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

This movie represents the culmination of the "Lord of the Rings" series and contains the most moving and meaningful scenes of the three films. I literally weeped while watching this movie. I genuinely felt a desire to be a better person because of the nobility, valor, and courage shown in this film. It's not very often that a movie inspires a person to the degree that this one did for me. I have been back to see it several times since my first viewing and I find that it still moves me every time.

The cinematography and visuals are excellent and tastefully done. The landscape shots and wide panning scenes create a feeling of actually being in Middle Earth. The action provides the movie with energy without taking away from the plot. The themes of friendship, betrayal, courage, fear, despair, hope, and endurance are evidenced brilliantly as different characters get the chance to show admirable personal qualities. Sam personifies loyalty. Frodo helps us see that even the best of us is not perfect and can be deceived. Aragorn exemplifies how, occassionally, we need to rise up and embrace our destiny. Granted, these characters and the basic story are Tolkien's but this movie compliments the core story with good drama.

As a musician, I was especially impressed with Howard Shore's score. His ability to compliment the action on screen with appropriately moving music is not to be surpassed. His use of new themes combined with reprisals of previously established ones help to create a sense of movement into the story while also giving one the feeling that there is a certain familiarity about what you are seeing. Also, the use of vocal performances by the actors within the music works quite well while normally such a move might be kind of risky.

The one complaint that this movie tends to receive is it's prolonged ending. For those who have read the books, this ending is actually a reward and shows a faithfulness to the source material that movies normally don't espouse. It also has an additional side effect. For diehard fans of the series, these movies have represented a time period in which there has been a lot of anticipation for what was to come. When the trailer for "The Fellowship of the Ring" came out, it was not unheard of for fans to buy tickets to certain movies in which the trailer was playing, watch the preview, and then leave without watching the feature presentation. People are devoted to this story. Thus, the prolonged ending gives the fans a chance to experience a parting - not only with the characters - but with the overall experience of anticipating and appreciating these films as they have come out. That having been said, still, the ending does threaten at times to become tedious and, for this reason alone, I have to give the movie a rating of 4 & 1/2 stars rather than the full five.

It is not often that we see something this inspiring coming out of Hollywood. "The Return of the King" is a majestic resolution to a series that will continue to please for years to come and it truely deserved to win the 11 Academy Awards it recently accumulated - including best picture.