The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

I returned home in November 2004 from serving two years as a missionary in the Philippines and I got to work catching up on all the movies I had missed during that time (I did not watch movies as a missionary). I had seen advertisements in Asia for the final two “Lord of the Rings” movies and I wanted to do a daylong marathon of all the films upon my return home. “The Fellowship of the Ring” convinced me that it was possible to make a near perfect film and I was excited to see the conclusion of the trilogy. By the time I got home, all the hype surrounding “The Lord of the Rings” had died down but until the day that I could watch all the movies together, I avoided watching any part of the final two films. I will always remember the day that I watched all three films because it felt very long. I came away though with great satisfaction. The connection between “The Two Towers” and “Return of the King” is the strongest for me because I watched one after the other. After the waiting that I did for this film, “The Return of the King” was worth it. It is my favorite movie released in 2003 and my favourite sequel after "Toy Story 2". The battle of Minas Tirith and the scenes on Mount Doom did not disappoint. The film continued the story with the exact same mood and feeling from the preceding films. As I mentioned, I did not see a huge difference between the second and third films due to the way I watched both. I feel that filming all three movies at once played a big part in making this trilogy feel more like one big long film. The same passion for the story and perfectionism was in this concluding film but the film had even more special effects with even higher quality. The third film took us to new places but it was still the Middle Earth we were introduced to in “The Fellowship of the Ring”. Production did not get completely out of hand thankfully in that the story remained the central feature. The story of the post-production work on this film is dramatic unto itself because it was completed at the last possible second with Peter Jackson making changes. Despite this chaotic atmosphere, the film had a very powerful impact on the world and I don’t mind the multiple endings so much. It deserved to be the first fantasy film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The Oscars that year proved that "The Lord of the Rings" films would forever be a milestone in the history in filmmaking. It was “a clean sweep” as Steven Spielberg called it when “The Return of the King” won all eleven Academy Awards that it was nominated for. The whole trilogy has a wonderful design but the art department did not win the Oscar until this last film. I like how Gondor’s design seems to have theme of rock and stone where as Rohan was wood. Rohan represents the Nordic countries and Gondor represents France & England in appearance. Other departments that finally won Oscars were the costume designers and the editing team. There was a different editor on each movie. I think that this creates just a little variety throughout the entire trilogy. People are used to some change when it comes to sequels. Also, it would have been too hard for one editor to handle three large films. “The Return of the King” had five simultaneous storylines where as “The Two Towers” had three. The successful way that these five storylines are edited together into one film is proof that the movie deserved the Oscar for Best Editing. When you cut back to Frodo and Sam’s storyline for example, it feels like the right time to do so. It has been a while since we last saw them and you anticipate what is going to happen. I am glad that Howard Shore won another Oscar because in my opinion, he should have won for all three films. I love how the Gondor theme is fleshed out during the lighting of the beacons. All the musical themes of “The Lord of the Rings” are fleshed out and used dramatically in this final chapter. They affect me so much. Usually when new music was needed during composing, Shore could write 2 minutes of orchestral music per day. With all the changes that were being done to the film towards the end, he had to change the music accordingly. By the end of the scoring sessions for “The Return of the King”, he had to write more than 6 minutes of music per day to make the release date. I believe “Into the West” is the best song from all the films and its Oscar win was very deserving. The song becomes part of the score throughout the film at the perfect moments. I first heard Annie Lennox singing on the "Apollo 13" soundtrack and she did such a good job with that song. The make-up Oscar deserves to be mentioned as well as the sound mixing team’s win. I love the sound mixing during the scene at Minas Morgul. The special effects shots are once again perfectly handled and the huge number of them in this last film adds to the climatic feeling. I am glad the filmmakers did not sacrifice quality for quantity. The filmmakers did not want to disappoint themselves or their audience. With all the work that Weta Digital did in such a short time space leading up to the release, it would have been a sin not to give them the Oscar for the third time in a row. Amazingly, despite the hectic completion of the film, the special effects shots are still near perfect. Peter Jackson worked on “Lord of the Rings” for almost 10 years and so he deserved the ultimate prize of Best Director. Other movies that take the world by storm do get nominated for Best Picture such as “Star Wars”, “Avatar”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “E.T.” but it is very hard for them to win. Not only did “The Return of the King” win but it is the first pure fantasy film to do so. “The Lord of the Rings” broke all the rules in terms of achieving ultimate Hollywood recognition. The story of the completion of this film resembles that of other blockbusters such as “Fantasia”, “Star Wars”, “Toy Story 2” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. All of these films had to overcome trials that required them to be completed at a fast pace. Sometimes, the director would change his mind towards the end of production that would require a sprint to the finish as it were because of a set delivery date. In all the cases of these examples, the director wanted the final product to be the best that it could. When you examine the triumphs of these certain movies from Hollywood history, it seems like they earn their accomplishments due to all the hard work and passion that went in to completing them in time. In the case of “The Return of the King”, editing, sound mixing, visual effects, filming special effects shots and recording the score were all happening concurrently on different continents. Normally, post-production resembles an assembly line. But of course we aren’t talking about normal here; Jackson went all out in finishing his masterpiece. These various departments all have shinning moments throughout the film as the Best Adapted Screenplay of the year is brought to life on screen.

Husband and wife Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh were nominated for the Academy Award in 1995 for writing “Heavenly Creatures” and both of them were nominated again with Philippa Boyens for their work on “The Fellowship of the Ring”. With the adapted screenplay for “The Return of the King”, they all got their Oscars. I love their adaptation and also, many of the stories behind the scenes are noteworthy & add to my enjoyment. Many new characters from the book are eliminated from the film and I don’t mind that because we must not complicate an already epic film. Also, scenes that take place in the book "The Two Towers" are shown in the film "The Return of the King". As mentioned, this third film has five storylines. Frodo, Sam & Gollum is the first; Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli is the second; Rohan’s army is the third; those at Minas Tirith is the fourth and Arwen & Elrond is the final storyline. Just as the climaxes of the original Star Wars Trilogy had more storylines as the films went on, so does this trilogy. The opening of a sequel in “Lord of the Rings” is never what you expect. I was expecting a huge action sequence like in “The Two Towers” but instead I saw a worm. For the first few shots of the film, I was confused until Smeagol was identified. I then recognized Andy Serkis and I got excited as I realized what I was going to watch. The transformation from Smeagol to Gollum was well handled from a makeup and special effects standpoint. I love how his eyes change to CGI in the last shot to complete the transformation. I like the victory celebration at Edoras with the drinking game and Merry & Pippin’s song. Merry & Pippin are both well portrayed in the whole movie as they have some dramatic moments as well as comedic ones. The acting of Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd is wonderful as their characters rise to the occasion to help each other and Frodo. Even though these are comedic characters, the actors are able to affectively change that persona when needed. The scene where Gollum frames Sam is very important emotionally and part of it was filmed right in the middle of the filming of the first film because of the weather outdoors. They had to choose a scene to film indoors while it was raining and flooding in the area. Andy Serkis had not even been cast yet when they first started filming this scene. After filming Sean Astin’s shots, there was no rain until Christmas break and the filming of the first film went on as normal. A year later, they came back to that set that had been left up in a hotel squash court the whole time and filmed Elijah Wood’s shots to complete the scene. Despite this, the scene flows well and this shows the quality of the acting and editing. You can’t tell that the shots in this scene were filmed a year apart. This division between Sam and Frodo never happened in the book but the drama of that scene and subsequent scenes makes the movie great. Boyd wrote the song that Pippin sings during the charge on Osgiliath. It feels like it was written by Shore. The scene is dramatically constructed because of contrast between the charge, the singing and the eating. The sound is noteworthy too. Again, this moment was never in the book but it further dramatizes the relationship between Faramir and Denethor. The growth and change of Aragorn throughout the trilogy is a creation of the writers and it is a great decision. Drama and conflict occurs throughout all the movies as a result. It seems that those characters that reject Aragorn as the heir of the thrown of Gondor only further his acceptance of his destiny. He accepts his destiny fully when he takes up Anduril. I like the story of how Astin was not available when they filmed Sam’s arm coming into frame, as Shelob is about to feed on Frodo. Jackson filled in as Sam’s arm and that makes me smile. The charge of the Riders of Rohan is so powerfully portrayed and it is one of my favorite sequences. It is vast and dominant thanks to sound, acting, visual effects and music. I love the score that we hear as the charge first begins to move. The theme of Rohan is heard and it is both beautiful & powerful thanks to the return of the hardanger fiddle. The moment between Gandalf and Pippin is so moving as Gandalf talks about the afterlife. The screenplay, music and acting make the scene quite spiritual. Just when you think that Legolas can’t get any cooler, he does as he takes down the mûmak. The music gets you so pumped up. I love how he is still counting as he shoots Harad warriors from the back of the animal. In a later scene, I love the tension caused by the sound when Sam is thinking twice about returning the ring to Frodo. It shows that the ring will do anything to prevent its destruction as it uses the good desires of both characters against them. Frodo must burden the ring while Sam must protect Frodo. Fortunately, Sam gives up the ring despite the temptation to keep it away from Frodo. Funny enough, this shows Sam’s strength in a way. The vastness of Mordor is poignant as Frodo and Sam first look upon it. We come understand that the movie is far from over. Back at Minas Tirith, I love how Gimli is sitting in the steward’s chair in the throne room as Gandalf and Aragorn figure out what to do next. The filmmakers filmed the battle at the Black Gate at an ammunition-testing site of the New Zealand army. There was a slight chance of active leftover landmines in the ground and this scene required horses & fighting. Talk about scary.

“The Return of the King” has made me cry before and it was during the scene when Sam lifts Frodo on his back. The emotion stems from the score and acting. During the lines between Frodo & Sam in that scene, the film crew was running out of time and so cross-camera coverage was used so that both Wood and Astin were being filmed at the same time. This helped also with the emotion of that scene I believe. The start of the battle at the black gate is very moving as Aragorn in slow motion runs out alone soon followed by Merry and Pippin. The Fellowship theme is climatically powerful with the choir singing it. Normally at this time in filmmaking history, motion capture for a scene is done much later in another studio. This film was probably the first time that motion capture was accomplished on set during filming. They did this for only a few scenes such as the fight with Gollum before our heroes enter the Crack of Doom. Once in the mountain, Sam says near the same words that Elrond said three thousand years ago in that same location. This acts as a bookend for the entire story. The cinematography and music have a great moment in the shot when Gollum gets the ring back. When Gollum falls to his death, the sound work and acting is worth mentioning. You have ironically never seen this character so happy as when his death approaches. In the book, Gollum accidentally falls into the fire with the ring. At one point in production, they filmed Frodo pushing Gollum over the edge. Instead, on Andy Serkis’ last day, they re-filmed them fighting over the ring instead before falling over the edge. Both are fighting over the ring because they want it for themselves and as a result, the ring remains powerful right until the end. Just as in the book in a way, the ring is destroyed by accident or better yet by fate. I like how Aragorn and Arwyn during the coronation scene have a huge kiss as apposed to a tender one. I also like how Sam, after saving the world, stands up to get his girl. As pointed out, I saw this film upon my return home after two years in a third-world country. Then, a decade after I left the city of Tacloban, it was destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan. I can therefore relate to Frodo in two ways when he says, “There is no going back”. When you return home after a long period of time or after a big adventure, things will never be the same and that is an important message. On the flipside, when you return to the place of adventure, it is also not the same. The Grey Havens scene had to be filmed three times because of mistakes. Despite this, the acting remains touching and well done. I love how the last line in the book as spoken by Sam is the last line in the trilogy: “Well...I’m back.” We get a curtain call of sorts during the end credits because of Alan Lee’s drawings and I am so grateful for that. Critics of the story wonder why our heroes couldn’t just ride the eagles to Mount Doom instead of walk. My viewpoint is that the eagles in “The Lord of the Rings Trilogy” represent God’s grace. God will assist us after we have done all that we can do. The film obviously has multiple endings beginning with the ending of the battle of Minas Tirith. After such a large climatic battle, the movie feels like it is moving into a diminuendo. The ring still has to be destroyed though and a true climax is achieved as the ring is destroyed. We have other multiple endings throughout the actual diminuendo but with such a large and wonderful story, you really don’t want it to end. Jackson psychologically provides us with some satisfaction with these multiple endings. When Sam and Frodo are together as Mood Doom erupts, there is a fade out as happens at the end of other films and you become scared that the ending of the movie has happened and that our heroes died. It is a dramatic deception and it is repeated after the reuniting of the fellowship. The end of the movie marathon I did back in 2004 wore me out but I went to bed so happy that I did it. Once again, the extended version is the best way to enjoy this film due to the seamless inclusion of new and extended scenes. Filming for this movie version concluded after the film had already won the Oscar. The death of Saruman is vital from a story standpoint in that you need to see it. I understand why it was hard to find a place for it in the movies but without it, there is no resolution. Putting Christopher Lee in the final film provides a way for all cast members to appear in the final film. Theodon’s ability to forgive Wormtounge shows how good a king he is. To satisfy the comedian in me, I like to quote Jim Carrey from “Batman Forever” as Saruman falls on the spike: “Ewwww, nice form but a little rough on the landing. He may have to settle for the bronze.” Aragorn has a dramatic moment in the extended cut when he thinks he has failed to recruit the spirits of the mountain. He has accepted his destiny but it appears to have meant nothing. The Corsair ship of Umbar provided a chance for many of the filmmakers to appear on screen. I love how Jackson is shot. Gimli’s reaction makes it even more funny because I expect Gilmi to next say something like “Crap, I killed the director.” I also like the included scene when Frodo and Sam are recruited into the Mordor army. They pretend to fight to escape being drafted and it is a little humorous. The mouth of Sauron is so cool. I couldn’t tell for the longest time whether the mouth real or CGI. It turns out that it is enlarged digitally. We have a very dramatic moment when the fellowship thinks Frodo is dead but you end on a humorous note. Aragorn cuts of the head very suddenly as if he has had enough. Those kinds of moments in movies when characters act impulsively due to a built up of stress always make me laugh. The reason I find those kinds of moments funny is best explained by Gimli’s line: “I guess that concludes negotiations.”

With the changes that Jackson was making towards the end of post-production, everyone involved could have accommodated them by sacrificing quality. No one working on “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” had the heart to do that though and so post-production became an epic itself with perfection as the goal. I understand that these reviews for “Lord of the Rings” are long but as I see it, I have to cover a lot so as to prove that these movies are all near perfect. This adaptation of the story of Frodo Baggins is my second favorite fictional story behind the story of Anakin and Luke Skywalker. These films are my obviously my favorite in the fantasy genre with "The Return of the King" taking top spot and the American Film Institute has “Lord of the Rings” as number 50 in the top 100 movies of all time. Perfectionism and heart are two adjectives that are associated with these movies. The films became better as the trilogy progressed because the story was the main focus. Also, the atmosphere introduced in the first film was maintained. Every time I watch these movies, I cannot watch one film all by itself; I must watch the whole extended trilogy. I hope that my future family will enjoy these movies as I have enjoyed the original “Star Wars Trilogy”. At one point, I never thought they would adapt "The Hobbit" into a film and I accepted the fact that this story was over cinema-wise. Not only did "The Hobbit" find its way on to the big screen but Peter Jackson took up the director's chair and delievered another entertaining product.

5 Stars