I really have just one word to say: WOW! The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is a movie that is quite epic in its scope. What a movie! We went last night after the family cleared out after the Christmas thing; me, KC, Breezomatic, ZDog and J. What a movie!. We went to the Showcase Cinemas 53 where there are many HUGE screens and very comfortable chairs (even for someone my size). What a movie! The sound system is top-notch there also. Did I mention it was a great movie?
The cast is pretty much the same as the other two. The main characters are Frodo (Elijah Wood - from Cedar Rapids, Iowa!), Sam (Sean Astin), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). These are the surviving members of the original Fellowship of the Ring. The acting here is great. Yes, the effects are stunning, but they do not overshadow the acting (unlike many movies of our time). Not only are the digital effects completely seamless, but also the other effects of makeup and fight-choreography make the film truly amazing. The plot is well known to me as I had read the books and the main gist of the movie was true to the books. I thought the story-telling aspect of this movie was excellent; you felt like you knew the characters and how they would react to each of the new situations that they encountered. Not only is this a compliment to the director but the actors as well; to develop characters that are multidimensional is something that is lost in many of today’s movies.
My disappointment was when the movie digressed from the book. Not only have I read the entire trilogy but much of the Tolkien material as well. I felt that the scouring of the Shire was a critical part in the return of the four Hobbits to their beloved Shire; this was completely left out of the movie. The fact that the four drove Saruman and Wormtongue out of the Shire showed not only that Saruman had indeed fallen from the ranks of wizardry, but now he was nothing more than a nuisance. Also, the return trip through Rohan, Lorien, and Rivendell had some significance to the travelers and this was completely left out.
The disappointment was small when compared to the way that Peter Jackson stayed as true as he could to the books. Aside from the aforementioned glaring omissions, he was as true as he could be to what I believe was Tolkien’s original intent and messages. It is a truly amazing feat what Jackson and the cast and crew of these movies have accomplished. Yes, a must-see and a DVD must-own. I’d have to rate this movie a 10 of 10.
I understand that Peter Jackson shot an ‘alternate ending’ to the Saruman stuff… it will be included on the Director’s Cut DVD!
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