The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Widescreen Edition) Rating: Release Date: 25 May, 2004 Retail Price: $19.97 OUR Price: $14.98 You SAVE: $4.99! Cast: Billy Boyd Elijah Wood Orlando Bloom Sean Astin Complete Cast (14 total)

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Widescreen Edition) Reviews

Ladies and gentlemen, I am writing this review on the eve of the release of the third and final installment of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, as adapted by Peter Jackson and New Line cinema. Fans such as I find it hard to accept that the nearly four year reign of the Rings trilogy is over. But it had to end sometime. Having just seen the movie, I simply have no choice but to share with you.

PLOT: Hobbit Frodo Baggins of the Shire, aided by his friend Sam and guide Gollum, continues his quest to destroy the Ring of power, the one that, if regained by the Dark Lord Sauron, gives the wearer the ultimate power to rule the world. The catch is that the Ring corrupts any bearer; it was created for evil, and evil does it serve.
Meantime, the original members of the Fellowship unite with the rest of the leaders of the free world to resist the unstoppable surge of Sauron's deadly, crushing army, 200,00 strong. The brunt of this force falls upon the land of Gondor, the bigger of the two kingdoms of men. Gandalf the White must ride with Pippin to Gondor, where he must work against the complacent Steward of Gondor to prepare for the oncoming war. Aragorn must claim his true destiny, in order to take command over an army of hideous, un-dead troops, who broke a pledge to Aragorn's ancestor long ago, and were cursed until they fulfilled it. All must come together to fight the most enormous battle of the age, both ours and theirs.

BAD POINTS: Violence is the only complaint one can have. And violence abounds. One must expect it with the battles that take place, but one must also be warned, in case it might offend, or upset the younger generation. Orcs are killed in every imaginable way possible. Giant elephant-like enemy beasts stomp and gore troops to death. The very creepy Nazgûl pick up, crush, and throw troops. A man is shown splashing oil on himself and his son, with the intention of burning them both alive. One of them is set afire, and runs aflame and throws himself off of a high point. During battle, the heads of previously slain soldiers are hurled over the city walls by the orcs. A giant spider stings and then wraps Frodo up, before doing combat with Sam. Gollum's former identity Sméagol is shown strangling a fellow hobbit to death for the Ring. All this and more take place. I don't mind, because violence must take place if Right must triumph over Wrong. But you have the right to know.

GOOD POINTS: The special effects are ground-breaking, that much is obvious. But the incredible emotion, the power, the grandeur of it all is enough to make you cry, and I nearly did. My companions (appropriately dressed for the occasion: I as Aragorn, my brother as Gandalf, my sister as Éowyn) cried a lot. This movie is bound to storm the awards ceremonies, and top the box office for the next month in the least.

My friend, words do not do justice to how incredible and colossally amazing this film is. From the tear-jerking resolve of Sam, to the gritty, stern determination of Gandalf and Aragorn, this film is pure Tolkien magic through and through. I don't care if you are a Tolkien fan or not, you will enjoy this movie. I'd stake my reputation on it.

200 out of 10 stars, and that's severely undercutting it.

The Majesty of "The Return of the King" Arrives on DVD
The masterpiece of our time has arrived on DVD.

Each installment of Peter Jackson's masterful interpretation of the classic novel by J.R.R. Tolkien have been incredible, weaving an intricate and beautiful story into images that are completely mesmerizing, allowing the viewer the chance to experience Tolkien as never before. Yet, as good as the first two installments, the massive and robust "The Fellowship of the Ring", and "The Two Towers" are, "Return of the King" is that much better.

This third and concluding chapter in the "Ring" series draws together the quest that was begun with the fellowship of nine in the original film. As Mordor prepares to launch war on Middle-Earth, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin), under the mis-direction of Gollum are nearing their destination, Mt. Doom, where the one-ring can finally be destroyed. Gollum, whose mind has long been corrupted by the ring, has devised a plan to kill Frodo and Sam so that he can re-claim the ring for himself.

Elsewhere, Aragorn (Viggo Mortinsen), Theodin (Bernard Hill), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gimli (John Rhyes-Davies) and the powerful wizard Gandalf (the incredible Ian McKellan), are preparing for the ensuing battle that is about to be unleashed on the kingly city, Gandor. In a desperate effort to raise an army, this small alliance of man, elf, dwarf and wizard set out to recruit every able-bodied man to fight in a war that will decide forever the fate of Middle Earth.

The massive scope of this film is, at times, unbelievable, in that it is far more colossal than any depiction of war ever seen on screen. The battle sequences, which contain armies in the tens of thousands, are filmed with a level of complexity that put audiences on the battlefield with the characters on screen. At the same time, the film balances the intense war sequences with the tender and intimate relationships that defined the fellowship from the very beginning.

As Sam and Frodo, in the final third of the film, are about to enter Mt. Doom, Frodo collapses, and, in a performance worthy of the Oscars, Sam consoles his friend, and then lifts him onto his shoulders to help Frodo complete the journey they set out on together. The moment is tender, in spite of the intense situation they find themselves in. It is that balance of humanity and action that makes the movie more than a fantasy story, but rather a true epic in every sense of the word.

Everything, from the ground-breaking special effects, to the costumes, weapons, sets and set-pieces are so well thought-out, so completely and meticulously detailed, that Middle Earth truly feels like a real place; like something lifted out of history instead of simply a fictional world created for a movie. The beautiful city of Gondor is breath-taking: set in the side of a mountain, it looks like one of the great cities found in Italy during the hightimes of the Roman empire. In contrast, the horrific realm of Mordor oozes with the abysmal darkness of an evil that is both ancient and powerful.

If there is going to be a set of films that will define as this time-periods classics, then the entire "Lord of the Rings" series could very well be the ones, with "The Return of the King" standing as a pinnacle in the achievements of one director's vision to bring to life one of the most beloved, most read novels of all time. Already, this film has been recognized by every major film association, sweeping awards in both the Golden Globes (winning the best picture amongst others) as well as the highest achievement in film, the coveted best picture Academy Award (in addition to a phenomenal 10 other awards including best director (Peter Jackson)).

Critics from around the world have celebrated this film, and almost universally it is agreed that this is one of the great ones, and as a film, even amongst the other installments of this trilogy, it stands alone. Aptly named "The Return of the King", its majesty is untouchable...and it truly is the crowning masterpiece of the "Ring" series, and, undeniably, one of the greatest films of our time.

-Scott Kolecki

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