you tell 'em, Jason...
you tell 'em, Jason...
(by the way, they won every damn oscar they were nominated for... *cheers*)
RETURN OF THE KING
short,
spoiler-free, hopefully coherent review, which was actually written back in
January but is just now making it to the public eye:
I’m hesitant to even do this, since much of what I write will probably just reinforce everything you’ve heard about this movie. I would like to avoid the words “awesome, incredible, amazing” if possible, because to me they just seem generic. I watched MTV’s New Year’s thing last night on TV (not by my own free will) and if I have to hear how “awesome” New York is, or how “awesome” the falling confetti looked, or how “awesome” Simple Plan is (now there’s a case of great exaggeration) I think I may puke.
But I digress. I’ve seen Return of the King four times now, and the only thing I can think of to say is this: Wow. [Author's note: I saw ROTK in the theaters seven times, and countless many more on my DVD... hehe]
The first time I saw it, I was nearly shaking I was so excited. It was the 17th, at 4:00, and I was lucky that I’d bought our tickets in advance, because every showing at the theater was sold out by the time we arrived at 3:00. Actually, due to some informal research, I’m pretty sure every single showing at every theater in Lexington sold out. No joke.
So we wait in line (we were probably between 30-40 people back) and watch as the line behind us grows. We were let in around 3:45 and I immediately raced up several rows and got us two middle seats. Perfect. My friend John sat on my left, and a strange goth guy sat down to my right. Knowing that the movie was well over three hours, I had deprived myself of fluids all day so I was good to go.
After the lights went down, we suffered through about 10 commercials before we even made it to the previews. I’m an advertising major, and this even pisses me off. After that, we had to endure at least six movie previews – the ones I remember were Harry Potter, Spider-Man 2, Sky Captain, The Chronicles of Riddick, and the absolute worst, some ridiculously angsty Ashton Kutcher movie called The Butterfly Effect. ‘Stop this shit already!’ I felt like screaming. ‘Get on with the show!’ I think the goth guy agreed.
Finally, the lights dimmed, and the familiar Howard Shore score began. For the next three hours and fifteen minutes (give or take a few minutes) I was enthralled. As John said later, in disbelief, “I don’t think you even moved once!”
This movie has a little of everything. It’s a fantasy, yet so strongly grounded in reality that the characters and events feel real. You can relate with these people, like Sam (frustrated that his friend can’t see what’s in front of his own eyes), Aragorn (learning to accept the responsibilities that are his future), and Eowyn (desperate for an escape and brokenhearted).
It’s emotional. Despite the fact that only one main character dies (at least on-screen), as the movie inches towards its climax you feel pulled back and forth between exalted victory and despair. Pity and sorrow, for poor Frodo, who slips further and away from the carefree hobbit we first met in the Shire. I teared up several times during the movie – but the time I nearly lost it was hearing the score change on the trek up Mount Doom – Howard Shore cleverly reworks the hobbits’ theme from FOTR and slips it into the music, just as we see Frodo and Sam struggling to complete their task. It was so beautiful and perfectly done – the juxtaposition of their terrible situation, shaky camerawork, and that beautiful, haunting melody – I had to get out the Kleenex. And what’s more, the goth guy next to me did, too.
It’s got action. Holy shit, does it have action. The battle of Pelennor Fields alone is enough to make any fight-hungry guy (or girl) drool with delight. Peter Jackson fills this scene with a veritable menagerie of beasts and baddies. Orcs, orcs, and more orcs, marching towards Minas Tirith. Trolls, pushing the catapults onto the battlefield. The Nazgul, riding their Fell Beasts, swooping down on the field and city. Huge rhino-like creatures even lugged Grond up to the gate. And the Mumakil!
Jackson is fond of using extremely close, shaky camerawork to show the chaos of battle. It works, though it can get a little dizzying. But he splices this with sweeping long views of the battle, and thanks to the technology known as MASSIVE, we see breathtaking moments like the Rohirrim charging into battle at full clip. That was the other time during the movie I nearly bawled – hearing the Rohirrim blow their battle horns, and then seeing their huge-but-not-huge-enough army covering the hillside. It absolutely sent shivers down my spine.
I felt that most of the characters were drawn out more in this movie than in TTT. Despite the epic action sequences, it’s very emotionally involving. I cared about these characters; ALL of them. That’s unusual for me – usually in movies the main protagonist is the only one I give a damn about (and sometimes, not even then! ;)) As this is the spoiler-free review, I’ll refrain from discussing specific character moments. Everyone gets their chance to shine, but especially Frodo and Sam.
The look of the film itself – the sets, costumes, landscapes, lighting, etc. – is just gorgeous. Everything is so finely detailed (of course, anyone who’s watched FOTR EE knows about the detail!) and feels real. It really feels like history unfolding before your eyes – these events really happened, long, long ago. And that’s so hard to do with a fantasy or sci-fi movie, I think. Oftentimes I watch movies and all I can think about is how fake the set looks, or how dumb the costumes are. Not a problem with LOTR – they’ve done their research, and thanks to tons of talent and that enormous budget, the result is nothing short of reality.
I read many reviews
online, but one really sticks out in my mind; it really spoke to me. The
reviewer was talking about Cold Mountain, and how she just couldn't get into
that movie, despite it being a movie she would normally love. Something was
lacking, she said, and she realized what it was. To quote her: "But mostly, the
problem is this: I've seen Samwise Gamgee carrying Frodo Baggins up the slopes
of Mount Doom. I've seen Faramir, captain of Gondor, ride to what he believes
will be his death merely to earn the love of his father. I've seen Peregrin Took
leap onto a burning pyre to save a dying man he doesn't know in repayment for a
debt owed that man's dead brother. I've seen an entire world shrink into
molecules of fading hope and acts of selfless love. After that, how can the
troubles of one Confederate soldier and one Southern belle amount to even a hill
of beans in this crazy world? Nothing they can say could upset me." That pretty
much sums up my feelings, too -- it's like nothing else can possibly compare. To
read her full review, go
here.
When it was all over, I was so depressed. I immediately
wanted to go see it again, but even John has his limits. I walked out of the
theater exhausted, exhilarated, glad that it had come to a conclusion but
saddened that it was over. Unbelievable. What am I going to do at Christmas from
now on? I have nothing to look forward to. Who has the rights to the Silmarillion?? Let’s keep making these Tolkien movies. ; )
Bring on ROTK EE!