The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
December 18th, 2003 at 4:34 pm (5 - Whoa!)
Peter Jackson was in a precarious position with the release of the last in movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy started by The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and followed by The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002). On the one had Jackson had a captive audience and guaranteed ticket sales (the first two movies have grossed over $650,000,000 in US ticket sales alone) on the other he had a complex weave of an epic story to conclude, throngs of critical J.R.R. Tolkien fans to appease and the ‘curse of the sequels’ (the expected let down from a sequel to a great movie felt by followers of cult movies like Star Wars (1977), Alien (1979), and The Matrix (1999)). I was happy then to find that The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) not only delivered but did so in a masterful way.
One of the greatest advantages and challenges for the adaptation of the 1,200 page epic story (not including The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, or any of the many other works that describe Middle Earth) is the vast and rich world that Tolkien created for his protagonists to inhabit. There is so much detail in each of the books that it would be impossible to portray the whole adventure on screen without spending many hours on each book. Jackson does in fact spend hours on each book, but the three-hour theatrical release takes care to extract key story elements, abbreviate and reorder the sequence of events to keep the audience engaged and entertained throughout. With Return of the King Jackson has the aggregated problem of trying to include all of the information from the third film as well as some bits of the story skipped over in Fellowship and Two Towers. Not only do the various story lines have to come to some sense of conclusion, but also the relationships of the characters have to be resolved. That is a lot to expect and the movie gladly delivers.
Warning: The rest of this article includes story spoilers, so if you have not seen the movie and do not want to know what happens this is a good place to stop
One story element that was noticeably absent from Return of the King, was the Palantir stone that Lord Denethor had been using. The movie does a good job of showing the corruption and madness that has overtaken Denethor but offers no explanation for his behavior (though it is alluded to when Gandalf presents himself and Pippin to Denethor who states that he has seen much and is aware of the return of Aragorn). To someone not familiar with the story Denethor’s behavior might be confusing and not grounded. It probably would not have taken more than a few seconds to show the Palantir on screen and give a clue the audience that Denethor has been looking into the Palantir and in turn Sauron has peered and corrupted the lord’s mind.
The absence of this minute element is a bit curious in contrast with many of the other details that I was pleasantly surprised were present. When Gandalf is first received in Gondor for example he is casually referred to as Mithrandir, a minute detail that most audience members probably never noticed but ads to the show for the fans. Other details were present that I had not expected and quite enjoyed. The conversation between Sam and Frodo on the foothills of Mt Doom where Sam ends up picking Frodo up and carrying him, for example, was a scene that I very much remembered from the book and was glad to see recreated. The back-story between Smeagol and Deagol was the most welcome surprise to the story. Since the story is told in the first of the three books I had not expected it. The inclusion right before the battle of wills that Frodo and Sam must undergo give context to their situation and give us insight into the state that has brought Gollum to his villainy.
One of the segments in the movie that is due to be source for a great deal of discussion is the siege on Minas Tirith and the battle on the Fields of Pelennor. The massive armies of Orcs, Men of Gondor, Roharihim, Southrons and the Army of the Dead push the concept of an epic battle to a whole new scale. It is impressive to see the results generated by the army rendering software MASSIVE but even more impacting is how well Jackson managed to keep the camera and the attention on the individuals involved, their struggles, their defeats, their pains and their victories. The need for both Pippin and Eowyn to prove their worth as they ride out against vast numbers is at times almost palpable. Legolas continues to show off his elfish grace as he glides in and out of melee while downing opponents by the dozen. Gandalf demonstrates of the basic principle of ‘Don’t fuck with the Wizard’ as he goes into a crazy two fisted fighting spin with sword in one hand and staff in the other. The Enemy has some moments to shine as well, with Ring Wraiths ‘bowling for soldiers’ in a demonstration of the importance of air support and battle clad Orcs plowing through enemy lines. One aspect of the siege that bothered me is how each stone thrown from a catapult had the effect of destroying a whole segment of castle wall. If I remember my history right light catapults and trebuchets were of little used against stone fortifications and heavy siege weapons require consecutive hits to a single spot to be effective. One aspect that definitely worked though was the rendering of the Army of the Dead.
Coming into the theater I was quite curious to see how the dead would be handled. Though they are described in the book as tortured and cursed souls, held to middle earth by the curse of their unfulfilled oath I did not think the movie makers would venture to show the army as truly grotesque since it might confuse an audience used to associating ghosts and ghouls as ‘bad guys’. I was quite pleased by how well the threat of the dead was portrayed. One almost got the sense that the recruited army could turn on their allies and prove an even greater danger than the attacking hordes. The costume worn by the King of the Dead along with the digital effects used to generate him were beautiful and effective. The horizontal stripes on the king’s chest effectively look like the ribs of a skeleton while granting him enough physical form to present an undeniable danger. The swarm of the army upon Minas Tirith as they decimate the assaulting Orc forces was equally well done, both beautiful and haunting.
More effects kudos goes out to the creation of Mt. Doom. The fiery mountain becomes another character in the movie, being gargantuan, majestic and temperamental. Hearing fire boulders fly overhead and then crash down into the lava as Sam and Frodo huddle for safety, I was left with a sensation of immersion in the scene that was spectacular. I did wonder what Beth Bartel (the only Volcanologist I know) would think of it all, but not so much as to not enjoy every moment of it.
Many people have complained about the drawn out ending of the movie. While it is true that Return of the King seemed to be in competition with Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) for “most possible end points passed”, unlike the unfortunate Spielberg movie I was happy every time a scene faded and another started. Every scene from the destruction of the ring to the end title serves to resolve the story of the characters and to bring closure. The proof that it was not too long was my first thought once the credits began rolling: “I want more”.
heathcliffe said,
December 19, 2003 at 7:34 am
I’d forgotten what it was like to sit in a movie theatre and stare in wonder, caught up in the story heart and soul and mind. Return of the King brought that back for me. Thinking back on the experience, there are really no words that do justice save one.
Superlative.
Silk said,
December 19, 2003 at 8:52 am
Once again Peter Jackson has proven himself up to the epic task of putting to film what Tolkien put to page.
With marvelous scenes that bring you from sorrow to joy he draws you into the story whether you have read the book(s) or not.
Accompanied by another superb score by Howard Shore, every scene is a masterpiece and will remain in your memory ( mine anyway ) for years to come.
With minor details that only fans would notice and appreciate this can only be described as the true motion picture event of our time.
Those that havnt seen should go and grab some tickets right away.
justafan said,
December 22, 2003 at 9:38 am
This movie is literally perfect. It has all the elements. Love, death, war, friendship, courage and most importantly of all CLOSURE. Never have I heard people crying, laughing, and screaming all within the same hour while watching a movie. I almost pissed my pants when the spider came up and silently stabbed frodo in the gut. The gasps from all the women in the audience was priceless. I almost fell out of my chair laughing when Gimli told Legolas that his kill on the oliphant still only counted as one. Gollum was great as usual. I will defintely go see this a few more times. Cant wait for the DVD so we can see Gandalf and Saruman go toe to toe, or staff to staff I should say. Everyone go see it. Hell if you need the money I’ll even send it to you, just so you see it. Ok im kidding but go see it, you wont be disappointed.
Sam said,
December 22, 2003 at 11:56 am
La mejor pelicula nunca vista
Nick said,
December 23, 2003 at 3:58 am
I was elated when I came out of ROTK at 3 am opening day.
I was disappointed with TTT. It had the elements to be good, but was just decent, largely due to poor editing, I think (a friend pointed out that they used a different editor on each movie and I think it’s noticeable).
Whenever the excitement builds in TTT, you cut to another boring moment of thinking by Treebeard that comes across pointless. Also, in TTT, the big battle suffers from lack of focus. You don’t get a sense of the enemy in an intimate way.
FOTR had an easier time since you were only dealing with a small group of individuals. But they also did a good job of focusing on the enemies with Sauron playing a prominent role, the balrog, the cave troll, and the leader of the uruk hai.
ROTK did not suffer from either of these problems that afflicted TTT. As you point out Leopoldo, the battle scene was impressive in scale, but also capture intimate and focused moments. You got a sense of both macro and micro events which impressed upon the audience the awesome scale, but also made you care.
I do think that the movie went one scene too long. It should have ended with the sailing off into the sunset. We don’t need to go back to The Shire to see Sam close a door. Otherwise, I agree with you.
I really love Fellowship. I think it’s the best. It’s magically delicious and near perfect. Like I said, I was disappointed in Two Towers. But King brought back the magic. It was a great ending to a great trilogy. Jackson has clearly set a gold standard here that not only all fantasy movies will have to live up to, but all trilogies and all adventure/sci-fi/geek-oriented movies. That’s fine with me.
Now, if we can just convince Jackson to table King Kong and make The Hobbit, we’ll be on track.
Lauren Strafford said,
December 23, 2003 at 8:39 am
Hiya,
all films of the lord of the rings trilogy were amazing, and like peter Jackson when i read the books i wished for it to come out in the cinema which i got thanks to peter Jackson, the cast, the producers and all the others.
but i wanted to write into you about ‘the return of the king,’ because i spotted a mistake in it.
It was when Frodo and Sam were on the mountain (you’ll have to bear with me because i’ve only seen the movie once)
and frodo had cut his face on the right cheek, and when the camera moved onto sam then flicked back onto Frodo it was on the laft, then it went to Gandalf and the battle. And then when it came back to Frodo the cut was on the right hand side again.
please write back.
Yours sincerly
Lauren Strafford
p.s. Many thanks to all who had a part in the Lord of the Rings you made a great film and have pleased many people with the film as it is an absoloute phemomenal piece of work.
a great thanks to you all.
not only the cast but the make-up artists,
the producers and directors etc.
Leopoldo said,
December 23, 2003 at 8:51 am
Good eye Lauren! Most movies have goofs and continuity flaws in them. Even a production as professional as Lord of the Rings with a person on set devoted to nothing more than watching for continuity will make the occasional mistakes. The goof you caught is already listed in the Internet Movie Database goof sheet for Return of the King, but for other goofs I suggest checking the IMDB… you may get confirmation of a mistake or if no one else has reported it you can enter it into the database:
Goofs for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
mark said,
December 23, 2003 at 8:29 pm
Hi I was invited to a special showing a week before the release and I very much liked the movie, but there is a few things, for a person who has not read the book but is a movie buff, which I disliked. First of all the movie seemed to drag in the beginning and the “Lets all cry about every little thing attitude” was repetitive. Secondly, I know the movie needed to tell the story… but I think their could have been better transitions through out the different character plots (I understand this is the directors style). Also I could tell that the third movie was not consistent with the other two, this is because there is a different editor on all the movies, yet the first two went well together.
The end was also dragged out. It could have stopped earlier after the ring was destroyed and here’s a thought: let the audience use their imagination(ex. Matrix Revolutions). I think everyone knows how “Happily Ever After” movies conclude. But all said, the movie was great and I think these movies will remain a classic for all time just like Star Wars. So save you DVD box sets unopened because their going to be worth a lot.
apf said,
December 29, 2003 at 5:26 pm
Well i liked it….a great deal. There were two small scenes missing i would have liked added, namely Frodo and Sam being forced to become part of the orc troop running through Mordor and the Mouth of Sauron. I suspect both of these scenes will be in the extra cuts when the dvd is released.
I was afraid that after Frodo’s first encounter with Shelob that was it and the whole getting stung/being captured by the orcs was going to be cut out but to my delight it was not. I also suspect there will be some extra scenes for this sequence as well on the dvd.
I loved the ending. It didn’t drag a bit. For those who hadn’t read the book it might have but i thought it did Tolkien’s ending great justice. Sam’s final line of ‘well, i’m back’ reminded me of how i felt after reading the book for the first time. I was astonished that the ending was so plain and simple but in reflection how do you end such an intricate and epic tale?
The battle sequences were spectacular and better than described in the book, i felt. The encounter between Eowyn, Merry and the Lord of the Nazgul should have been embelished, i feel, as it is one of the more dramatic moments in the book but with so much to cover i guess sacrifices have to be made.
Overall the best of the three movies and that’s saying a lot. Excellent work by Peter Jackson.
Chargerboy said,
January 2, 2004 at 8:18 am
Actually, Trebuchets were remarkably effective in their time. True, some of the walls of Minas Tirith destroyed a little too easily; one blow from a Trebuchet or powerful Catapult could pulverize 6′ thick solid stone sections of castle wall. It has been tested and proven in modern times with full-scale Trebuchets. And please, don’t overly criticize such a phenomenal, remarkable trilogy.
Em said,
January 3, 2004 at 5:42 am
Really truly, incredible! An absolute masterpeice! I could go on gushing but I’m sure everyone else who’s seen it knows exactly how I feel… It is the kind of cinema which makes you want to go into the movie industry just in order to be a part of something that spectacular.
The tension and shadow of despair so powerful in the book are brilliantly brought to a climax in the “great battle”.
Favourite moment has to be the opening of the doors of Minas Morgul and the terrifing Nazgul swooping down over the orc troops, screeching so loud you feel your own head is about to implode!
Best lump in throat scene must be the soaring shot over the New Zealand mountain range as the beacons are lit and “hope is kindled”. Shore has outdone himself, the film would not be half so effective without his fantastic score.
Only gripe is the loss of the scouring of the shire as I think Tolkien included this for a good reason, i.e. to show that evil can occur in your own backyard if you are not watchful (Holocaust?September 11th?) Just a thought.
heathcliffe said,
January 9, 2004 at 5:28 pm
Nick writes, “I do think that the movie went one scene too long. It should have ended with the sailing off into the sunset. We don’t need to go back to The Shire to see Sam close a door.”
Watching Return of the King, every line that I was listening for, every scene that I told myself *had* to be in the movie, was there. This last scene was one of those *have to be there* ones. Here’s why. When I was eleven, reading the books for the first time, I too thought that part was somewhat superfluous. I’m not surprised that there are some people who consider it so in the movie as well. However, after reading the books again, I’ve realized the significance of it.
It’s Tolkien’s way of bringing us back, out of the rage of war and pain, the betrayal of coming home to a foreign place, the bittersweet parting from someone who’s come to be a part of your very existence. Because by the final scene, we the audience *are* Sam, so to speak. We need that CLOSURE, as someone else said, the knowledge that despite this moment of personal sadness, there will still be years of happiness ahead.
What kind of an ending would it have been, to close with the white ship eclipsed in the sun? Visually stunning, to be sure. Then it fades to black and we remember Sam with tears in his eyes. It would have been unbearable.
The Lion's Den said,
January 13, 2004 at 11:01 am
BBC production of Lord of the Rings
My friend Michael lent me his copy of the BBC Radio Dramatization of The Lord of the Rings on CD. The set consisted of 13 CDs each with an hour’s worth of radio drama which proved perfect company for my daily work commute as well as the long drives th…
Patrick, master adventurer said,
January 16, 2004 at 6:56 pm
Wow…this movie really defines what a great film is, and not to mention the ending. What a way to end films man! The graphics, script, story, characters and altogether, Peter Jackson really knows how to vision JRR Tolkien’s tale. This really is the greatest trilogy of a film I’ve seen, but Star Wars is still great…
although I do have some thoughts on missing scenes from the books that werent in the movie. First, the voice of Sauron showing the mithril shirt to Aragorn, meaning they had Frodo, so they should give up now. Maybe thats why the speech he gave to the Rohirrim and Gondor soldiers wasnt as inspiring as Theoden’s speeches. And someone above said that Denethor also used the Palantir, and that was something I was hoping to see also. People would eventually become confused with Denethor, unless you assume he is insane because he finds out Boromir is dead and Aragorn is with the Rohirrim.
Other than that…WOW!!! This is really a movie I can I love. Excellent. Brilliant. Just a little missing information…BUT EVEN STILL! One of the greatest achievements I’ve seen in cinema history!
Paco Vazquez said,
September 12, 2004 at 11:21 am
This is the greatest movie ever made and averyone nows it. It catuvates you from the begining until the last second.
leopoldo said,
September 28, 2004 at 4:27 pm
Details on the Extended Edition DVD are at:Film Roar: LOTR Return of the King set for December 14 release