Peter Jackson's Third Installment: The Return of the King

Are you ready for this?...

Without hesitation I tell you honestly that Peter Jackson has truly managed to save the best for last. Yes you heard me right the best of the trilogy and, with a running time of three hours and twenty minutes, you better believe it was a pleasant surprise (even more so than gaining the feeling back in my numb ass). Not to mention all of the scenes which were edited in an attempt to bring the film to it’s two hundred and two minute running time will be included in the DVD release which I can then watch in the comfort of my own butt-numbing chair at home.

For those who may not remember The Fellowship of the Ring had split up our group of warriors (the Fellowship) with Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Samwise (Sean Astin) on a mission to enter Mount Doom and send the One ring to its final destruction. They have now been joined by someone who can get them to their destination, Smeagal/Gollum (Andy Sirkis), the former bearer of the ring who only wants to get back what he lost... his precious.

With The Return of the King we are again there every step of the way with Frodo, Sam, and Gollum as they head toward Mount Doom. We are also there with the remaining members of the fellowship, led by Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), as they prepare for the impending showdown against Sauron, the Nazgûl, and the vast armies Sauron has created for one purpose – the destruction of men.

The performances here were just as mesmerizing as in the previous films. It was a pleasant surprise to get a deeper glimpse of Samwise (Sean Astin) and his relationship with Frodo and Gandolf (Ian McKellen) again caught my breath. The friendship between Legolas and Gimli builds even further here and the banter between the two (even during battle as they did in the previous film) proves that Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies have developed Legolas and Gimli so well that in this final installment they have become even more real and likable (if that’s possible) than previously. And then there is Gollum - if his broken and distorted little body does not garner Andy Sirkis some sort of mention come Oscar-time I don’t know what on earth could.

Two of my favorite scenes from The Two Towers are those of Treebeard and the final battle. Treebeard because he was even more grand than I had ever imagined while reading the book but also because I got to watch someone else’s learning experience play out and the battle scene, well, because it was so intense and had so many things going on at once it pulled you right along as if you too were in the thick of things. In Return of the King I would direct you toward many more memorable scenes. Some because of their sheer beauty on screen and others because of the emotional involvement that is brought forth. That’s right, this film is more emotional than the previous two. Be it Sam and Frodo, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), Denethor (John Noble) and his son Faramir (David Wenham), or Elrond’s (Hugo Weaving) love for his daughter Arwen (Liv Tyler), this film proves to be more emotionally draining than the previous two.

I am sure a few people out there are going to find fault with the film for some of it’s obvious omissions but with visual moments reminiscent of antique paintings (specifically the lighting of the beacons and Minis Tirith), mind-blowing sights of marauding Mûmakil, and the swarming dead army I would be surprised if those thoughts linger too long. If anything, Peter Jackson has been nothing but faithful to Tolkien’s fellowship and it shows here more than in any other installment of the trilogy.

From the very beginning, where we are treated to Smeagol (before he came to be known as Gollum), and are quickly reminded of the devastating power of the One ring until the fellowship’s final goodbyes I was hooked and I find it hard to believe that you won’t be as well. This is a film I will adamantly tell you to take the time and see on the big screen. Whether you are one of those people who will see it again and again on the big screen or you are simply content to watch it again and again in the comfort of your home you owe it to yourself to at least view it once in a theatre. Just remember, hit the restroom on your way in, take a deep breath, and hang on for one hell of a ride.

And, have I mentioned, I hate spiders...