Released in 2003, (same year Kill Bill came out) “The Return of the King” earned universal acclaim from critics, fans and movie goers alike. It became the highest-grossing film of 2003 making a billion dollars. The final installment of “The Lord of the Rings Trilogy” won Oscars including “Best Adapted Screenplay,” “Best Editing,” “Best Costume Design,” “Best Original Score.” “Best Original Song,” “Best Director,” “Best Visual Effects” and last but not least, “Best Picture.”
2003 was an awesome year for cinema as well as video games. I had fond memories playing Return of the King on PlayStation 2.
Anyway, Warner Bros. & New Line Cinema are developing an anime prequel titled, “The War of the Rohirrim” with Miranda Otto reprising her role as Éowyn and one of my favorite actors, Brian Cox will portray Helm Hammerhead. The King of Rohan. As a fan of The Lord of the Rings, I wanna share my thoughts on the third film before the upcoming film comes out next Christmas in 2024. I consider Return of the King as my third favorite film of all time.
It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are listed. The Lord of the Rings has referenced or parodied numerous times.
Greater & Less Qualities
Greater: The Cast from the last two films reprise their roles and they all did an excellent job for their respective performances.
Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh both did a spectacular adapting the third volume.
Action Sequences are incredible. It’s difficult for me to pick a certain one. I think they’re all superb. Every single one earns a tremendous amount of points.
Cinematography captures in-depth imagery. Makes you wanna indulge yourself into Tolkien’s world.
Howard Shore (The Departed, A History of Violence, Hugo) orchestrated an epic soundtrack.
Prosthetic Makeup transformed the extras into various creatures.
Costume Designs are top-tier.
Memorable Dialogue. My favorite one from Aragorn is “For Frodo.” He also delivers a big speech like William Wallace in “Braveheart.”
Gimli provides comic relief. my favorite quote from him is this bit. “That still only counts as one!”
After the events of The Two Towers, members of The Fellowship fight for Middle-Earth. Aragorn, Legolas & Gimli seek reinforcements. Elrond forges Isildur’s blade and gives it to Aragorn. Frodo & Sam are close to Mordor to toss The One Ring into the fires of Mt. Doom from winch it came. Gollum plans to betray Frodo by letting Shelob the giant spider eat him alive and then Gollum steals the ring. Merry & Pippin are separated after the former sees a future of event from a crystal ball. Sauron thinks Pippin has the ring. So, Gandalf takes him to Gondor’s capital Isengard where Sauron’s army will strike.
The One Ring’s a metaphor for drug addiction. In the words of Mr. Mackey from “South Park.” “Drugs are bad, m’kay?”
A flashback shows Gollum’s origins. He was once a Hobbit named, Sméagol. His friend discovered the ring. Corrupted by the ring, Sméagol kills his friends and his body becomes grotesque, his teeth are rotten, becomes partially bald and has a split personality. Peter made a wise decision not to include the flashback in The Two Towers. Otherwise, the audience wouldn’t sympathize with him.
Like Aragog the giant spider from “Harry Potter,” Shelob traumatized me. A reason why spiders creep me out. When I was ten playing Return of the King on the PS2 I had to get over my arachnophobia by beating Shelob. I took Aragorn’s advice. “For Frodo.” I’m not alone, Peter also has a fear of spiders.
The Ending is bittersweet. It’ll make you cry. After Gollum dies from falling into the fires of Mt. Doom along with the ring killing Sauron and his army, Frodo reunites with The Fellowship. He suffers from PTSD and wound from the Witch-King won’t heal permanently. He leaves to the Undying Lands with Gandalf, Bilbo and the elves. He gives Sam a book about their adventures together. He bids everybody farewell.
Annie Lennox’s “Into the West” plays during the End Credits. I prefer it over Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” Ugh! Celine nearly ruined “Titanic” with a cringeworthy song trying too hard.
2003 was a trend for characters prone to getting angry. Besides my favorite character Gimli, many hotheads were featured in movies/shows/video games. That’s enough to fill in a group therapy.
- David Buznik (Anger Management)
- Eric Bana’s Hulk
- Stitch (Stitch the Movie)
- Raven (Teen Titans)
- Yusuke (Yu Yu Hakusho)
- Wolverine (X2: X-Men United)
- Jak (Jak II)
- Willie (Bad Santa)
- Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
- Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian and Yosemite Sam (Looney Tunes: Back in Action)
- Goku and Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2)
- Homer Simpson (The Simpsons: Hit and Run)
A Wilhelm Scream is heard when Legolas pushes a soldier off an elephant.
The Extended Edition features additional deleted in the theatrical. A significant improvement.
- Grima Wormtongue fatally stabs Saruman. Legolas kills Grima with an arrow. Saruman falls off a high tower. Then he’s impaled by a spiked wheel. Talk about an overkill.
- Gimli & Legolas partake in a drinking game.
- Gandalf instructs Pippin to take Saruman’s palantir. A crystal ball which allows the user to see the future.
- Eomer believes Éowyn died from the Witch-King.
- A disfigured elite soldier named, The Mouth of Sauron appears. He tells Aragorn Frodo’s dead. Aragorn kills the elite soldier.
- Aragorn uses his willpower to overcome Sauron while holding the palantir.
- After Éowyn kills the Witch King, Aragorn heals her wounds.
- The Witch-King’ nearly kills Gandalf.
- Faramir & Éowyn’s chemistry is fleshed out.
Less: I couldn’t find nothing wrong. I’m giving Peter and his crew an Extra Point for making a flawless epic as possible.
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX
Return of the King is the best (if not the best) threequel ending a trilogy on a high note. Every single thing I’ve listed above, indicates why this film is a timeless masterpiece. If you wanna introduce somebody to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Extended Editions are a must-watch.
I’m looking forward to The War of Rohirrim coming next Christmas.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 