OK so this will take me a while to get finished but I think I might as well make a wee start on it just now to break the back of it (well a little!) as this post will be third and last post on the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy which is of course on The Return of the King, which is often considered to be the best of the three. Is it??? Well let's grab a sword, join the fray and find out......(and yep its going to be another BIG post!).
And the usual warning applies: SPOILERS AHEAD!!
STORY
So the story begins with Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gandalf (Ian McKellan), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and King Theoden (Bernard Hill) who travel to Isengard and reunite with Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) after the Ents have destroyed Saruman's forces. In the director's cut edition Saruman (Christopher Lee) makes his appearance where he confronts Gandalf from the top of his tower only to be stabbed by Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) who has grown to despise him but Grima himself is killed by Legolas and we see Saurman's body fall and impaled on a water wheel. Gandalf then retrieves Saurman's palantir which Pippin later out of curiosity looks into but the spirit of Sauron attacks him but is saved by Gandalf. Gandalf then deduces that Sauron will plan to attack Gondor's capital, the city of Minas Tirith and he rides there with Pippin. On arriving they meet the steward of Gondor, the arrogant Lord Denethor (John Noble) who is also the father of the late Boromir and Faramir (David Wenham) who refuses to listen to Gandalf but accepts Pippin's request to be his servant when he hears that Boromir died protecting him.
Meanwhile Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) who are still being guided by Gollum (Andy Serkis) continue their journey and arrive at Minas Morgul where they witness the fortress lord, the Witch king of Angmar leading an orc army to drive Faramir and his men from Osgiliath. Gollum then starts to lead Frodo and Sam on a massive stairway in the cliff face that will lead them to Mordor. Sam however overhears Gollum's plot to take back the ring and he remains suspicious and wary of the twisted old hobbit. In the meantime Pippin at Gandalf's request lights three distress beacons to signal Theoden to assemble the Rohirrim for battle while Gandalf help's Faramir and his men reach Minas Tirith. Aragorn however is approached by Lord Elrond (Hugo Weaving) who reveals that his daughter Arwen (Liv Tyler) is dying but also presents Aragorn with the Anduril sword, which was Isildur's sword (once Gondor's king and Aragorn's ancestor) which has been reforged so Aragorn can reclaim his birthright. Elrond also mentions that Aragorn can enlist further help to battle against the orc army by locating the dead men of Dunharrow. Aragorn then travels to find the men alongside Legolas and Gimili to the path of the dead where they find the army of the dead and Aragorn promises to release them from Isildur's curse if they will fight for him.
In the meantime Denethor callously rejects his son Faramir who makes one last ditch attempt to recover Osgiliath but he fails. Faramir however doesn't die and his body is taken back to Denethor who believes him to be dead and loses his mind as he sees the orc forces lead by their leader Gothmog (Lawrence Makoare) start to advance on Minas Tirith and they soon engage in a long and intense battle. Denethor then tries to kill himself and Faramir by burning himself and his son alive but Pippin manages to save Faramir with help from Gandalf but Denethor is set alight and runs off the top of the tower of Minas Tirith. However as the orc army start to overrun the city, Theoden and his army arrive and ride over the orc forces on the fields but they are soon stopped in their tracks by Haradrim (essentially mercanaries) who ride on large elephant like creatures. To make matters worse the Witch king arrives and fatally stabs Theoden but Eowyn (Miranda Otto) manages to kill the Witch king herself (as the Witch king can be killed by a woman but by no man). After this however the battle turns in the favour of Gondor as Aragorn arrives with the army of the dead who swiftly wipe out the orcs and win the battle.
And with the threat of the orc army eliminated however Aragorn travels with Gandalf and the others to the black gate of Mordor to fend off Sauron's forces. In the meantime however Gollum tricks Frodo into believing Sam has betrayed him and Frodo tells Sam to leave, which Sam tearfully does but then soon realises he had been tricked by Gollum and climbs back up after them. Gollum who now finally wants the ring for himself tricks Frodo into the lair of a giant spider, the Shelob, which paralyses him and wraps him up in a web. However Sam arrives to fight off the Shelob and rescues Frodo from his webbed cocoon. And its from here that both men must try and complete their task to destroy the one ring and end Sauron's evil threat once and for all.....
THOUGHTS
I think its safe to say that The Return of the King is easily the best of the three films as it magnificently finishes off the whole story of the two hobbits and their dangerous journey to destroy the one ring of power. The film is full of exciting action sequences and some great dramatic moments throughout with some great revelations and also some very satisfying comeuppances for some of the villains of the story as well. The film itself was a tremendous success critically and commercially also and it was unique as being the only film to win 11 Oscars at the Academy awards making it the most successful film at the ceremony pretty much ever and was also one of the very few films to have grossed over 1 billion dollars at the box office. And its testament as to how good a film it is that it received these accolades so on that basis alone its easy to see why its often considered to be the best film out of the three.
PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES
OK here we go this will be a long one (that's what she... OK I'll shut up ;-)) as I get onto the performances and notable scenes section of the review and the performances are all pretty much excellent with plenty of good stuff to choose from.
So I will start off with Elijah Wood who again is excellent as Frodo, the tormented ring bearer who struggles to complete his arduous task to the destroy the one ring. Wood has some pretty good scenes in the film and for starters there is the scene where Frodo is betrayed by Gollum who leads him into the lair of the Shelob (big ass spider basically!) but is later saved by Sam. Then there is the scene of course where Frodo finally reaches the top of Mount doom and Frodo stands over the firey lava pit below but struggles to let go of the ring. And in the scene we hear the deep thudding sound of the ring taking full control of Frodo who turns to Sam and says "The ring is mine!" before putting on and disappearing and later he struggles against Gollum for the last time to keep the ring. Then there is the next scene after (SPOILER!!!) the ring is destroyed the two hobbits lie out on a rock as lava spills around them. And Frodo looks about him wearily saying "I can see the Shire. The Brandywine River. Bag End. The Lights in the Party Tree" and as Sam breaks down in tears lamenting over not marrying one of the ladies back in the Shire, Frodo comforts him saying " I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things". And later there is the scene after Frodo and Sam return to the Shire, Frodo appears to finish writing his book of his adventures and Sam says "You finished it" and Frodo says "Not quite. There's room for a little more". And as Frodo makes his emotional departure from the Shire at the end he says to Sam "We set out to save the Shire, Sam. And it has been saved... But not for me" before he says his goodbyes he gives Sam his book "The last pages are for you, Sam". And at the very end Frodo narrates the last lines as we see (SPOILER AGAIN!!) Sam reunite with his family (the barmaid Rosie he marries after returning to the Shire who he has children with) and he says "My dear Sam. You cannot always be torn in two. You will have to be one and whole for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be and to do. Your part in the story will go on".
Ian McKellan is great once again as Gandalf and he this time he even get's to do a bit of kick ass action as he takes his place during the battle of Gondor against the orc army. So McKellan naturally has some great moments in the film such as the scene where he arrives at Gondor and meets with Denethor and argues with him over the position of his stewardship and that Aragorn is the rightful heir "Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the king, Steward!". And as Denethor angrily tells him it is his rule and no others, Gandalf angrily leaves with Pippin and says "All has turned to vain ambition! He would even use his own grief as a cloak!". Then there is the funny moment where Denethor breaks down and yells at his men to flee and abandon their post but he turns around and to see Gandalf who hits him over the head with his staff, knocking him out, he turns to the men and shouts "Prepare for battle!".
Another good scene from McKellan comes during the battle of Minas Tirith as the orc army gains the upper hand, Pippin looks on in dispair saying "I never thought it would end this way". And Gandalf says "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass... And then you see it" and Pippin asks what and Gandalf says "White shores... and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise". And Pippin smiles reassured "Well, that isn't so bad is it" and Gandalf smiles "No it isn't". Then there is the powerful scene where Gandalf rides in on his horse to stop Denethor from burning himself alive with Faramir and as Pippin rescues Faramir, Denethor goes to attack them and Gandalf's horse kicks Denethor back on to the fire and he starts to burn and he then runs out engulfed in flames. And Gandalf looks gravely on saying "So passes Denethor, son of Ecthelion" as Denethor throws himself off the top of Minas Tirith.
Then there is another funny moment when Gandalf is about to enter his meeting with Denethor on his arrival at Minas Tirith with Pippin. And Gandalf turns to Pippin and says "Now, listen carefully. Lord Denethor is Boromir's father. To give him news of his beloved son's death would be most unwise. And do not mention Frodo, or the Ring. And say nothing of Aragorn either. In fact, it's better if you don't speak at all, Peregrin Took!". And lastly there one of McKellan's best moments in the film which comes when (SPOILER!!!) the one ring has finally been destroyed we see the all seeing eye of Sauron collapse and Gandalf looks up in amazement and he sheds a tear knowing the evil is over but maybe also at the cost of Frodo and Sam's lives.
Viggo Mortensen is also great again as Aragorn, the rightful heir to throne of Gondor and he plays his part in defeating the evil of Sauron's forces. Viggo also has some good moments in the film as well such as the scene where Aragorn travels to recruit the army of the dead and he holds the reforged sword that his ancestor Isildur once held and he calls out for the army to appear. And as they do Aragorn says to them "I summon you to fulfill your oath" and the leader swings his sword at Aragorn who deflects it with the sword Anduril and the leader surprised says "That blade was broken!" and Aragorn says "It has been remade!" and he continues "Fight for us... and regain your honor. What say you?!" and depending on what version you see (the director's cut extends this scene) you eventually get the result! Another good scene comes when Aragorn departs to on his journey to find the army of the dead and Eowyn confronts him and reveals her feelings for him and he says to her " It is but a shadow and a thought that you love. I cannot give you what you seek". Another good but brief moment for Viggo also comes when he spots from afar the beacons of Minas Tirith are lit and he runs back to King Theoden (Bernard Hill) and yells "The Beacons of Minas Tirith! The Beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!" and Theoden looks on for a moment and says "And Rohan will answer!". Then there is the scene where Aragorn stands in front of the black gates of Mordor alongside his friends and his army and he turns to the others and says quietly "For Frodo" and he charges at the orc army ahead of him. And lastly (SPOILER!!!) there is the scene where Aragorn is finally crowned as the King of Gondor and the hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin are in attendance at the crowning and they bow obediently. However Aragorn humbly stands up and says to the hobbits "My friends, you bow to no one" and he stands up and kneels and the entire kingdom follows suit.
Sean Astin again is excellent in his role as Sam, Frodo's good friend who accompanies him on his mission to destroy the one ring. And here Sam's character really comes into his own as he shows his true bravery by saving Frodo's life against the Shelob. Astin also has some really good scenes such as the scene where Sam having been duped by Gollum and told to go by Frodo, tearfully makes his way back down the mountain leading to Mount Doom but then finds broken bits of Lambas bread (Elvish bread) which Gollum used to frame Sam for appearing to have finish all their food. And when Sam spots it he angrily grabs what's left and crushes it with his hand as he looks back up at the mountain. Then there is the scene where Sam confronts the Shelob and he arrives holding Frodo's sword, Sting and he says warningly to the spider "Let him go, you filth. Let him go! You will not touch him again!". Then there is the scene where Sam starts to carry an exhausted Frodo up to Mount Doom and he says to him "Then let us be rid of it... once and for all! Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you!". Then there is the great scene where both men finally arrive at the top of Mount Doom and Sam watches Frodo stand over the lava pit with the ring in his hand Sam shouts out "Go on! Now! Throw it in the fire! What are you waiting for? Just let it go!". However the ring takes over Frodo and he turns and says "The ring is mine" and he puts it on and disappears and Sam yells "NO!!!!!!!!!!". Then there if the scene where Sam rescues Frodo from nearly being killed by an orc who threatens Frodo by saying "I'm gonna bleed you like a stuck pig!" and we see a blade stabe through the orc and Sam appears saying "Not if I stick you first!". And last of all there is Astin's touching scene with Wood as Frodo and Sam say goodbye in the Shire and afterward Sam goes back to his family and greets them warmly and he looks around at the Shire and says the last line of the film "Well I'm back!".
Andy Serkis is also great again as the twisted yet pitiful Gollum and Serkis starts the film off with its chilling opening scene where we see the origins of Gollum as the hobbit Smeagol (Serkis as himself) is fishing with his cousin Deagol (Thomas Robins) and Deagol falls into the water and finds the ring. And after Deagol gets out of the water he caresses the ring in his hands and Smeagol joins him, hypnotised by the ring he says "Give us that, Deagol, my love". And Deagol turns to him and sharply asks "Why?" and Smeagol says "Because its my birthday and I wants it" and the two of them fight over the ring which ultimaltey sees Smeagol kill his cousin and take the ring for himself, however it shows the effects the ring has on him over the years as Smeagol turns into Gollum and it ends with him saying "My preciousssss!".
Serkis also has some good moments as Gollum as well in the film such as the scene where Gollum talks to himself and Sam wakes up and asks "What are you up to? Sneaking off are we?". And Gollum smiles "Sneaking? Sneaking? Fat Hobbit is always so polite. Smeagol shows them secret ways that nobody else could find, and they say "sneak!" Sneak? Very nice friend. Oh, yes, my precious. Very nice, very nice!". And Sam says "All right, all right! You just startled me is all! What were you doing?" and Gollum grins slyly and says "Sneaking!". Then there is the scene where Gollum talks to himself alternating between his personalities of Gollum and Smeagol and Gollum tries to persuade Smeagol to lure Frodo and Sam into the lair of the Shelob. And Gollum says "She's always hungry. She always needs to feed. She must eat. All she gets is nasty Orcses!" and Smeagol says "And they doesn't taste very nice, does they, Precious?!" and Gollum says "No. Not very nice at all, my love!". And of course later there is Gollum's last scene where he struggles with Frodo at Mount Doom to get the ring and while Frodo is invisible, Gollum somehow manages to bite off Frodo's finger and take the ring for himself. But they continue to struggle and Gollum falls into the firey pit below along with the ring as both meet their end.
As for the other usual cast members they are also in fine form starting with Billy Boyd for a change who actually get's a more prominent part this time round. Boyd plays as a servant to Lord Denethor at Minas Tirith (at the request of Gandalf I think!) and he has a memorable scene (although not my favourite) where he sings a song for Lord Denethor while we see his son Faramir make a futile charge to take back his former land in Osgiliath. And in the scene Denethor asks him "can you sing, Master hobbit" and Pippin says "Well... yes. At least, well enough for my own people. But we have no songs for great halls and... evil times". And Denethor says "And why should your songs be unfit for my hall? Come, sing me a song" leading into the song. Then there is the scene where Denethorn attempts to burn himself alive along with Faramir but Pippin sees that Faramir is still alive and he shouts "He's not dead! He's not dead!" bu Denethorn drags him out of the room. And lastly there is his opening scene with Merry as the two of them smoke their pipes contentedly as the Ents have dealt with Saruman's forces. And Pippin cheerily says "I feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon. A mug of ale in my hand, putting my feet up on a settle after a hard day's work!" and Merry says "Only, you've never done a hard day's work!".
John Rhys Davis also resumes his role as Gimli as well as you would expect and he shares again some nice moments with Orlando Bloom such as the scene where Gimli and Legolas get involved a drinking contest only for Legolas to outdo the dwarf who falls over but Legolas after a hefty session is only aware of a slight tingling sensation in his fingers! Rhys Davies also get's the film's funniest line where during the battle of the Pelennor fields Legolas upstages Gimli's efforts once again by taking down a large elephant carrying mercenaries and afterward Gimli grumpily says "That still only counts as one!". And Rhys Davies has another good moment where Aragorn plans to storm the gates of Mordor and Gimli says "Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?!".
Which brings me onto Orlando Bloom who is not too bad in his role as Legolas but there is no denying he is well suited to the part the only problem it would be the sort of role he would continue to be typecast in. Bloom has some good moments as well such as the aforementioned scene where Legolas wins the drinking game against Gimli who falls off his chair and Legolas says "I feel something. A slight tingle in my fingers. I think it's affecting me!" and after Gimili falls off his chair Legolas says "Game over!". And another nice moment Bloom shares with Rhys Davies comes when they are waiting to fight at the gates of Mordor, Gimli says "Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an Elf!". And Legolas says "Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an Elf" and Gimli looks at him and sincerely says "Aye. I could do that".
As for the new cast member, John Noble is great as the cynical Lord Denethor who eventually suffers a breakdown when the orc army arrives at the gates of Minas Tirith. Noble also has good moments in the film such as the scene where Denethor angrily turns away Gandalf when the wizard says he should not deny Aragorn his right as the heir to Gondor and Denethor says "The rule of Gondor is mine! And no other!". Then there is the scene where Denethor looks on in dispair at the size of orc army below and he shouts to his men "My sons are spent. My line has ended. Rohan has deserted us. Theoden's betrayed me. Abandon your posts! Flee, flee for your lives!". And this is followed by the scene where Denethor pours lighting fluid on himself as he prepares to burn himself and his son Faramir but Pippin attempts to stop him. And Denenthor grabs the hobbit roughly and drags him out of the room saying "Farewell, Peregrin, son of Paladin... I release you from my service. Go now and die in what way seems best to you!".
Miranda Otto also resumes her role very well as Eowyn, Theoden's niece who is in love with Aragorn and she shares her feelings for him in one scene where she says "Why are you doing this? The war lies to the East. You cannot leave on the eve of battle!" as Aragorn sets to leave to find the army of the dead. And Aragorn asks her "Eowyn why have you come?" and Eowyn says "Do you not know?" and Aragorn says to her "It is but a shadow and a thought that you love. I cannot give you what you seek". Then there is the scene on the Pelennor battle fields where Eowyn fights against the Witch king who wounds her and he says grabbing her by the throat "You fool. No man can kill me. Die now!" but Merry saves her by stabbing him from behind. And this let's Eowyn break free and take her helmet off to reveal her face and she says "I am no man!" and thrusts her sword into the witch king's face and it dies as a result.
Bernard Hill is also really good again as King Theoden who helps out Gondor as the Rohirrin (the army of Rohan) arrive to help out in what is one of the film's most impressive scenes visually speaking as well overall in general terms. And in the scene Hill delivers a short but impressive speech as Theoden addresses his men "Forth, and fear no darkness! Arise! Arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day... a red day... ere the sun rises! Ride now!... Ride now!... Ride! Ride to ruin and the world's ending!" as they charge on the orc army and ride through them like grass. But later (SPOILER) Theoden is fatally wounded by the Witch King and he afterwards gently says to Eowyn before he dies "I know your face... Eowyn. My eyes darken". And Eowyn tearfully says "I'm going to save you...." and Theoden smiles and says quietly "You already did... Eowyn. My body is broken. You have to let me go. I go to my fathers, in whose mighty company I shall not now feel ashamed. Eowyn..." and then dies.
Dominic Monaghan also reprises his role as Merry pretty well also, Pippin's good friend and fellow hobbit although his role is somewhat smaller in the film than before. Monaghan nonetheless has a fun moment in the film where on the Pelennor fields Merry is swiftly taken up on a horse by someone and its revealed to be Eowyn wearing a helmet to conceal her features she says to him "Ride with me" and he says eagerly "My lady!".
Hugo Weaving again is also great as Lord Elrond although his appearance in the film is also somewhat short (as is Cate Blanchett which I won't really mention) but he still has a good scene alongside Viggo where Elrond and Aragorn meet. And in the scene Elrond tells Aragorn that he could get extra help to fight the orc army "There are those who dwell in the mountain" which Aragorn disdainfully says "Murderers. Traitors. You would call upon them to fight? They believe in nothing. They answer to no one!". And at the moment Elrond says "They will answer to the king of Gondor!" and he produces the reforged sword Anduril "Anduril, Flame of the West, forged from the shards of Narsil! The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth. Put aside the Ranger. Become who you were born to be!".
And nearly last of all David Wenham is also good again as Faramir who is disowned by his father, Denethor who hurts him as he always showed more respect for Boromir. And Faramir emotionally in this scene says "You wish now that our places had been exchanged... that I had died and Boromir had lived" and Denethor coldly says "Yes, I wish that". And Faramir turns to leave and says "Since you are robbed of Boromir... I will do what I can in his stead. If I should return, think better of me, Father!". And nearly nearly last of all is Karl Urban who's performance is good as Eower but also quite brief but he does get one of the film's best lines when Eower scorns Merry of which Eowyn doesn't approve "You should not doubt him". And Eower says "I do not doubt his heart, only the reach of his arm!".
And last of ALL is Christopher Lee as Saruman who only appears in the extended edition but his exit scene is still a good one as he confronts Gandalf for the last time. And in the end Saruman is stabbed in the back by Grima, his servant which leads him into falling to his death below.
(OK that took forever but that's it for the performance and scenes section!)
DIRECTOR, MUSIC AND SOUND!
Finally moving onto the direction and music paragraphs (which are always short!) Peter Jackson yet again does a superb job here and he saves the best for last with TROTK and he also won an Academy award for his efforts here as well and if you want to go on the sheer quality of the film it is entirely merited. Jackson also again makes a cameo appearance in the film like he did in the previous two movies but he only appears in the extended edition as a character who is shot by an arrow from Legolas. Jackson's makes another cameo in a smaller capacity as his arm is used in the scene when Sam arrives to confront the Shelob and its Jackson's arm that appears at the start of it.
Music wise Howard Shore again provides a terrific score which is filled with dramatic and suspensful moments and he also writes sections of music that are sung by two members of the cast Billy Boyd during the scene when Faramir makes a futile attempt to retake Osgiliath and is overwhelmed by the orc army. There is also the scene where Aragorn is crowned king in Gondor and he sings a song during this sequence. Shore also won an Academy award for his score and again its hard to argue with that choice as its easily one of Shore's best.
Also lastly its worth mentioning the sound design of the film as well as for the whole LOTR trilogy in general as the sound mix for the films are amazing and they feature so many highlights for any home cinema enthusiast for any moviegoer who watched it in the cinema. And this film in particularly features some great audio moments such as the opening scene where Gollum fights and kills off Deagol and the soundtrack thuds away loudly as he does so. And later we get a similar effect as Frodo is taken over by the ring and there is some deep bass as Frodo looks at the ring there is the same thudding noise to emphasise the power of the ring.
Its also even worth mentioning from the first two films, the Balrog scene which is great sound wise too as the Balrog roars it produces an amazing bass as well. And of course in the Two Towers there is the battle of Helm's deep where the Uruk-hai stamp their spears and shreik loudly and later when the Uruk-hai finally break through the drain of the fortress by blowing it up using a suicide Uruk-hai bomber and the explosion again makes for amazing audio. In short the LOTR films have an amazing soundtrack in general and the sound mixers and designers deserves as much credit as the rest of the crew.
FLAWS
As for flaws..... well TROTK is such as good film its hard again to nitpick but yeah OK there are still some niggles here and there. And to start off there is of course that one issue alot of fans and alot of viewers had with the film and put simply it has too many endings! And that's the problem with the film when you initially see it as it keeps suckering you into thinking one scene is an ending such as the scene where Sam and Frodo lie on a rock waiting to be saved. Then there is the scene where you'd be sure to think it might end when Aragorn kneels to the hobbits and we zoom in slowly on Frodo who looks stunned by the attention and respect he has been given. And yet it KEEPS on going with yet more endings before we finally get to Sam and his wife and kids and he says "Well, I'm back" and only THEN it ends! It really is overkill at that point and while its a great film its ending are just interminable in length.
Another flaw with the film actually arises from a scene during the extended edition where Frodo and Sam disguise themselves in orc armour and helmets when they are at Mordor and they have to mingle among them. Yet during this scene it is actually quite noticeable that both Sam and Frodo are pretty much the same height as the orcs but they are supposed to be quite small as hobbits! And this stands out as a pretty sizeable flaw in itself (no pun intended) and surely something Jackson should have maybe addressed but then again that's perhaps why it didn't feature in the theatrical cut maybe.
And another problem with the film is to do with Saruman's disappearance in the theatrical cut as he was the primary villain for the first two films but all of a sudden we don't see him in the third film! And his defeat in the theatrical cut is swept under the carpet as all they mention of Saruman is Gandalf saying "He has no power anymore" and the ent Treebeard says "The filth of Saruman has been swept away!" and that's it! And that in itself is a flaw as his death scene should have been included in the extended edition given that he was such a main character he deserved a more definitive comeuppance than the one he got.
Lastly I thought that Frodo's departure from the Shire also left alot unexplained as he leaves for the the Undying lands where the Elves go and its a crossover between middle earth to another land which is separate from it. Essentially from the book Frodo actually left middle earth as he was scarred by his experiences with the ring and he left Middle earth so he could find peace within himself and heal. But the film never explicitly states this so you are left scratching your head wondering if Frodo is going off to die or to do something else??? Its not clear and in the end you would need to read the book (although that probably isn't clear either!) to get what is happened to Frodo. But basically in the end Frodo left just to get away and allow himself to forget about his traumatic experiences and find peace. And that's it for the flaws.
SUM UP
So that is FINALLY it for my look at The Return of the King which is a terrific finale to the trilogy and its a stunning film, which really lifted the story into an amazing finish and it is helped along by some thrilling action scenes, spectacular visuals, great music score and an amazingly powerful surround soundtrack. And even though its a film I've not watched for a while its certainly one that warrants repeated viewing time and time again.
And that is at LAST my look at the Lord of the Rings trilogy come to an end and I will be back most likely in October with some more reviews.
Until then its bye for now! (Sheesh I need a rest lol!).
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