Post by The Candyman on Aug 5, 2005 15:40:09 GMT -5
Quote: "From the ash, a fire will be woken. A light from the darkness shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that is broken. The crownless again shall be king. "
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen
Director: Peter Jackson
Rating: PG-13
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I would like to begin by saying: Thank you Mr. Jackson. Thank you for making the Fellowship of the Ring. Thank you for making The Two Towers. Thank you for making a concluding chapter that does not disappoint! I am pleased to write that the finale of this trilogy is just as good as the first two installments, if not better than both of them.
Whereas the first film focused on emotion and character development, and the second was more action-oriented, the third movie combines both into one incredible package. Everything is more epic in scope than the first two installments combined. I cannot describe what seeing this film is like. If Peter Jackson does not win every award possible at the Academy Awards, there is no justice in the world. It’s that good.
The acting is about the same as it was during the first two movies. Everyone’s ability is just about the same, so there are no standouts. Except for one. And by that, I mean Sean Astin. This movie gives him a chance to really shine. I truly felt for Sam as he continued to help the ever-decaying Frodo through Mordor to Mount Doom. By the end, I knew at least one thing for certain: Sam’s da man.
The other thing I can say about this movie is that it’s big. Really big. It’s longer than the first two installments (3 hours and 20 minutes – the Extended Edition will be more than 4). The action has stepped up a few notches. The battle of Pelennor Fields will have you saying, “Did I just see what I think I saw?” We get the forces of Gondor, Rohan and the rest of Middle-Earth fighting for survival against hundreds of thousands of Sauron’s forces. There is so much happening on the screen at one time that I will definitely have to go watch it again. There are trolls, orcs, catapults and these really big elephants known as oliphaunts (creative, eh?) all trying their hardest to take down the last real stronghold of man – the glorious city of Minas Tirith. And glorious it is. It’s just plain huge! At last we get to see what the towers of Gondor are really like, and they do not disappoint.
The action is so intense and with so many HG moments (Legolas + oliphaunt = wow) that I’m surprised it got a PG-13 rating. People are getting crushed by boulders, stomped by large creatures, heads are literally flying…it’s stunning. This is quite possibly the greatest and most epic battle in cinema history. Helm’s Deep is still amazing, but I think this just might surpass it.
The special effects are groundbreaking once again. Gollum is still amazing – in the close-up shots I could have sworn he was real. Although some things are obviously fake (the trolls in the Minas Tirith battle, for example) they are easily overlooked. The Army of the Dead is just plain awesome. It almost makes me want to be a zombie. The visuals are as good as, if not better than, the final battle in the Matrix trilogy. And that is a good thing.
Character-wise, there’s tons of development. We meet Denethor, the Steward (temporary leader) of Gondor, as well as the father of Boromir and Faramir, who’s gone insane. Pippin and Merry are split up after the “fool of a Tuk” looks into Saruman’s palantir. Sam and Frodo walk into Gollum’s trap. Shelob (you’ll have to have read the books to know what I’m talking about) does not disappoint. Eowyn turns warrior. Aragorn finally accepts his destiny (what did you think would happen?) and commands an Army of the Dead in one spectacular scene. And Gandalf gets to kick some major butt with his staff! Oh yeah. The characters are strongly developed and you’ll be applauding by the end.
Unfortunately, this film does have a few flaws. For starters, they left out a ton of things from the book (must like they did with the first movie). Now, if you haven’t read the books, you won’t really care. But if you have, you’ll wish they would have thrown them in because they really help add depth to the story. However, it’s understandable that everything could not be included – the first half of the movie is taken from the end of the Two Towers book. This will also probably be fixed once the Extended Edition DVD is released.
Also, it drags on a little too long. There are about five different endings, and I’m not kidding. The screen will fade to black for a few seconds, and you’ll think it’s over, but then it will fade back in again. It’s this type of transition that gets annoying. Why they didn’t just cut right into the next scene, I don’t know. The result is that you’ll think it’s over when it’s not. People were getting up and leaving the theater. Plus, at least one of the last scenes is incredibly corny – you’ll know which one I’m talking about – and really has no purpose being in the movie at all. It’s so hokey I almost laughed out loud.
However, these flaws are easily overlooked. Overall, the Return of the King is a masterpiece. Is it better than the book? It’s hard to say. Is it better than the first two? That’s also hard to say. But it is a fantastic end to an incredible journey. When the credits finally appeared, I had a startling realization. This is it. The three-year journey is over. And I, for one, can’t help but feel a bit sad that it has ended. It fully deserves a 9/10.
The Bottom Line: It deserves to win Best Picture, even with a few flaws.
Should I see it? Run to the theater and get your ticket. Now.
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen
Director: Peter Jackson
Rating: PG-13
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like to begin by saying: Thank you Mr. Jackson. Thank you for making the Fellowship of the Ring. Thank you for making The Two Towers. Thank you for making a concluding chapter that does not disappoint! I am pleased to write that the finale of this trilogy is just as good as the first two installments, if not better than both of them.
Whereas the first film focused on emotion and character development, and the second was more action-oriented, the third movie combines both into one incredible package. Everything is more epic in scope than the first two installments combined. I cannot describe what seeing this film is like. If Peter Jackson does not win every award possible at the Academy Awards, there is no justice in the world. It’s that good.
The acting is about the same as it was during the first two movies. Everyone’s ability is just about the same, so there are no standouts. Except for one. And by that, I mean Sean Astin. This movie gives him a chance to really shine. I truly felt for Sam as he continued to help the ever-decaying Frodo through Mordor to Mount Doom. By the end, I knew at least one thing for certain: Sam’s da man.
The other thing I can say about this movie is that it’s big. Really big. It’s longer than the first two installments (3 hours and 20 minutes – the Extended Edition will be more than 4). The action has stepped up a few notches. The battle of Pelennor Fields will have you saying, “Did I just see what I think I saw?” We get the forces of Gondor, Rohan and the rest of Middle-Earth fighting for survival against hundreds of thousands of Sauron’s forces. There is so much happening on the screen at one time that I will definitely have to go watch it again. There are trolls, orcs, catapults and these really big elephants known as oliphaunts (creative, eh?) all trying their hardest to take down the last real stronghold of man – the glorious city of Minas Tirith. And glorious it is. It’s just plain huge! At last we get to see what the towers of Gondor are really like, and they do not disappoint.
The action is so intense and with so many HG moments (Legolas + oliphaunt = wow) that I’m surprised it got a PG-13 rating. People are getting crushed by boulders, stomped by large creatures, heads are literally flying…it’s stunning. This is quite possibly the greatest and most epic battle in cinema history. Helm’s Deep is still amazing, but I think this just might surpass it.
The special effects are groundbreaking once again. Gollum is still amazing – in the close-up shots I could have sworn he was real. Although some things are obviously fake (the trolls in the Minas Tirith battle, for example) they are easily overlooked. The Army of the Dead is just plain awesome. It almost makes me want to be a zombie. The visuals are as good as, if not better than, the final battle in the Matrix trilogy. And that is a good thing.
Character-wise, there’s tons of development. We meet Denethor, the Steward (temporary leader) of Gondor, as well as the father of Boromir and Faramir, who’s gone insane. Pippin and Merry are split up after the “fool of a Tuk” looks into Saruman’s palantir. Sam and Frodo walk into Gollum’s trap. Shelob (you’ll have to have read the books to know what I’m talking about) does not disappoint. Eowyn turns warrior. Aragorn finally accepts his destiny (what did you think would happen?) and commands an Army of the Dead in one spectacular scene. And Gandalf gets to kick some major butt with his staff! Oh yeah. The characters are strongly developed and you’ll be applauding by the end.
Unfortunately, this film does have a few flaws. For starters, they left out a ton of things from the book (must like they did with the first movie). Now, if you haven’t read the books, you won’t really care. But if you have, you’ll wish they would have thrown them in because they really help add depth to the story. However, it’s understandable that everything could not be included – the first half of the movie is taken from the end of the Two Towers book. This will also probably be fixed once the Extended Edition DVD is released.
Also, it drags on a little too long. There are about five different endings, and I’m not kidding. The screen will fade to black for a few seconds, and you’ll think it’s over, but then it will fade back in again. It’s this type of transition that gets annoying. Why they didn’t just cut right into the next scene, I don’t know. The result is that you’ll think it’s over when it’s not. People were getting up and leaving the theater. Plus, at least one of the last scenes is incredibly corny – you’ll know which one I’m talking about – and really has no purpose being in the movie at all. It’s so hokey I almost laughed out loud.
However, these flaws are easily overlooked. Overall, the Return of the King is a masterpiece. Is it better than the book? It’s hard to say. Is it better than the first two? That’s also hard to say. But it is a fantastic end to an incredible journey. When the credits finally appeared, I had a startling realization. This is it. The three-year journey is over. And I, for one, can’t help but feel a bit sad that it has ended. It fully deserves a 9/10.
The Bottom Line: It deserves to win Best Picture, even with a few flaws.
Should I see it? Run to the theater and get your ticket. Now.