The Return of the King at 20

Aragon drinks from a chalice offered him by Eowyn.  We are led to believe this relationship will blossom.  The Christ-like imagery is obvious in this beautifully lit and composed shot by Jackson.

[My review of The Fellowship of the Ring]  [My review of The Two Towers]

A worm and hook.  A young Smeagol (Gollum) is fishing and we are introduced to how the One Ring came to him, in murder on his birthday.  We witness how the Ring completely possessed him over time.  It was a gradual, grotesque transformation at first.  “We forgot the sound of the trees.”  All in the name of “my precious.”  This is a terrific touch by Jackson.  This backstory is told at the Council of Elrond in the novels.  Holding on to it until here in the films gives it the proper weight.  It is a huge event in the grand narrative.  Everyone thinks of how Bilbo got the Ring.  But how Gollum came to have it is even more important.

As he leads Sam and Frodo on to Mordor, we are treated to a wonderful extended scene where the suddenly reunited Fellowship (plus King Theoden and Treebeard) resist the clever words and tone of Saruman.  The fallen wizard meets his end at the hands of Grima, of all people.  His resulting fall from the top of Orthanc onto a large wooden spike that impels him is an obvious touch of Jackson gore.  Working in the palantir here is wonderfully done.  A great extended scene.

We are treated to a Rohirrim drinking game, which is the first fun anyone has had since the first film.  Gimili drinks himself silly and passes out.  Legolas is barely effected (Elves apparently don't drink but alcohol doesn't do much to them anyway).  Eowyn offers Aragorn a cup to drink which he accepts with eye contact and slight religious undertones.  We are lead to believe this will develop into something.  Aragorn believes Arwen is leaving and Eowyn is so desiring.  Theoden is sure of it.  Jackson is playing this would-be relationship up a bit but he does so wisely.  It is beautifully shot and edited.

Meanwhile, Sam fights Gollum after hearing him carelessly talking to himself (which he does all the time – the Smeagol/Gollum bipolarity) about taking the Ring after the hobbits meet their impending demise on the secret stairway path to which he is leading them.  This is an important moment.  Clearly, Sam was the aggressor here and Frodo feels pity for Gollum, knowing as he does the weight of the Ring and that Gollum once bore.  This perfectly captures the complex psychology that began unfolding between Sam and Frodo at the end of the second film, when Frodo almost killed Sam.  Now, Frodo begins to question Sam's behavior toward Gollum.  This is a critical part of the story and Jackson nails it completely in the manner he slowly scene by scene allows this to develop.

The palantir scene is outstanding.  From Pippin's stealing it from a sleeping Gandalf to Aragorn revealing himself to the Dark Lord Sauron, the power and the horror of this encounter with evil is deeply evocative.  Pippin's aftermath telling to Gandalf of what he saw is gentle and forgiving...and terrifying.  The hobbit is speaking of things that the audience knows but are beyond his experience.  The audience is told of the importance of the moment.  Sauron knows the “heir of Elendil” is present.  He saw him in the palantir.  This weighs on Sauron's mind and will speed the coming of war.  Another marvelous Jackson moment.

Just as we are ratcheting up the tension, we cut to Arwen.  She is leaving Middle-earth.  But then she catches a glimpse of her possible future.  She sees a child and knows it is Aragorn's...and hers.  She quickly returns to Rivendell.  She will die from grief without Aragorn.  Throughout the wider tales of Tolkien several grieving Elves die.  Though immortal they can be killed and can perish of their on accord.  The light is leaving her.  This serves as motivation for Elrond to command the reforging of Narsil, Elendil's sword that was shattered in battle against Sauron as told at the beginning of the film trilogy.   

Gandalf and Pippin arrive at Minus Tirith to see Denethor, the Steward of Gondor,  It is a glorious city to behold.  A monument to the ancient glory of Gondor.  The meeting does not go as planned.  Instead of getting Denethor to “light the beacons” to signal the call to Rohan for aid, Pippin has clumsily offered to be the Steward's personal aide. Denethor is played perfectly by John Noble.  I was hoping that the extended edition would feature Denethor's connection with Sauron through the palantir at the city of kings, but I was disappointed.  We see Denethor's grief, pessimism and resignation but we attribute it only to the death of his firstborn son, Boromir.  Jackson does not tell us that, like Saruman, Denethor was impacted by communicating directly with the Dark Lord through a seeing stone.  It is a missed opportunity in The Return of the King.  Nevertheless, the bereaved and psychotic father is accurately depicted.

Frodo feels more weariness and foreboding as they approach Mordor.  Sam remains optimistic and supportive.  In the first two films, Sam's quaint, upbeat manner was met by a smile on Frodo's face or even a laugh.  Now Frodo just stares blankly at Sam, profoundly fatigued.  It is a subtle but effective change.  They end up at Minas Morgol, the tower of the Witch-king.  Gandalf tells us of its power as he explains to Pippin the superior strength of this member of the nine Nazgûl.  This is important information for what comes later.

Gollum leads Sam and Frodo up the secret rock stairway path as the gates to Minas Morgul open and an Orc army bellows forth (due to Sauron seeing Aragorn in the palantir earlier).  Pippin is sent by Gandalf to light the beacons himself.  It is an odd choice.  Why entrust the clumsy immature hobbit?  But Gandalf understands the strengths these halflings possess.  More importantly, he trusts Pippin's simple purity, cleverness and commitment to duty.  

The advance from Minas Morgul catches Faramir off-guard and he has to regroup.  The ensuing fight for Osgiliath is a sharp and visually bloody defeat.  Pippin manages to set the first beacon afire.  The others follow in a chain reaction as we soar along the majestic mountaintops of Middle-earth.  Upon seeing this, King Theoden orders the Rohirrim to organize and ride to the aid of Gondor.  Faramir retreats as flying Ringwraiths (including the Witch-king) harass the withdrawal.  Gothmog, an Orc and chief lieutenant of Minas Morgul, proclaims the age of the Orcs has come.  Gandalf, rather ridiculously carrying Pippin along with him for absolutely no apparent reason (a demerit), gallops on Shadowfax, chasing the Ringwraiths away with light from his powerful staff.

Denethor is displeased with Faramir's performance.  He is especially angry that Faramir let the Ring go into Mordor of all places.  (It does seem counter-intuitive.)  His father orders the second-born son to retake the fallen city, an almost certain death.  Meanwhile, Gollum works on Frodo's mind against Sam, claiming that Sam actually wants the Ring for himself.  Frodo, diminished, for the first time listens to his counsel.

When Gollum secretly tosses the remaining Elven lembas bread over the cliff, he is met with a ferocious Sam who fights him without actually knowing if he did anything.  Nerves are starting the fray.  Frodo sees Sam's aggression and starts to believe what Gollum has been saying.  Then it happens.  Sam, moved by the depths of Frodo's suffering, suggests that he might carry the Ring for Frodo.  To lessen the load.  Frodo snaps, thinking Sam wants to take the Ring for himself, and tragically sends him away much to Gollum's glee and Sam's complete existential dissolution.  This dynamic is masterfully handled by Jackson.

Arwen sees a vision of her future son with Aragorn and changes her mind about leaving Middle-earth.

On Shadowfax, Gandalf and Pippin approach the ancient Gondorean capital city of Minas Tirith.

Gandalf come to the aid of Faramir's retreating forces after losing the battle for Osgiliath.

Aragorn summons the dead to do his biding and end the curse Isildur placed upon them.

The Rohirrim gather but not as many as Theoden had hoped.  Aragorn is haunted by dreams of Arwen perishing.  But he is awakened and summoned to Theoden's tent where he meets...Elrond and is presented with the reforged sword, now called Arundil.  Elrond knows the only hope to save his daughter is for Aragorn to somehow win the coming war.  This is a total departure from the book, but, unlike the Elves appearing at Helm's Deep, this feels right.  It fits with how Jackson has expanded Arwen's role in the films.  The only thing that could possibly motivate Elrond is the salvation of his daughter, even if she is choosing a mortal life.  The complexity of this quandary is superbly captured by Jackson.

On the eve of battle, much to Eowyn's dismay, Aragorn leads Gimili and Legolas into Dunharrow, which takes them to the Houses of the Dead and then on to Minas Tirith.  By taking this indirect route, Aragorn hopes to literally summon the ghosts of the dead to do his bidding (these spirits are in purgatory for refusing to fight against Sauron in the First Age).  If they fight for him at Minas Tirith, Aragorn, as ancestor to Isildur who cursed them, will rescind the curse.  And so the adventure splits again, with three major characters seemingly abandoning King Theoden before the ride to Gondor.  The first act of the future king (with his mighty sword) is to summon the dead as reinforcements for the coming battle.

Faramir returns dead.  Or so, in his madness, the Steward thinks.  He orders his own body burned along with his son even as the battle for Minas Tirith begins.  Gandalf attempts to steady Gondor's impressive army.  But the massive force arrayed against it is even more impressive and includes Trolls, flying Wraiths, Oliphants and large reinforcements of men from the south.  The pacing of the film is outstanding at this point.

Aragorn, Gimili and Legolas witness the Army of the Dead attack sailing ships filled with reinforcements for Sauron.  It is at this moment that Gollum and Frodo go it alone for the first time.  The Ringbearer is soon left to the clutches of the giant spider Shelob as Gollum lurks about, hoping to retrieve the Ring as soon as the spider captures him.  Sam discovers the pieces of the discarded lembas bread during his retreat down the stairway path and rages back upward toward Frodo.  But he is nowhere near when Shelob strikes.  Frodo is stung and spun up and seems dead.  The slimy spinning of him into her web is delightfully grotesque in Jackson's way.

Merry consoles Eowyn as she mourns that the coming fight will be the end of her and of everything.  The Rohirrim ride to battle with greater urgency yet no one seems to notice this hobbit riding in their mist, nor that he is with a woman.  They are disguised and you have to cut the story some slack here (as you do in the novel).  It's about the unexpected bravery and heroism of the commoner, a very Tolkien thing.  Jackson honors this and gets away with it largely because the pacing of the film keeps everyone focused in whatever comes next.

Denethor is going to burn himself and his son alive.  The battle for the city continues with the lower levels of it already in flames.  Sam arrives to fight Shelob.  Incredibly, his fierce bravery allows him to fight off the beast with three deep stabs of his blade.  But when he finds Frodo wrapped in the webbing there is no sign of life.  Approaching Orcs chase him away, but Sam overhears one Orc tell the others that Shelob's sting only puts her victims into a deep sleep because she likes to feed on “fresh blood” later.  Sam is furious with himself for thinking his master had perished and follows as the Orcs carry Frodo away.  The editing together of several disparate action sequences here is exceptional.

As darkness falls, the walls of Minas Tirith are breached.  Gandalf orders everyone back to the second level.  Mayhem ensues with women and children being caught up in the attack (why were they not evacuated to safety earlier?).  At this moment Pippin, who knows that Faramir is alive and about to be burned, pleads for Gandalf to help.  Gandalf manages to save Faramir but not his crazy father who takes a burning leap from the very height of Minas Tirith.  In all the wonderfully orchestrated chaos the Witch-king confronts Gandalf and shatters the wizard's staff.  All seems lost.  “The world of men will fall,” the Witch-king proclaims with its flaming sword aloft.

Then there are horns in the distance.  Rohan has arrived at the end of the shortest night in Middle-earth history, a mistake rendered trivial by the film's pacing.  This distracts the Witch-king.  Theoden calls them forward with a heroic speech.  Their attack on the exposed right flank of the enemy's army is devastating.  Eowyn and Merry are part of the grand charge and end up confronted with the Witch-king of all beings, after a charge by gigantic Oliphants is scattered.

The Army of the Dead arrives on the ships they previously attacked.  They strike the flank opposite the Rohirrim, an unexpected direction. Suddenly, Sauron's army is caught in a pincer. Just as the Witch-king is about to kill Eowyn, Merry stabs it in the leg, distracting it again (ADD?).  This gives Eowyn time to thrust her sword into the Witch-king's dark and invisible face, which gravely injures Eowyn's arm (Merry's arm is also affected) but her mighty thrust completely destroys the evil being.  Battle against the powerful Oliphants continues, with Legolas getting the most impressive kill of the trilogy in a fantastic action sequence to which Gimili tells him “that still only counts as one.”  He and the Elf have a competition counting their kills (begun at Helm's Deep) and he wants the Elf to get no “extra credit” for single-handedly subduing an Oliphant.  

Gimili once again provides entertaining comic relief during a battle sequence.  This is doubly important in The Return of the King because Pippin, who is comic throughout the first two films, is impacted by the dark side in the final film.  He is sad and confused through most of of the film.  The only exception being at Orthanc where he and Merry celebrate victory with “salty pork” and “longbottom leaf.”  Jackson nails this.  

The transition in Pippin, which begins with his desire to look into the palantri and ends with his sad service to a depressed and suicidal Denethor, make Pippin probably one of the most changed and affected characters in the trilogy (second to Frodo).  His fun-loving spirit is maturing, psychologically tempered with exposure to pure evil and profound sadness.  Well done.

The mighty Orc Gothmog, lieutenant of Minas Morgul.

Sam desperate fights the giant spider Shelob.

Flaming sword aloft, the Witch-king faces Gandalf (and Pippin) and shatters the wizard's staff during the battle for Minas Tirith.

The Rohirrim charge into the massive Orc army attacking Minas Tirith.

Aragorn releases the Dead from their purgatory for fulfilling their oath.  Then he offers healing to Eowyn in the Houses of the Healing, as Faramir recovers from his own wounds and looks on.  The relationship shift to Faramir and Eowyn is a disappointment in The Return of the King.  You would think a couple of scenes would be devoted to Faramir and Eowyn alone, but it is not to be.  Perhaps this is necessarily so, Jackson probably felt he could not afford to slow the pace of the film for that detail, as important as it is.  Still disappointing.  Meanwhile, two sets of Orcs fight among themselves over Frodo's body and possessions.  Sam uses the confusion to ultimately save Frodo, again heroically taking out several Orcs in the process.  By now Sam is laying his claim to super hero as much as Aragorn.

With difficulty and a whiff of Frodo's possessive madness, Sam returns the Ring to Frodo, having taken it when he thought his master was dead.  Soon they are dressed as Orcs and they finally begin their trek into Mordor itself.  Meanwhile, Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimili, Legolas and Éomer discuss strategy.  Aragorn proposes an attack (with the small force available after the losses in the epic battle) upon the Black Gate. It seems like a crazy idea but it is only intended as a diversion, to keep Sauron's Eye fixed upon them and away from wherever Frodo might be in Mordor.  (I guess, for all its power, the Eye can't multitask.)  

This brings out another important element of the the trilogy.  After the breaking of the Fellowship there is no communication between Frodo and Sam and the others (excepting their encounter with Faramir).  Aragorn makes plans based upon faith alone that Frodo is still moving forward.  Faith in general, but especially among comrades, is a cornerstone of Tolkien's original prose and Jackson presents this so well in The Return of the King.

We are also given one of the best comic lines in the entire trilogy.  Upon hearing the plan, Gimili declares: “Certainty of death.  Small chance of success.  What are we waiting for?”  But why would Sauron be so foolish as to focus entirely upon what amounts to a small raiding force against Mordor's impregnable Gate?  Aragorn returns to the palantri and takes his next step as King of Gondor.  He openly proclaims himself and Arundil (the reforged sword that cut the Ring off the Dark Lord's hand many thousands of years ago) directly to the powerful evil being via the palantir.  

He shows Arundil to the Dark Lord as proof that he is returning to claim the kingship.  This enrages Sauron and proves the necessary insurance to fix his gaze upon the coming force.  Simultaneously, Aragorn is forced to overcome his reluctance to become king in order to improve Frodo's chances of destroying the Ring while also doing what is necessary to save Arwen's life.  Jackson makes the situation more urgent and complex than the novels.  Which is fine with me.

The subsequent scene before the Black Gate is outstanding, with the Mouth of Sauron being fantastic.  The Mouth tells them Frodo “endured so much pain” before he died.  The revelation of the coat of mithril that Frodo was wearing is devastating to the Fellowship but Aragorn, true to the theme of faith in comrades, refuses to believe Frodo is dead.  The Gate opens and armies move out with Sauron's Eye watching.  Aragorn rallies his meager force in the most triumphant warrior speech of the film, superbly matched with the film's mighty score.

Sam and Frodo are able to take advantage this.  Sam notes that something has drawn the Eye away but he does not know why.  The trek is now very heavy upon Frodo.  Among the rock and ash, Sam reminds Frodo of the Shire but Frodo says there is a veil between himself and all that.  This stirs something within Sam and he proclaims that “I can't carry it for you.  But I can carry you.”  That is my all-time favorite Tolkien line.  He lifts Frodo upon his back and continues on up the side of Mount Doom again supported with a triumphant score.  This is perhaps the most important moment in the film.  This is the true heroic climax of the story and Jackson handles it beautifully.  Once again, the meaning of comradeship is on full display, so important to understanding Tolkien.  “I can carry you.”

The Battle at the Black Gate ensues.  The fighting is desperate.  All this as Gollum comes out of nowhere and pounces on Sam.  The two wrestle and fight as the battle continues, the situation looking bleaker.  The film's editing is again outstanding at inter-splicing these simultaneously unfolding actions.  Finally, Frodo makes it to the fires of Mount Doom and it plays out exactly as events in the novel.  Frodo ultimately fails in his task but it miraculously succeeds anyway.  At which point the Eye is destroyed and the armies engulfing the mixed force of Aragorn are swallowed up by the land itself.  This is spectacle at its finest.

A battalion of Oliphants commanded by men from the south charges Minas Tirith.

A major moment.  Eowyn kills the Witch-king as Oliphants rampage all around.

Gimili surmises: "Certainty of death.  Small change of success.  What are we waiting for?"

The Mouth of Sauron before the Black Gate.  Wonderfully done.

The problem with The Return of the King is that there is another 45 minutes remaining after the Ring itself is destroyed.  Of course there is much left to tell.  Frodo must heal.  He and Sam must be reunited with Merry and Pippin and the Fellowship, all of whom survive but for Boromir.  Aragorn must be crowned and reunited with Arwen at long last.

Aragorn uses the magical moment of pageantry to bow himself, and all others with him, to the hobbits themselves.  The simple, common, fun-loving hobbits should bow to no one, for without them the Ring would have never been destroyed and Middle-earth would be lost.  There is a lot of narrative dealt with fairly quickly and necessarily and still another half hour remains (in the extended edition).

The scene with the final goodbyes is perhaps overdone and draws the whole thing out without much emotive benefit.  But, in truth, the novels draw the story out far longer.  There comes fighting in the Shire itself that Jackson wisely chose not to include.  The essence of the tale is not only well preserved but often improved (with a few misfires) by Jackson.  If the film drags a bit, it is because the audience is by now all fought out and ready for the end.  

It is all well-done, it just has the same baggage that Tolkien has with how much story happens after the Ring destroying climax.  Tolkien has the advantage of the reader not being battle weary when “the Souring of the Shire” takes place.  So there is action in the book that the film simply cannot inflict upon the audience visually.  Leaving that part out was best for the film but it takes a bit of action out the story and causes it to drift to its conclusion.

On the other hand, for Tolkien (and necessarily for Jackson too) the story is not really about the Ring.  Sure, the action around the Ring captured the bulk of our attention.  But, as I have suggested, the tale is actually about comradeship, believeing in one another, and, ultimately. in losing one another.  To that extend, the last part of the story is anything but boring.  It is essential in that is speaks to qualities of faith, resilience, and comradeship.  To that extent, The Return of the King does not wrong.  It's just some people never connect with that depth of the story.  True Tolkien fans will.

I don't think The Return of the King is the best of Peter Jackson's three films.  It is often a terrific film, definitely made for seeing upon the big screen.  It just seems a little long in the end compared to the fast-paced nature of the first three-quarters of it.  But, as I said, it is true to the source material.  I don't know if there was a way to have avoided the extended slow pace to cover Frodo's and Sam's final parting.  You can't leave that out but certain parts of the narrative have to happen, like the return of an aged Bilbo, before the final good-byes.

The Two Towers is the best directed of the three films because it was the hardest one to pull off effectively.  Jackson totally managed that and it challenged him more as a director than the other two films.  As I said in that post, middle parts of stories have special difficulties.  Jackson more than met them.  The Fellowship of the Ring remains my personal favorite film and book.  For years I've wondered why but this last viewing made me realize that it contains the most complete look at the Elven society in Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age.  Rivendell and Lothlorien are my favorite places in all of Tolkien's writings.

Awards-wise The Return of the King is in rare company.  It joined two other epic films, Ben Hur (1959) and Titanic (1997), in winning 11 Oscars, more than any other film.  The Fellowship of the Ring won four.  The Two Towers managed two and deserved more.  Altogether Jackson's The Lord of the Rings won 17 Oscars which is impressive.  I have to think that part of the glory for The Return of the King was not only for that film specifically, but for the overall body or work across three films. 

Taken as a whole, the deluxe edition scenes add over 120 minutes to the theatrical releases.  From start to finish, the incredible journey takes a little over 11 and a half hours.  This is an almost unfathomable achievement considering the resources and the source material involved.  As I said in the beginning, the films stand solidly on their own, as do the novels.  Comparisons between the two are inevitable for us Tolkien enthusiasts.  But there is nothing wrong with Peter Jackson's version of the tale.  It is different, as it should be in the visual medium, but it is infused with the essence of Tolkien through and through.  

By comparison, the three movies based on the much smaller book, The Hobbit, also by Jackson, are a massive train wreck.  I've never been able to sit all the way through the final film of that confused and misguided attempt at adaptation.  I mention this only to show that the original achievement of The Lord of the Rings as a film was by no means a sure thing.  The Hobbit trilogy (by the same director with more experience) shows how difficult achieving the grand quality of The Lord of the Rings was and how horrible results can be when you stray too far from Tolkien.  Amazon's mediocre (at best) The Rings of Power is further evidence that striking the right balance is no easy task.  Peter Jackson earned those 17 Oscars and all the other awards garnered by this splendid, popular cinematic achievement.  

Jennifer, Avery and I have a tradition of watching the entire trilogy every Christmas season.  We never tire of seeing this masterful story masterfully told in this visual masterpiece.  Peter Jackson's massive The Lord of the Rings is the best fantasy adaptation I've ever seen and it still seems fresh, relevant and entertaining after twenty years.

The Return of the King premiered 20 years ago today.

The Black Gate opens and the armies of Mordor attack.  Our heroes ride in retreat as the Eye of Sauron is fixed upon them.  The seemingly hopeless plan is working.  But there is no news from Frodo.  This is all an act of faithful comradeship.

The most heroic moment in the trilogy.  Sam lifts Frodo for the final push up Mount Doom.  "I cannot carry it for you.  But I can carry you."

Sauron's tower of Barad-dûr crumbles and the Eye is extinguished as the Ring is destroyed in an erupting Mount Doom.

The hobbits "bow to no one" as Aragorn, Arwen, and everyone else kneel to them at the White Tower of Ecthelion.  You can see the four hobbits standing near the middle of the frame.