Rating: 
Summary: Achieving the Impossible
Review: Any review of "Return of the King" has to start from first principles: First, the books are too long to make into a movie, even a trilogy. Second, not everyone has read the books, or liked what they read. Sad but true. Third, of those who have read and liked the books, only a few of us have them mostly memorized. So any successful film production must take into account that parts of the books must be dropped, that the story has to be interesting and accessible to those who haven't read the trilogy, and that the movies must still honor the trilogy for those who have read - or memorized - Tolkien's life work. Those are the realities; we must judge the movie on those realities.You can quibble over some very minor details, but Peter Jackson's telling of Return of the King balances these principles masterfully. Compression? Yes, of course. When Aragorn and Legolas lost the horses at the entrance to the Paths of the Dead, how, I asked myself, were they going to cross the hundreds of leagues from Erech to the Anduin? Excision? Yes, of course. The confrontation of Gandalf and Saruman. The confrontation with the Mouth of Saruman. The Houses of Healing. Imrahil. But the book trilogy is just too long to fit into three manageable movies. The absolutely critical scenes are all there. The story line is not lost or compromised. I will never know if it appears choppy to those unfamiliar with the books, but for me the compressions and excisions did not seriously detract. Jackson also had to find a way to make the movie accessible to those who have never read the books. Those challenges included finding some way of demonstrating the pure evil of the One Ring. Those who have not read or do not remember the books don't know Tolkien's extended descriptions of what Frodo was experiencing. A movie maker's tools for making that introspection into exposition are pretty limited. The opening scene between Deagol and Smeagol brilliantly reminds viewers of the absolutely corrupting influence of the one Ring. Only by watching every character be tempted by the Ring, and watching many of those tempted succumb, can strangers to the Trilogy begin to know what Frodo was experiencing. The books are full of other, equally challenging problems for a scriptwriter and a director. Jackson handles them all quite well. But Jackson also brought his own talents and imagination to the story. Is there anyone who wasn't transfixed by Jackson's invented sequence of Faramir's doomed charge on Osgiliath while Pippin is made to sing for Denethor? It's the difference between merely filming the book and making a movie. Jackson's additions range from brilliant to interesting; none of them detract from the story. Finally, Jackson had to preserve the attention and respect of the sizeable minority of us who cherish the books. Speaking for myself, that moment came when Jackson had Aragorn turn to the crowd after his coronation, and recite, in Elvish, the words of Elendil when he came to Middle Earth. No subtitles; no explanation. Obviously, that line was for hard core fans alone. Having Aragron chant the lines was just icing on the cake. Brilliant special effects. Superb unity of plot, theme, and character across the three movies - compare Isildur's half smile when he declines to destroy the Ring at Elrond's urging with the look on Frodo's face at the penultimate moment. And the knife's edge balancing of these principles. This is an excellent adaptation, nearly flawless. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST EPIC ADVENTURE EVER MADE
Review: This movie was a touch of class. There were so many parts of this movie that I considered my favorite. For me the ending was the best because it was complete. Many times in books and movies it doesn't end like you may want it to. In the end of Return of the King the uniting of Aragorn and Arwen was special. Love ususally ends in sorrow but not in this case. The ending was one I could live with. The hero is said to be Frodo. But he doesn't share the title alone. If it wasn't for Sam there would be no Frodo. Sam was the real hero to me. Legolas was the most beautiful elf I had ever seen. Orlando Bloom congratualtions on being born with excellent genes. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the first set of movies that I believe are worth the price of the ticket.
Rating:
Summary: how amazing! what an experience! an excellent finish!
Review: The Return of the King ends the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, adapted by Peter Jackson from J.R.R. Tolkien's expansive, immersive tale of love, determination, and sacrifice in a world not quite like yet deeply similar to our own. I read the story and loved it, and now I've come to deeply love the films as well. I was so impressed with the evolution of the characters in the books; they became people I identified with and cared about in a way I did not expect to. But I love the films just as much, because they have really brought Tolkien's world of Middle-Earth to life for me. In my mind, both worlds are one and the same, and they are beautiful, sad, and exhiliarating all at the same time. I am grateful to the higher powers for putting Peter Jackson and his fun cast and crew at the helm of a film-lover's ideal film fantasy come to life. It's true that these men and women of New Zealand (and other just-as-special people from other places) must have loved Tolkien's stories of middle-earth, but it is their love for the movie-going eperience; for excitement and grandeur, inspiring storytelling and brilliant music, emotionally charged acting and epic adventure, that has effectively brought their love for Tolkien to the screen. A love for good story and wonderful cinema, that everyone can enjoy, regardless of their preffered genre - what more can a movie-goer/movie-lover ask for? The amazing thing about the Lord of the Rings is that it trancends its genres. These films are something every adept film-goer longs for but hardly ever sees; they are films the casual film-goers didn't know they were missing. So many of us really, really wanted these films to succeed from the very first day they were released, and remain excellent in their quality all the way to the end, because we were so grateful for what we had been given in the beginning... we just didn't want the experience to stop. How wonderful then to see the film finish so amazingly! So excellently! Even if we were able to guess it's end, the excellence of it's completion made the experience all the more rewarding! It's no wonder so many secular viewers and critics alike are openly adoring and shamelessly raving about this film... it deserves it... it EARNED it! Oh, yeah - that's right: this is a review for the actual film, isn't it? So, how WAS the Return of the King? Saturated with excellence, whether imperfect or not. It is more interesting, entertaining, and involving that the previous parts of the story, and (of course) it brings them all together; it improves the lasting effect of the prior chapters, making them feel less like single films in a three-part trilogy, and more like essential parts of one amazing, wonderful story, each part engaging in their own special way, and serving their purpose for the benefit of the whole adventure. To not see the film would be wasting time and money to witness the many creations that are sadly (yet all too often) less than extraordinary... you should have stayed at home and watched them for free, or done yourself one better and read some books - the ultimate storytellers. Otherwise treat your hearts and minds to Peter Jackon's rare and special journey to the movies, and open your eyes to the miraculous vision that is the Lord of the Rings.
Rating:
Summary: I've waited 35 years to see this film...
Review: I read the books as a teenager and knew that there was no way this story could ever be filmed in a way that would do it justice. The animated "Hobbit" was simply awful, and casting children or midgets as hobbits would have been a travesty. Time passed, and SFX matured ... and somehow the right team crystallized around the project. Peter Jackson is a genius, and I would vote every award to this film if I could. I was a little sorry to see that Tom Bombadil had been omitted. I understand why; that episode would have slowed the story unbearably, but I missed old Tom... until I saw a picture of Peter Jackson. They don't need Tom *in* the film because he created the team that brought it to life. So now all that's left is to heave a deep contented sigh, watch the EE of the first two films, go see the film again... and again... and wait for next November. Even if the RotK EE is five hours, the time will pass like a human life to an Ent. Good books are so often ruined in the shift to screen. I've only ever seen it done right once or twice before, as in Dances With Wolves. Now ... what may be the greatest literary myth of the 20th century has been brought to life with love, respect, and craftsmanship worthy of the High Elves. I think that Professor Tolkien himself, wherever he may be, is smiling.
Rating:
Summary: Will Jackson film The Hobbit next?
Review: With Peter Jackson's final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he has more than crushed the concerns that the "Return of the King" would be subject to the same trilogy/sequel woes as "The Matrix" or "Star Wars." Jackson truly saved his best work for last, and even long-time readers of Tolkien's series (which I am) will have very little to complain about. In "Return of the King" he gave us the most spectacular battle scene ever filmed, industry-changing special effects, a true adaptation that rarely deviated from the source (and when it did deviate it generally helped the story), and fine direction, getting brilliant performances out of every cast member fortunate enough to be involved with this masterpiece. The standout in this movie is Sean Astin as Sam Gamgee. Jackson has an intimate understanding of Tolkien's story, and expertly let's it blossom over three movies until we gradually realize, as we did in the books, that this is Sam's story and Sam's quest more than it is Frodo's. "I may not be able to carry it for you, Mr. Frodo. But I can carry you," a teary-eyed Sam pronounces near the film's end. This is one of the better moments in the history of movie-making. Astin's performance is flawless throughout this three and a half hour epic, but somehow seems to get even better as it goes on. I felt "Return of the King" was far superior to "The Two Towers" in many respects. "The Two Towers" often felt disjointed and never really found its groove. Just as you were getting into the battle scenes, you were suddenly with Treebeard in dead silence, moving at a snail's pace through the forest. Jackson was able to interweave the many storylines of ROTK seamlessly, masterfully leading us to the next logical place, making the audience feel as though that's where the story *should* go, not question why it *did* go there. ROTK will probably not please everyone. Fans of Orlando Bloom will be disappointed that he is not featured, getting very little screen time. Those who criticized Jackson for using Gimli only as comic relief in "The Two Towers" won't find any comfort in ROTK. He probably has only one or two lines that aren't meant to inspire laughter. However, for what it's worth, I found him very funny and overall there is a much greater humor presence in ROTK than any of the other movies. Then there's the beginning, which I will agree is very slow. Unlike the testosterone-injected opening of "The Two Towers," ROTK starts with a character exposition of Smeagol. I think the opening would've benefited from some more intense action. Devotees to Tolkien will surely have their pick of plots that Jackson altered, added or omitted, but I don't think they'll have much of a leg to stand on. The major changes from the books were first, the timing of the stories. The ending of "The Two Towers" novel actually occurs in the middle of ROTK, but this is just a function of how he chose to tell it- it doesn't necessarily alter the story, just what events appear under what title. Second, he added a conflict between Sam and Frodo, where Gollum is corrupting Frodo to turn against Sam. This however, adds a great deal of dramatic tension to the plot and doesn't change any of the character intent of Tolkien. It only magnified tensions that were already there between the two Hobbits. Then there was the scene with Shelob (the spider), which was slightly altered. In the novel Sam (and the reader) didn't find out until much later that Frodo wasn't dead but only paralyzed. Again, this didn't bother me and I'm willing to give Jackson these liberties as long as it helps his story along, not to mention the spider scene was so bone-chilling that I barely noticed any changes. Lastly though - and here I might find some merit of the critics - is the issue of Aragorn and the Palantir (the glass ball with the eye of Sauron). In the novel, Aragorn makes the decision to look into the ball deliberately in order to deceive Sauron and draw his attention from Frodo. This was very important to his character and led to him coming to terms with who he was as the King of Gondor. This was omitted almost entirely from the movie, with only a casual reference made by Gandalf. It certainly wasn't something that hurt the movie for me, and though I don't fully understand why Jackson chose this, he's more than earned the benefit of the doubt. ROTK has laugh out loud comedy, some of the most courageous acts we've seen on film, and action and effects beyond my ability to describe. What more could we possibly ask for? How about The Hobbit? Please?
Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: i dressed up as Arwen to watch the tuesday midnight showing of Return of the King & i've seen the movie twice! i love this movie! it's so well made & the perfect ending to the trilogy. even if the movie sucked, i'd probably still enjoy it though, just because the story itself is so great!! if you haven't read the books, i highly suggest you do so. the books have so much more character development & are so much richer than even the movie. you will appreciate the movies so much more after reading the actual books (if you can get past the first half of the Fellowship of the Ring). i plan to own the extended version of this movie when it comes out! :)
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: I don't know what to say about this singularly spectacular movie which has not yet been said already. This is, without doubt, the best picture of the year, and anything less than that from the *Academy* would be a grave disappointment.
Peter Jackson, with grace, deference, and a masterful hand, has directed three of the best films of our time. The ending to this film trilogy is a far cry from disappointment, or even mediocrity!
Fans of the Tolkien's original masterpiece will remain admirable of Jackson at how true his direction stays to the books. Special effects afficionados will marvel at the stunning, epic proportions of the beautiful Middle Earth landscapes, heart-pounding battle sequences, and all the rest of the magnificent visual wizardry present throughout this film.
The characterizations, performed by a fine cast, are never overdone, and are presented in this astounding mythic tale with near Shakespearean quality.
The Return of the King is far and away, the best installment of the trilogy, and possibly the best studio release of the year.
I know nothing comparable to it except HBO's equally beautiful and fascinating mini-series, Angels in America.
The Return of the King is the final chapter in the legendary Lord of the Rings saga. However, this trilogy will not soon be forgotten, and stands as one of the great achievements in motion picture history.
Rating:
Summary: a 4.5 star movie
Review: I totally agree with most of the positive comments that have been made about this film. The battle scenes are fantastic and are unlike anything I've ever seen before. The acting is excellent and the movie has some very moving and emotional scenes. The special effects are again well done. There are plenty of reviews that thoroughly cover the movie's numerous good points so I won't elaborate on those any further. I just want to discuss one problem with the movie that prevents me from deeming it worthy of five stars. (I really wish this site had half star ratings.) The development of Aragorn's character into the king of Gondor isn't all that good. In fact, he's not even in the movie all that much. I realize that there's a lot more to cover here than just Aragorn's becoming king so it's not like I expected most of the movie to be about him. However, far too little time is spent on his character. There's the Paths of the Dead and his character is developed some there but after that the movie is all downhill as far as Aragorn's character development is concerned. Suddenly, he's leading the people of Gondor and we haven't seen him do anything to prove himself to them. We don't even see them making a big deal about Aragorn summoning the Army of the Dead. Sure, we can just assume that they're following him merely because he has the Narsil sword and the ring of Barahir but there's far too little drama in that. It's still a very good movie and I would still say that it's well worth a trip to the theater and the price of admission. I just hope that scenes from the book (such as the Houses of Healing) are put into the extended edition and that this flaw is corrected.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!
Review: What can I say? Wow! Emotional...heartbreaking...a wonder to behold. This film completes one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time. I've heard some people say that they were slightly annoyed by "false endings" at the end of the picture. The ending went entirely over these peoples' heads. It's only one endings. It concerns the hobbits. The story comes full circle as it should be. However, my only concern about the film comes at the expense of the ending as well. It was too abreviated. So many great chapters and scenes from the book didn't make it into the film, post-Mt. Doom. I want more. And I hear we're in store for a treat when the extended version comes out in November of 2004.
Rating:
Summary: LOTR Return Of The King was AMAZING
Review: The Return Of The King has finally come! Its also sad thinking cuz now this is the end of it. But anyways the movie by all means was amazing. It was simply perfect. The acting was great and so was the special affects. Peter Jackson did a wonderful job on keeping true to the book. Peter Jackson deserves best director and best picture for making such a brilliant movie. I love fantasy movies and this one is definatly my favourite. It was so breathtaking I was practicly off my seat through the whole movie. The ending was perfect. I couldnt stop crying through the last half hour of the movie. It was very emotional and moving. Definatly an Academy Award winning movie.
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