earth remains in the hands of the two hobbits while Sauron’s lidless eye moves ever closer to finding them and the one ring. And all the while the ring increasingly tests Frodo’s allegiance and faith. Elsewhere, Sauron’s forces have attacked Gondor's capital of Minas Tirith. As Gandalf desperately marshals the broken forces of Gondor, Théoden unites the warriors of Rohan to join in the fight. But will Aragorn, heir to the throne, and his faithful comrades, Legolas and Gimli, be able to reach Minas Tirith in time to aid the besieged forces and reclaim his crown? Hopelessly outnumbered by swarms of Orcs, the fellowship enter into battle with the hope that even their defeat may give Frodo the time needed for him to destroy the ring. Victory comes with great sacrifice.

Peter Jackson claims that ROTK is the best of the three films and that is no faint praise keeping in mind what has come before. While the Fellowship brought together an unlikely alliance and established the characters, the Two Towers moved the pieces skillfully onto the middle of the chess board while releasing the power of the storyline through its breathtaking battle sequences. The Return of the King draws all the threads together once again and brings them to a fitting end. It is to Jackson’s credit that he has managed to maintain such a high quality of workmanship throughout the three films and while I am not convinced that ROTK is the best of the three, it is certainly a worthy finale.

In contrast to the Two Towers which began with the stunning Gandalf-Balrog battle, ROTK starts - deceptively - more serenely with a sequence involving the hobbit like creature named Smeagol and his first encounter with the ring. What follows is the transformation of Smeagol into the treacherous Gollum. From then on the film moves on at a breathtaking pace with awe inspiring battle sequences interspersed with Frodo, Sam and Gollum’s increasingly fraught journey to Mount Doom. In some ways the pace of the film has stripped it somewhat of the emotion that marked the first film. But in place of the impending sense of danger and loss that was present in the Fellowship of the Ring and the ‘bonding’ between Aragon, Legolas and Gimli in the Two Towers, we have in the ROTK, a feeling of faith and inevitable sacrifice. In the only major flaw of the ROTK, Jackson struggles to end his labour of love. There are at least 4 endings, each of which are by themselves emotionally powerful but when put together the overall impact is reduced.

There are a few other minor complaints. The battle sequences will leave viewers amazed but unlike the battle for Helms Deep, which was smaller but had a closer involvement of the main characters, the battles in ROTK are a spectacle but more impersonal. As a result we have less of substance from Gimli and Legolas – two of the pillars of the first two films. Having thought over the controversy concerning Christopher Lee’s character, Saruman, I can only say that Lee’s presence is missed but Jackson, in an effort to maintain focus, may have some justification in not being able to include the fairly substantial story arc that involved Saruman in the book. Finally, if any of the characters has been slightly underdone it is Faramir (though the extended version of the Tow Towers gives him considerably more scope) who fades quietly away in the ROTK.

But apart from the above complaints – minor – in the larger scheme of things, Peter Jackson deserves the highest praise for maintaining the highest level of quality for ROTK. The cinematography is awe-inspiring – the sequence in which the beacon fires from Gondor to Rohan are lit - across hundreds of miles, from snowy peak to peak – is breathtaking. The special effects – the fort of Minas Tirith a modern day Emerald City – and the battle sequences with a mass of Orcs, giant elephants and winged serpents – are truly landmarks that dwarf anything else that has been seen on screen so far. But Jackson’s greatest triumph – in all three films - was to ensure that special effects never overshadowed his characters and here he is supported by an excellent cast that ensures that there is not a weak performance throughout the trilogy.

Viggo Motensen manages to convey the subtle changes from an unwilling and reluctant heir to one that is fit and ready for the mantle. Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davis are the brave and fiercely loyal allies and Ian McKellan as Gandalf lends stature and gravitas as the backbone of the Fellowship and the film. Humanity is accorded mostly to the hobbits – Frodo carries the hopes of Middle Earth on his shoulders and Sam, Merry and Pipin’s hearts and friendship remains pure throughout the journey. Both Elijah Wood and Sean Astin bear the growing weight of the hobbits mission admirably while Dominic Monaghan (Merry) and Billy Boyd (Pipin) lend support. And how can we forget the scene stealer – Gollum – the schizophrenic, corrupted Smeagol (Andy Serkis). There is less scope for the trio of women – Arwen (Liv Tyler), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Eowyn (Miranda Otto), though Miranda Otto does get a rousing scene in ROTK. Like its predecessor, The Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers, the Return of the King is a triumph for Peter Jackson - an epic that has it all – pulsating action scenes, romance, tragedy, treachery and friendship all on a beautiful canvas. Peter Jackson's magnificent film of the J.R.R. Tolkien novels comes to a deeply satisfying conclusion

With the three Lord of the Rings films, Peter Jackson has completed a cinematic masterpiece that will set the benchmark for epics and fantasy films for years to come and which should rightfully take its place as one of the major achievements of film history. Since the Fellowship of the Ring much else has faded in comparison and such is the quality of Jackson’s trilogy that this is unlikely to change for sometime. Jackson should also be commended for his belief in his own vision and his decision not to compromise on content. Making three three hour films in one go must have been a risky proposition. So hats off to Peter Jackson for brilliantly visualizing and cinematically translating Tolkein’s masterpiece and to New Line for supporting him.