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A Return Of The King Review
I must have read the trilogy three or four times since I was first introduced to it via The Hobbit back in grade-school. I am not a purist, but some of the changes Peter Jackson has made along the way weren't to my liking. For example, I didn't like the deviation in Faramir's character during the Two Towers, despite Peter Jackson's claim that he needed to create additional tension and discord beyond what Tolkien included.
The Return of the King has same flaws, but overall I thought it was a more engaging movie than the previous ones. Beware, there are a few spoilers ahead; obviously, most of the Slashdot crowd knows the story in the books, but what will follow should be considered a spoiler, as I am describing Jackson's adaptation of the book.
The movie opens at what I thought to be a strange spot - Smeagol's killing his friend for the Ring; why not put this in the first movie? I think this may have been foreshadowing one of the more prominent departures from the book: Jackson decided to increase the tension between Sam and Frodo over the Ring, with Golem playing on Frodo's Ring-induced distrust. This tension did exist in the book, but Jackson makes it more overt. Personally, I thought it was a little over the top.
Obviously, the book is too large to be made into even a three-hour movie, but I found that one large part is missing that I hoped would be covered: the Battle of Bywater. In the book, when Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin arrive back at the Shire, they discover that Saruman and his thugs have enslaved the Hobbits. I have hope that this may be added into an Extended-Edition (probably due out this time next year).
A good chunk of this movie is spent on the moments leading up to the battle, the battle itself, and the immediate aftermath. As a result, I noticed that there were a lot of speeches of the sabre-rattling kind made by principal characters that I'm sure weren't there in the book -- a kind of Holywood-ization in the Gladiator spirit. It probably makes the movie more interesting to people who haven't and won't read the book.
The humor that could be found in The Two Towers (specifically, Gimli) carries over into The Return of the King. I didn't mind the humor, though I know it's an addition that Jackson made.
Along the way, I noticed other small deviations, but I'll leave those for Tolkien fans to argue over.
Enough complaints; there were a lot of great scenes, and many of the plot lines were handled deftly by Jackson.
Shelob getting Frodo, and Sam taking him for dead, is done particularily well. Jackson didn't change much at all here, and the effects are great.
From the book, I remember a strong impression of bleakness as Sam and Frodo take the final stage of their journey to Mount Doom -- Jackson got that dead-on. Jackson does an excellent job showing the toll that the Ring is taking on Frodo.
The battle outside the walls of Minas Tirith puts the battle of Helm's Deep to shame. The high walls of the city built into the cliff, with a huge army of orcs outside the walls, have to be seen to be believed. I don't actually remember any in-depth description of the battle outside Gondor (in fact, I don't remember any great battle depictions from any of the books -- bad memory?), but Jackson does a great job of providing one. The trebuchets are particularily engaging.
Overall, I would have to say that this was my favorite of the three movies. The movie was a little more grim, a little darker, and showed some of the violence and fighting in a more disturbing fashion. I am hoping that some of what I perceived as shortcomings will be fixed in the Extended Edition (the Two Towers's Extended Edition was a much better movie that the theatre version). I can't wait to see it again.
penis! yay, penis!!!
The inevitable question: what did he expect in return?
Me = not seeing ROTK. Fuck Vigo Mortenson and his America-hating ass [1]. Fuck the Gay cock-sucking Gandalf actor. And fuck making stupid dumb-ass movies that cut the story to shreds.
[1] Did you see Vigo on Charlie Rose this spring? What an asshole!
By running out and buying tickets to The Lord of the Rings. (A chunk of the ticket price goes to the MPAA.)
/. can go back to damning the MPAA.
Then, later on, the readership of
Meanwhile the MPAA will keep chuckling at how the money you spent to go to The Lord of the Rings is how they will buy the next opressive set of laws.
I never understand all of the dumb Lord of the Rings-related articles on this site. I think the movies are stupid. Start posting reviews for the next action thriller instead.
I'm fortunate in that I have a friend who works for EA, and whose girlfriend couldn't make it to the screening.
Unfortunately, my friend expected me to swallow.
Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week.
and kept the niggers out.
Niggers have no place in White, Western European Folklore.
One thousand years ago niggers were eating each other in Africoon and
smearing shit in their hair, just exactly like they do now, in Atlanta, and in "da muddafuggaland"..
Let's for once, have something White that's not spoiled by the appearance of sub-human negroid anthropoids.
Thank you. This has been a public service announcement from your local nigger control board.
Have a nice, nigger free day!
That's one of the gayer things I've read on Slashdot today.
Yeah, pussy! Not that I had one today (it's 3:44 in Germany now, btw).
But pussy anyway. At least I got drunk and can't sleep now.
Stupid cocksuckers.
Seeing Lord of the Fags is a treat? It looks like a shitty over-hyped movie to me, just like Star Wars, Harry Potter, et al. People that are so obsessed with a movie that they buy the limited DVD with 16 hours of "deleted scenes" and whatnot are total dorks. Go outside. Do something.
Further, what happened to "fuck the MPAA" and all that? Isn't buying every fucking little piece of merchandise is hardly "standing ground" against them.
Yeah, like I give a fuck what you and your wannabee-hobbit friends think.
Watching this film will cure cancer. It will cause your zits to fade away, leaving a smooth, youthful complexion. If you have seen this film, naked women will throw themselves at your feet. If you buy a ticket to this film, you will Make Money Fast. Buying this film on DVD will extend your lifespan by 10 years, and your IQ will go up 10 points. Telling people the ending of this film (even if they've already read the book) will cause you to develop toe fungus, arterial blockages, and brain tumors. If you do leave the theater before the credits are completed, you will go blind. God lives in New Zealand.
-Dan You can't spell "pedantic" without "dan"
I love the word "pedantic" because to use it is to be it. It instantly makes a hypocrit of anyone who makes the accusation.
-Otto you can't spell Otto without OT