Movie Title: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Movie Title: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Rating: 10
Reviewed By: Robin McFetridge

Review:

Well, what can be said of the final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, other than astonishing. The cinematography is truly amazing, the battle scenes glorious, the special effects outstanding and the overall acting superb. Then we have the story itself, which will always stand the test of time as a classic. The only real issue with Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, is how disjointed the film begins. Unlike The Twin Towers that jumped right into the story where it left off, it was nearly fifteen minutes into the movie before I no longer felt disconnected. Once the story got going though, it never lagged. The beautiful landscape of New Zealand was breathtaking. The unique and creative creatures allowed for almost anything to happen. The real disappointment is, the story has reached its end and we have nothing else to look forward to.

As a recap, Hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is on a journey to destroy the ring. The ring holds the power for the evil Sauron to rein Middle Earth. Traveling with Frodo is Hobbit Samwise (Sean Astin) and Smeagol (Andy Serkis), the Gollum and previous owner of the ring. The fellowship, Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson), Gandolf the White (Ian McKellen, X2) and Legulas (Orlando Bloom, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl) were separated from Frodo in the first film. In the second installment the fellowship found the two other Hobbits, Pippen (Billy Boyd, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) that were accompanying Frodo and were also separated, as war broke out in Middle Earth. Frodo met up with Smeagol and agreed to let Smeagol lead the way. Return of the King continues the journey of Frodo while the fellowship tries to destroy Sauron’s armies. Frodo is extremely weary, but Samwise is able to encourage his friend. Smeagol is under the influence of the ring and has plotted the death of the Hobbits so he can steal the ring. Samwise is wise to Smeagol’s duplicity only Frodo is not sure whom to trust. Then while Frodo gets closer to Mt. Doom, his friends are overcoming impossible odds to save Middle Earth. Aragorn must choose to return to his role as King and recruit warriors to aid in the battle. The two Hobbits, Pippen and Merry also demonstrate a newfound courage and perseverance. We know that the ring will reach the fires of Mt. Doom and be destroyed, the real story is in the characters and what this journey demands of them and how they live up to their destiny.

With flawless direction by Peter Jackson, spectacular cinematography and special effects that surpass the Matrix, you wouldn’t expect great acting too, but Astin, Boyd and Wood do not disappoint. Also appearing in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King were Ian Holms as Bilbo Baggins, Liv Tyler as Arwen, Noel Appleby, John Bach, Sean Bean (Ronin), Cate Blanchett, Sadwyn Brophy, Alistair Browning, Marton Csokas (Kangaroo Jack) and Bernard Hill (True Crime). Although the film is three and half-hours long it could have used another half-hour to tie up more loose ends. I give the final installment a 10 on the About-Movies.com scale.

Farewell.