The Lord of the Rings:
The Return of the King

Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Drama, Action
2003

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: In the concluding chapter, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) head deeper into Mordor with the help of Gollum (Andy Serkis). Aragon (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) travel to enlist the aid of a ghostly army in a last-ditch attempt to salvage Gandalf and the humans in Minas Tirith from Sauron's forces.

Review:

Tim: This is a near perfect conclusion to one of the greatest stories ever filmed. I am not just talking about fantasy films, I mean all films and all genres. Oftentimes, trilogies fizzle out by the conclusion. It is not true here- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is every bit as amazing as the first two installments.

Everything in the first two films has all added up to this. Director Peter Jackson does a perfect job bringing all the suspense and intensity of the story to a thrilling climax.

The ending of the film (all two thousand of them, so it feels) evoke strong emotion in all of us. These are characters we've heavily invested in emotionally. We've been with them every step of the way over a three year odyssey. See it all come together in incredible fashion is a feeling rarely found in Hollywood pictures- at least on this scale.

The only downside to the film is that some parts of the film are slightly anti-climactic. The huge battle scene near the end offers a few moments of tense action, but there isn't much doubt as to what the outcome will be.

Regardless, The Return of the King has cemented The Lord of the Rings as one of the greatest motion picture masterpieces of all time.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 9.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Braveheart, X-Men, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers