The Lord Of The Rings

The Return Of The King (2003)

  Plot Summary

Sauron's huge army of Orcs threaten to destroy mankind in a final battle at the city of Minas Tirith.  The different nations must unite to fight, but their plight looks hopeless against the power of Sauron.  The people need hope and leadership and it is time for Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) to fulfil his destiny as King.  With the help of the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) an army is gathered to defend the city of Minas Tirith.  All is in vain if the powerful but evil gold ring that threatens to control and ruin mankind is not destroyed.

The task of destroying this gold ring has been given to two Hobbits, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin).  The ring can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, a dangerous place full of evil and darkness; the home of Sauron.  The Hobbits are weak and tired from their journey.  They are small and ill-equipped for fighting and their guide, "Gollum", cannot be trusted.  The chances of making it to Mount Doom are slim...

Review

This is the final movie in the trilogy depicting the epic novel, The Lord of The Rings by JRR Tolkien.  The Lord of The Rings is actually made up of three books, The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King.  Three movies were made back-to-back.  The first movie, The Fellowship Of The Ring, was brilliant; the second movie, The Two Towers was great and the now the final movie The Return Of The King is awesome!

This final movie continues to re-create a wonderful fantasy world, with imaginative places and creatures.  As in the first two movies the magic of this fantasy world is brilliantly captured, in fantastic detail, with the help of breathtaking scenery, fantastic sets, costumes, makeup and special effects.  The city of Minas Tirith which is build in stone, in the side of a mountain, is brilliantly depicted.  The battle scenes are visually stunning and the enormous scale of the production is apparent.

The story moves along at a fast pace but takes some "time out" to introduce and develop characters.  Familiar characters like Gandalf,  Aragorn, Sam, Gollum, and Pippin are developed further.  There is plenty of action but the action doesn't prevent the story from moving along.  The scope of JRR Tolkien's book was huge and while not everything could be followed exactly as in the book I think that even the more avid fans of the book, including myself, will agree that this was more that you could hope for!

There is a fantastic cast in the movie to portray a huge array of interesting characters.  Strong performances are given "all round" and each of them play their part to make this movie special.  After three movies a lot of the characters and actors/actresses are now household names.

The Bottom Line:  Its been a fantastic adventure and I'm sorry that it's over!

Lasting thought:  HOPE!  Even the most insignificant of us can make a difference!

Reviewed by Niall Quinn, Premier Movie Reviews 2003

Genre: Fantasy Action/Adventure

Certificate: 12's

Director: Peter Jackson

~ Main Cast ~

Elijah Wood

Viggo Mortensen

Sean Astin

Ian McKellen

Orlando Bloom

John Rhys-Davies

Billy Boyd

Dominic Monaghan

Hugo Weaving

David Wenhen

Liv Tyler

RATING

MUST BE SEEN