Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

2003

3/4 Stars

Return of the King won 11 Oscars in 2003. Whether this achievement should be viewed as belonging to the film alone or to the trilogy as a whole is subject to debate. While the Lord of the Rings trilogy it a tremendous filmmaking achievement, marked by beautiful special effects and great continuity, Return of the King is not the brilliant stand alone film that the Academy Awards would lead one to believe.

It is worth noting that this review is based on the extended edition of the film and not the theatrical release. This version clocks in at 251 minutes (as opposed to a mere 201 in the theatrical release). It is long. The majority of the added scenes in the film were weaker than those that were added back into the extended versions of Fellowship and Two Towers. The drinking game between Gimli and Legolas, Merry failing to motivate a pony, and the avalanche of skeletons are all examples of scenes that were rightfully cut initially and could have stayed that way.

This is a film that is about war, and there are long stretches where dialogue seems to consist only of words like "battle" and "honor". This contributes to a sense that the dialogue has perhaps lost a bit of its originality and edge when compared to the earlier films. There are moments in the battles that are powerful, however. Rohan's charge on Mordor's orc hoardes and Eowyn's courageous stand against the mighty Witch King are just a few.

There are touching moments in the film- such as Merry and Pippen's separation, Frodo's dramatic split with Sam, Gandalf's talk to Merry on death, and Aragorn's rejection of Eowyn. These are nice moments that are interjected between long hours of "battle" (and "honor").

The homoeroticism is back in this film, reaching its apex when Frodo is in bed and the hobbits come and jump on it. This is a few scenes before Frodo kisses Sam on the head and gives him one last loving look before taking his leave.

Speaking of this kiss, it is worth noting that this film has six endings. The kiss scene and the bed scene are two of them, almost acting as bookends for the four other endings. Director Peter Jackson must have felt that his epic story deserved an epic end. There is nothing wrong with this, but it does get a bit tedious- especially after having sat through the previous three hours of film.

This point, of the six endings, in some ways epitomizes why Return of the King is not the strongest of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is still a very good (or even an excellent) film, but its tiring battles and multiple endings keep it from being as fresh, exciting, and fun as Fellowship.

In closing the review of the last of these films, it is important to note that the final stamp in the film belongs to the character of Sam. It was certainly Tolkien's vision, one that Jackson realized, that the story ultimately belongs to the quiet and humble gardener. The rest are all supporting characters.