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Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)(Widescreen)(2 DVD Set)
Movie: Four Stars
DVD: Three Stars
It's official: director Peter Jackson has pulled off the cinematic equivalent of a miracle with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the last and indisputably best film in his epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy trilogy. This sweeping and marvelously entertaining adventure is the work of a prodigiously gifted filmmaker operating at the very top of his creative powers. There are moments of truly jaw-dropping spectacle in LOTR: The Return of the King, but the film's astonishing visuals never overwhelm the characters or the densely plotted narrative. A beautifully sustained model of escapist filmmaking that swept this year's Oscars, LOTR: The Return of the King comes to DVD in a two-disc set packed with extras.
Like the two other films in the trilogy, LOTR: The Return of the King is a sprawling tale that resists pat synopsis. As the film begins, the Fellowship of the Ring remains divided. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his faithful sidekick Sam (Sean Astin) are slowly making their way through Mordor towards Mount Doom; they are accompanied by the treacherous Gollum (Andy Serkis), who's plotting to steal the Ring before Frodo destroys it. Meanwhile, Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) have allied with Theoden (Bernard Hill) of Rohan to halt Sauron's forces in their tracks. Thanks to their efforts, the kingdom of Rohan has been spared. Sauron, of course, is not so easily vanquished. All signs point to the city of Minas Tirith in Gondor as the next target of Sauron's terrible wrath. For Aragorn, Minas Tirith holds special resonance. He is the rightful heir to Gondor's throne, which has been empty for years. Instead of a king, Gondor has been under the ineffectual stewardship of the petty Denethor (John Noble). But if Gondor falls, then Middle Earth will be lost to Sauron forever. As Aragorn, Gandalf, and Legolas summon their allies to meet Sauron's forces head-on, Frodo and Sam struggle to reach the top of fiery Mount Doom, where Frodo must fulfill his date with destiny.
For audiences unfamiliar with Tolkien's Middle Earth of hobbits, elves, wizards, and the armies of the dark lord Sauron, LOTR: The Return of the King will probably leave them scratching their heads in confusion (Cliffs Notes should be provided in the lobby for the uninitiated). Yet Jackson's command of the material is so assured that even if you can't tell a hobbit from a dwarf, you'll be swept up in the film's enthralling depiction of the battle between good and evil. The undeniable highlight of the film is the siege of Gondor's capital Minas Tirith, which surpasses the brilliantly staged assault on Helm's Deep in LOTR: The Twin Towers (2002). Thousands of Sauron's forces converge on the beleaguered city from land, air, and sea in a sequence that makes the otherwise impressive finale of Matrix Revolutions (2003) look downright puny in comparison.
Although LOTR: The Return of the King is a technical marvel, it is the film's literate screenplay and finely developed characters that elevate it above other fantasy films. In a strong ensemble cast headed by Wood (The Ice Storm) and McKellen (Gods and Monsters), three actors particularly stand out. As the voice of the tortured Gollum, Andy Serkis (24 Hour Party People) nearly steals the movie. Astin (Rudy) makes for a brave and steadfast sidekick to Wood, and Mortensen cuts a properly heroic figure as the man who would be king. A last-minute addition to the cast—Stuart Towsend was originally cast as Aragorn, but fired soon after production began—the chisel-featured Mortensen looks born to play the noble warrior whose heart belongs to the ethereally beautiful elf princess Arwen (Liv Tyler).
DVD DETAILS
While it contains several extras and offers some interesting details about J.R.R. Tolkien, the LOTR: The Return of the King DVD is somewhat of a letdown. There's no director's commentary, and two of the segments—"The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision" and "A Filmmaker's Journey: Making Return of the King"—use many of the same clips and sound bytes from the cast and crew. That said, there's still some fascinating trivia in each segment, particularly "A Filmmaker's Journey: Making Return of the King." Apparently, Tolkien long resisted previous attempts to film his trilogy; in the 1960s, the author vetoed a proposed film version starring The Beatles, with John Lennon in the role of Gollum! This segment also examines how Tolkien's experiences in both world wars informed his writing of the trilogy.
Of the DVD's other special features, which include the film's various trailers, Internet segments and a video game preview, the one most worth catching is National Geographic: Beyond the Movie: Return of the King. It may seem a little odd for the venerable National Geographic to focus on a fantasy film, but this documentary draws some surprisingly valid parallels between Tolkien's characters and real-life historical figures, i.e., Aragorn and 13th century Scottish rebel leader William Wallace of Braveheart fame.
A good, not great DVD, in terms of supplemental materials, LOTR: The Return of the King nevertheless makes a fine addition to any movie lover's DVD collection.
— TIM KNIGHT
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Movie: Four Stars
DVD: Three Stars
It's official: director Peter Jackson has pulled off the cinematic equivalent of a miracle with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the last and indisputably best film in his epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy trilogy. This sweeping and marvelously entertaining adventure is the work of a prodigiously gifted filmmaker operating at the very top of his creative powers. There are moments of truly jaw-dropping spectacle in LOTR: The Return of the King, but the film's astonishing visuals never overwhelm the characters or the densely plotted narrative. A beautifully sustained model of escapist filmmaking that swept this year's Oscars, LOTR: The Return of the King comes to DVD in a two-disc set packed with extras.
Like the two other films in the trilogy, LOTR: The Return of the King is a sprawling tale that resists pat synopsis. As the film begins, the Fellowship of the Ring remains divided. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his faithful sidekick Sam (Sean Astin) are slowly making their way through Mordor towards Mount Doom; they are accompanied by the treacherous Gollum (Andy Serkis), who's plotting to steal the Ring before Frodo destroys it. Meanwhile, Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) have allied with Theoden (Bernard Hill) of Rohan to halt Sauron's forces in their tracks. Thanks to their efforts, the kingdom of Rohan has been spared. Sauron, of course, is not so easily vanquished. All signs point to the city of Minas Tirith in Gondor as the next target of Sauron's terrible wrath. For Aragorn, Minas Tirith holds special resonance. He is the rightful heir to Gondor's throne, which has been empty for years. Instead of a king, Gondor has been under the ineffectual stewardship of the petty Denethor (John Noble). But if Gondor falls, then Middle Earth will be lost to Sauron forever. As Aragorn, Gandalf, and Legolas summon their allies to meet Sauron's forces head-on, Frodo and Sam struggle to reach the top of fiery Mount Doom, where Frodo must fulfill his date with destiny.
For audiences unfamiliar with Tolkien's Middle Earth of hobbits, elves, wizards, and the armies of the dark lord Sauron, LOTR: The Return of the King will probably leave them scratching their heads in confusion (Cliffs Notes should be provided in the lobby for the uninitiated). Yet Jackson's command of the material is so assured that even if you can't tell a hobbit from a dwarf, you'll be swept up in the film's enthralling depiction of the battle between good and evil. The undeniable highlight of the film is the siege of Gondor's capital Minas Tirith, which surpasses the brilliantly staged assault on Helm's Deep in LOTR: The Twin Towers (2002). Thousands of Sauron's forces converge on the beleaguered city from land, air, and sea in a sequence that makes the otherwise impressive finale of Matrix Revolutions (2003) look downright puny in comparison.
Although LOTR: The Return of the King is a technical marvel, it is the film's literate screenplay and finely developed characters that elevate it above other fantasy films. In a strong ensemble cast headed by Wood (The Ice Storm) and McKellen (Gods and Monsters), three actors particularly stand out. As the voice of the tortured Gollum, Andy Serkis (24 Hour Party People) nearly steals the movie. Astin (Rudy) makes for a brave and steadfast sidekick to Wood, and Mortensen cuts a properly heroic figure as the man who would be king. A last-minute addition to the cast—Stuart Towsend was originally cast as Aragorn, but fired soon after production began—the chisel-featured Mortensen looks born to play the noble warrior whose heart belongs to the ethereally beautiful elf princess Arwen (Liv Tyler).
DVD DETAILS
While it contains several extras and offers some interesting details about J.R.R. Tolkien, the LOTR: The Return of the King DVD is somewhat of a letdown. There's no director's commentary, and two of the segments—"The Quest Fulfilled: A Director's Vision" and "A Filmmaker's Journey: Making Return of the King"—use many of the same clips and sound bytes from the cast and crew. That said, there's still some fascinating trivia in each segment, particularly "A Filmmaker's Journey: Making Return of the King." Apparently, Tolkien long resisted previous attempts to film his trilogy; in the 1960s, the author vetoed a proposed film version starring The Beatles, with John Lennon in the role of Gollum! This segment also examines how Tolkien's experiences in both world wars informed his writing of the trilogy.
Of the DVD's other special features, which include the film's various trailers, Internet segments and a video game preview, the one most worth catching is National Geographic: Beyond the Movie: Return of the King. It may seem a little odd for the venerable National Geographic to focus on a fantasy film, but this documentary draws some surprisingly valid parallels between Tolkien's characters and real-life historical figures, i.e., Aragorn and 13th century Scottish rebel leader William Wallace of Braveheart fame.
A good, not great DVD, in terms of supplemental materials, LOTR: The Return of the King nevertheless makes a fine addition to any movie lover's DVD collection.
— TIM KNIGHT
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use | Legal Notice | Copyright © 2005 Hollywood Management Company
Content | Help | About Reel.com
