The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Review

Finally, after months and months of putting it off, I have managed to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy from start to end, including all the extra scenes removed from the regular version. Surprisingly, despite each film being strikingly long in run-time, I enjoyed almost every moment of all three, with this final instalment standing out personally as my favourite. 

The Return of the King concludes the story of Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Samwise (Sean Astin) as they trek almost endlessly towards Mount Doom to deposit the One Ring. The opening scene of the movie shows a flashback of how Smeagol (Andy Serkis) had a fight with a close friend of his which resulted in murder, all due to the influence of the One Ring which casts a dark shadow over the entire movie, as it foreshadows what could quite easily happen if Frodo allowed the Ring to overwhelm him. Whilst Sam and Frodo continue their journey through perilous caves and spider-infested tunnels, the rest of the Fellowship make their way across Middle-Earth to fend off Sauron's armies which wage their final war against all of the other races. 

Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin)

From the offset, Return of the King sets a moody, atmospheric tone which doesn't let up until the final scene. Although I doubted it were even possible, it is by far the darkest of the films and this is shown through the constant deaths and directions certain characters take. Almost the entire second half of the movie features the on-going war between the armies of Sauron and the rest of Middle-Earth, meaning that this is by far the most action-packed chapter of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The locations of these fights vary throughout however, so they never become stale or boring. 

This tone created is due to the expert blend of cinematography and musical score, which is present in all three of the Lord of the Rings movies, but pivitol in Return of the King. The harsh lands of Mordor are bleak and dangerous, with all whom enter (including Frodo) being taken in by it's devilish aura. Even Gandalf the White (Ian McKellen) himself looks slightly more tattered and war-torn this time around. The music is often different renditions of familiar tracks, which works incredibly well as it makes certain scenes seem comparable to previous ones yet far more foreboding. 

Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood)

As with the previous two movies, Return of the King contains a lot of plot and character development, but this is no bad thing, it should just be known that like it's predecessors, a large period of time should be set aside to fit it all in. This could partly be due to the extended edition featuring numerous scenes which flesh-out others, but the default film by itself runs for well over three hours. There are very few moments which grew boring in this final chapter however, and considerably less when compared to the previous two, which is commendable considering it is the longest of the three. 

Verdict
Not only is The Return of the King my favourite of the three Lord of the Rings films, it is one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time. No stone is left unturned, and every character reaches some form of resolution. The music is perfect, the acting is stellar and the special effects are rarely anything below phenomenal. If you are still apprehensive about watching this highly praised trilogy: don't be. I put it off for far too long, and I am incredibly glad that I have now seen it. 

"I didn't think it would end this way."

"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path."