Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent Moviemaking
Review: To start with a beloved story and attempt to create a movie, much less three movies, is a daunting task. Peter Jackson did a magnificent job. The movie is breathtaking and the story is legendary.
Rating:
Summary: Epic Mythology...Cinematic Event!
Review: I join the chorus of viewers applauding THE RETURN of THE KING...concluding The LORD of the RINGS saga...as one of the rare, singularly great masterworks of cinema history. Peter Jackson's spectacular rendering of J.R.R.Tolkien's Middle Earth history of The War of the Rings is cinematic event unique to the art of film-making as Tolkien's mythological epic is to World literature. These films are breathtaking in scope,technical architecture and sheer audacity of vista and dramatic intent.
THE RETURN OF THE KING extends and completes a vision in story telling "eye had not yet seen,nor ear heard". Philosophical, theological, and mythological themes comprising THE RING are visually explicated in near-miraculous tapestry of dramatic conflict; personal triumph,tragedy; and sheer excitement.Kudos for acting [defining element that moves what could've been mere extravaganza in a Time and Galaxy far away,to the existential and historical present] are many and deserved. But Sean Astin's portrayal of SAMWISE GAMGEE will certainly become legendary in its own right as among the greatest characterizations of heroism, friendship,forgiveness and "purity of heart" love to be found in Western myth. Again and again: "GREATER LOVE HAS NO MAN,THAN HE WHO WILL LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS",comprises core beauty of The RING, but its incarnation in persona of Sam rings to the capacity for human(here Hobbit!)GOODNESS Tolkien celebrates and honors as key to Mankind's greatness and possiblity for not only victory against Cosmic Evil, but literal SALVATION...Multiplicity of characters,events,symbolic motifs bewilders...not because Director Jackson ineptly confuses, but because he stuns both informed and uninitiated with staggering allusions,insights and illuminations usually reserved to most profound, difficult literature. THE LORD OF THE RINGS presents Mankind's battle against its worst enemies(CONCUPISCENCE...terrifyingly incarnated in Shebolah, the SPIDER...and self-apotheosis in WILL TO POWER: the RING's ultimate Luciferic glamour and Temptation). Peter Jackson and his army of technical adepts; fine actors and actresses, undoubtedly know and are deservedly proud of their
achievement in this wonderous adventure,catechism, fable and love story. "PURITY OF HEART IS TO WILL ONE THING" is a saying by one of our most renowned modern philosophers. Director SAMWISE PETER JACKSON has brought us viewers (over against PM despair in Culture of Death)to Mordor and brink of APOCALYPSE with HOPE that lies within the Pure of Heart, never to deny Goodness; and to remember the CHRISTMAS CARE, that against all odds shall save us...(Merry X-mas...20 Stars!)
Rating:
Summary: Wow, so this is what talent looks like
Review: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" is the final chapter in one amazing trilogy. I had never heard of the books, but thought the first two movies were very good and enjoyed them thoroughly. They tell the story of a horrible ring, created out of pure evil that gives you the power to take over the world if you wear it. It's creator is trying to get back to it, and it must be destroyed. Enter Frodo Baggins, a hobbit (they're just humble beings that live peacefully) who inherits the ring from his uncle, Bilbo, who found it on a journey many years before. With the help of his friends, Frodo must go to Mount Doom, where it's lava is the only thing that can destroy the cursed ring. When you've seen the first two, there's no WAY you're not going to want to see the last one. And it was amazing on so many levels.
First of all, it's visually stunning. The sweeping landscapes, the choreographed battles, it's all so pleasing to watch. They really picked a beautiful place (New Zealand) to film these movies.
Second, the characters are so multi-dimentional and lovable (or hateable, in some cases). Aragorn (one of my favorite characters), the brave, handsome man that has to lead the men of Middle-Earth into victory. Gandalf, the oh-so-wise wizard that is guiding everyone on their quest. Frodo, the little hobbit that has the biggest job of all, to get the horrible ring to Mount Doom and destroy it. Sam (another favorite), Frodo's purely noble and kind friend that is helping him on his way. There are many other characters and they're all perfectly developed and fascinating.
This film has many other great traits. The special effects are great, the acting is brilliant, the plot is engrossing, ect. These movies truly are wonders to behold. I'm amazed just at how GOOD they are. Even if you haven't read the books, you'll like these movies. I happen to think this one (The Return of the King) is the best of the three.
Rating:
Summary: I just returned from this movie...
Review: I'm too tired to write a long review, I'll make it short... this is the greatest adventure film of all time.
Rating:
Summary: The best movie I've ever seen!
Review: Return of the King is the best movie that I've ever seen in my whole entire life. Its gorgeous! Breathtaking & simply wonderful. Its the best movie of 2003. If this movie doesn't win a few Oscars then I'll scream that the Academy Awards are rigged.
Seriously this movie simply deserves it. Could anything be more wonderful? I loved this movie. Just loved it! Once again we join the characters in the battle between good and evil. The film opens up by telling us of Gollum's history and how he became wrapped in evil. Its short but somewhat graphic. The jouney continues with Frodo & Sam to destroy the ring at Mordor. Meanwhile Aragorn, Legolas, Gandalf, Eowyn, and the rest of the hobbits prepare themselves for war. I loved the battle scenes. They were awesome! I also like how Eowyn got some action at the battle scenes! Yeah! I like it when females are strong and can hold their own! I think Peter Jackson did a nice job by wrapping up the movie & he ended it well. Yes its sentimental, so what? I love sentimentality and its handled pretty well. This movie has everything. Its good vs. evil, war, love, friendship and loyalty. Breathtaking scenery, amazing special effects, and damn good acting. Sean Astin and Elijah Wood are wonderful. I hope this film gets the recognition it deserves from the Academy Awards. They had to change some things from the book to the movie but I think they did a wonderful job. Peter Jackson was the right director for this project. The gamble that the studio took on, paid off extremely well. Go see it! You won't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: Books should not be made into movies.....
Review: Books and Movies are very difficult mediums to adapt to one another. What makes a great book does not nessiarliy make a great film. Most of the time, such projects are not really that great. Case in point was these movies. They were not at all based on the books, they made major changes to the screenplay to make it work, but in so doing, it made what made the books great, bad as a film. So this film like the others had tons of bad cgi effects. Over-kill production values and lots of over-acting by the cast. Not a very great film (...)
Rating:
Summary: The End, thank heaven!
Review: Having now seen the entire LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, I'm comfortable saying that the series, as a visual epic, is perhaps the best ever put on celluloid. But praise the Lord, it's over. And I can barely remember what the plot was all about when it started two years ago. I haven't read, nor do intend to read, the original novels; I don't plan to ever again watch any of the screen adaptations. Life is too short. Some observations about THE RETURN OF THE KING can perhaps be applied to all three films. The battle sequences are phenomenal with a capital "P". Without them, tedium is a definite risk. Cate Blanchett's all too brief appearances are a terrible waste of her incredible acting talent. Frodo desperately needs a Hobbit Babe to show him a Good Time. There are too many characters and subplots. Oddly, the are no acting performances, in my opinion, worth an Oscar nomination. It's all visual, visual, visual, and visual again. The beginning sequence of THE RETURN OF THE KING, in which the viewer learns why Smeagol is what he is, was inspired. Smeagol was, for me, the most interesting character in the entire series. Who does his hair, do you think? That was the best monster spider I've ever seen. I bought the extra-large size can of Raid on the way home. The conclusion was 20 minutes too much, especially on a school night. I kept glancing at my watch, and would have staggered out had my wife not been with me. The ending credits could have rolled after Frodo and Sam were rescued by the eagles. As a matter of fact, a full hour could have been chopped off the run time with any lackadaisical editing effort whatsoever. Finally ... A lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth would have been prevented had somebody just tossed that stupid ring down a sewer grate.
Rating:
Summary: A milestone
Review: About midway through watching ROTK, I realized that I was witnessing a milestone in movie history -- a movie that like Birth of a Nation, Citizen Kane and Star Wars, will one day be looked back on as a turning point in cinema history. Even those who don't like LOTR will acknowledge that it has suddenly changed what is possible on the silver screen. For an amateur student of film such as myself, that alone made the movie worth watching. But even ignoring the place that LOTR will have in movie history, this is a stunning film, the crowning achievement to the biggest epic in movie history. Many have asked which movie I like best. But that's a question that's impossible to answer because this is all one glorious epic. Of course, I loved ROTK best because it is the conclusion, the payoff, the finale. We finally get those moment of triumph and tragedy and catharsis that Peter Jackson has been promising us ever since Cate Blanchett's luminous voice whispered in elvish on silver screens across the world in 2001. Adjectives fail me. This is not just a simple action movie -- although it works wondorously on that level. The Battle of the Pelennor fields is electrifying -- even for someone who's read the book a dozen times. The lighting of the Beacons of Gondor may be my favorite scene in the movie. But what makes this movie stand over the crowd is the emotional story -- the resolution of Arwen and Aragorn's tale (a scene near the very beginning might bring tears to your eyes), the incomparable bond between Sam and Frodo, the tragic heart-rending character arc of Gollum and the apocalyptic climax. If you don't at least get choked up watching this movie, run, do not walk, to the nearest psychiatrist. The cast is, as always, superb. We expect greatness from Sir Ian McKellan, but who would have though that Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and even Liv Tyler (!!) would bring such emotional resonance to the screen? But the best performance -- one that will unfortunately never be rewarded by Hollywood -- is again Andy Serkis as Gollum. We even get to see him without WETA's digital skin and his performance is no less amazing. Peter Jackson's direction is sure -- bringing grandeour to the action scenes and intimacy to the character scenes. And mention should be made of Howard Shore's operatic score -- that can soar in some scenes and mourn in others. Amazing. There has been some compaint about the "multiple ending" of the movie. But I liked this. I liked that the movie showed there was a price to pay for what happened, that some wounds never heal. I liked that it eased us out of the stunning climax and let us see that this was just one part of the ongoing tale. Well, I guess I've waxed rhapsodic enough.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking yet awe-inspiring conclusion to LOTR!
Review: Even with a thousand plus word review, I can never even begin to explain the sheer power and the scope that "Return of the King" really is. The final chapter in this great and apocalyptic trilogy is by far the darkest and most riveting of the three LOTR movies and in my opinion, the pinnacle of filmmaking in just about every way you can look at it. In this epic finale, Frodo Baggins, his companion Samwise Gamgee and their guide Gollum, also known as Sméagol continue on their quest to reach Mt. Doom and destroy the ring by tossing it back into the fiery chasm where it was made. The power of the Ring though has become so strong that it is now causing Frodo's unraveling, his friendship with Samwise is becoming strained from the stress of resisting the Rings power, and Gollum and Samwise are coming into major conflict with each other and Frodo, already carrying a huge burden, has the choice of either going with Sam's or Gollum's advice. However, Gollum secretly has devious plans of his own. Meanwhile, Sauron's massive armies now launch a swift and brutal assault against the Race of Man's remaining refuge Minas Tirith and their remaining king Denethor II, driven mad after knowing of the death of his son Boromir, shuts himself off from the outside kingdom. Sauron is gaining power by every passing minute but the ultimate fate of Middle Earth lies in the hands of one Hobbit, which is Frodo Baggins who is becoming increasingly influenced by the Ring and also is facing decisions to listen to Gollum or his longtime friend Samwise Gamgee who has been coming into fights with Gollum. This movie is the longest of all of the three, coming in at a grand length of 3 hours and 17 minutes but even then, as the movie ended, I did not want it to end. If there is anything that occasionally pokes at my side, it's the omission of Saruman's fate. I originally have passed the news of it off as just media pap but sadly, his demise has been omitted from this movie and I was really eager to see how it happened but we may not be seeing it until the extended edition of this movie comes out. Other than this omission, "Return of the King" is just about as perfect as movies can go. This movie blows any of the Star Wars, and Harry Potter movies right out of the water and into orbit around the earth. Those are great trilogies but nothing rivals the multiple dimensions of the Lord Of The Rings novels that Tolkien created. He created entire languages, entire landscapes and different races of human beings ranging from Elves, to Dwarfs, to Orcs, and the Race of Man, along with countless others too. All of the characters were excellent but there are two I especially want to take note of. Samwise Gamgee to me felt more like just a sidekick to Frodo Baggins but on here, even amidst the setbacks he has gone through, he comes off as being every bit a hero as much as Frodo himself. The other one is Miranda Otto as Eowyn. Eowyn, who was asked to stay behind by her uncle King Théoden, she however defies orders to stay behind, disguises herself and becomes a woman warrior like no other character in any other movie. I would go far to say that she even beats out Ellen Ripley from Aliens as the greatest woman fighter in movie history. The late 1970s and early 1980s animated screen adaptations of the novels were awful in my opinion as the hobbits looked more like giant coconuts and Gandalf and Saruman looked more like bearded figures from bad Christmas Cartoon outtakes. Those animated versions failed so miserably at bringing the novels to life that they turned many away from the series. On the other extreme, Peter Jackson's adaptation of these three novels though, he brings the images that I had imagined from reading the books right onto the big screen. There are some occasional areas where he deviates from some of the story elements but overall, no movie series has ever been so faithful to their books the way Lord of the Rings has and "Return Of The King" does the best job at it. I stated in one of my reviews on the last movie "The Two Towers" that that one was what had the most substance of them all but now I have to contradict that as this final epic installment in the trilogy is by far the greatest of them all and not only to best but also the most heartbreaking masterpiece that has ever been made. This whole movie trilogy will never be surpassed again in any of our lifetimes, if ever, and Peter Jackson has already sealed his status as a directing legend. I have never cried at the ending of any movie the way I did with "Return of The King". Not even "Titanic" from years back broke my heart the way ROTK did. It really brings to mind just the exact things that our world seems to be going through right now, the evil forces of terrorism are moving, corruption in corporations is rampant, and the forces of good who aim to counteract these problems seem to be scattered and in shambles but hope always remains for a better future. As the elves left Middle Earth to the race of men as the Age of Men dawned, I really cannot help but say that if the age of Man continues to this very day, according to Tolkien's timeline, I feel saddened at what man has done to the Earth since the end of the Third Age. Anyhow, go and see this movie. You will never experience moviemaking on an epic scale like this ever again in your lifetime. You will cry, you will laugh, many emotions will come up. I guarantee it.
Rating:
Summary: The One Movie To Rule Them All -
Review: This movie is truly epic. That is a word I've never associated with a movie before and only Return of the King qualifies. The best movie of the trilogy in scope, grandeur and emotional energy. This movie and trilogy will go down in history as the greatest cinematic experience of all times, Star Wars, Godfather don't even come close to touching these movies. My favorites parts; Siege of Minas Tirith, Rohan charge onto Pellanor Fields (I nearly cried), the WitchKing, Shelob, Eowyn (I think Aragorn screwed up, he should have gone with her), Faramir's charge on Osgiliath. This is just to name a few. If this movie doesn't get best picture and P.J. best director I will never watch the award show again. Ian should have one Best Supporting Actor for FOTR. The one downside to all of this is that I no longer look forward to anymore movies, Lord of the Rings has ruined me for everything else. These movies take the most basic principles of inner courage, loyalty, strength of heart and goods triumph over evil (but always at a cost) and turn them into a cinematic masterpiece. Two positives to look forward to, P.J. will hopefully tackle The Hobbit after King Kong and I've heard rumors that the Extended Edition DVD is about five hours long, I've already tried to pre-order it...no such luck!
|
