For good or for evil, this is the end

I was first introduced to the world of Tolkien 2 years ago to the day, strange as it seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in a theatre enjoying the first Lord Of The Rings film, The Fellowship Of The Ring, yet it was also on that day that I decided to read the books. I was so blown away by Peter Jackson's first film in the series that I couldn't wait the required 2 years to see the story through to completion. It turned out to be a wise decision as the books outshined the already brilliant film in every way possible. When the second film came out I was disappointed to find changes from the book, and the postponing of all of my favorite scenes from the second book, to appear in the third film. Of course I naturally had my hesitations, after all, Jackson did a masterful job directing the last 2 films but how well would he fare when the scope required not only the entire third book, but also the second, and most intense half of the second book too. Turns out my concerns were completely unfounded, not only has Peter Jackson handled The Return Of The King with the same flare as the previous films, but he has also managed to surpass them with a film that has the bleakest atmosphere to date, which happens to result in the series biggest emotional resonance yet.

Once again though, if you haven't seen the previous two films (Fellowship Of The Ring and The Two Towers) then you should definitely check them out before watching this third film, and if you want the complete knowledge of what is going on then try the Extended Editions first. Return Of The King opens with just the slightest bit of exposition, exploring the events, many years previously, that caused the kind hearted Smeagol to change into the cold hearted Golem. After that though a knowledge of the story is essential as this film represents the end of the story. Sauron's armies are amassed and ready to attack the human city of Minis Tirith. Meanwhile Frodo and Sam, guided by a deceitful Golem, find themselves crossing the borders into Mordor with no one to help them.

As with the previous films the amazing cinematography ends up being a major reason as to why the film succeeds so well. Using a wide variety of absolutely breathtaking locations, Jackson has succeeded in making the stories world come alive. In particular, the first time I saw a shot of Minis Tirith I literally found myself sitting in open mouthed awe at what had been achieved. Minis Tirith has been designed as a pearly white city that spirals around a mountain, reaching all the way to it's peak. Of course making this really would require more money than a film studio could sanely hand out, and so Jackson has been required to produce a scale miniature of the city. It's still a massive undertaking though, to produce a miniature big enough to walk around in, and when you see it up on the screen there is nothing at all to betray it's miniature origins, especially after seeing one amazing shot of Gandalf riding Shadowfax throughout this city, allowing you to get a better look at every detail Jackson went into, thereby allowing the film to absorb you more then you ever imagined possible.

Thankfully Minis Tirith was not alone in the area of visions as every location used in the film has been granted the same attention to detail. I would have to say that Aragorn's visit to the city of the dead was probably the most visually impressive, but not even close to being my favorite. The most emotionally effective location was the land of Mordor, a place that Frodo is in for the films entirety. Mordor has been portrayed as bleak and lifeless as I always imagined it. A place where jagged black rocks and fearsome gargoyles permeate every road, and the closest thing they encounter to life in this place are the charred remains of long dead trees. It's a place as dank and depressing as this Middle Earth's version of Hell should be, and helped to give the film a bleak atmosphere that was so severe that I remember thinking back to Helms Deep and remembering it as one of the lighter times.

That bleakness is more than just a visual trick in Mordor though, it is in fact the very thing that distinguishes Return Of The King from the other films in the series. Sure there was always a bleak atmosphere before, but it was a bleak atmosphere with at least a slight hint of hope. In Return Of The King though, the situation just goes from terrible to worse. Sauron's Armies march on the city of men, and the human armies find themselves outnumbered at least a thousand to one. There only hope is to try and fight long enough that they buy Frodo enough time to destroy the ring, except that on his journey he is beginning to feel the rings influence, and success is looking less likely with each passing second.

Though if you're hoping the battle itself will relieve the tension and add some good old fashioned excitement to the mix, then think again. The battle at Minis Tirith has been portrayed as every bit as hopeless as you would expect a desperate last stand to be. Right from the moment it starts you know that you're in for something to make Helms Deep seem light, and that is exactly what happens. Catapults are used to demoralize the humans by firing the severed heads of their fallen comrades into the city, a tactic which would have worked were it not for Gandalf's moral boosting cries. Yet once the battle starts for real, these same catapults are used to literally crumble the walls of humanities strong hold. The destruction caused in the ensuing battle has such a feral realism to it that you can't help but feel that this whole battle is pointless, that humanity is sure to end up defeated no matter what.

Unfortunately a lot of people are going to ignore all of those merits, simply because a battle sequence, no, film of this scale requires a lot of CGI work. However this is a sad state because, like the previous films, Return Of The King has taken another step in visual effects work. Every creature that is created on a computer is looking more lifelike than ever. Golem himself looks even more impressive than his award winning incarnation last year, and the Fell Beats finally have the same fearful presence that they contained in the books.

Like the previous films though, the visual effects are used as a means to an end. They are never used to tell the story, as happens all to often for my liking, but rather are used in places where CGI was essential. Top priority is once again given to the characters that inhabit the film, so that whether you look to the relationship between Merry and Pippin, or Legolas and Gimli (once again playing their counting games) you will find characters who have grown a lot since we were first introduced to them. However there were 2 moments that I found particularly powerful in this regard. The insanity of Denethor, who was so overcome by grief at Boromir's loss that he gave up and tried to burn both himself, and Faramir alive. The performance by John Noble in this scene was absolutely spot on, getting the grieving father right without misconstruing it with the screamers that are usually found in this type of situation. Noble is the only notable new face, but his performance is as fitting as I've come to expect from this series.
The other part was a moment between Frodo and Sam, after Golem had finally driven a wedge between them. The look of horror on Sam's face caused me to look back at the characters history together, and when I thought of what Sam risked at the end of the first film, I confess I got a little teary. What's even more impressive is that, as someone who has read the book I already knew how everything would turn out, yet I was still moved. That is simply how powerful this scene is.

However no doubt fans of the book are concerned, especially after the last film made some pretty major changes. You shouldn't worry though, I haven't read the book in a while, but most of the important stuff was as I remember it. Pippins experience with the glass eye was handled very well, in fact I found it far more disturbing when viewing it in the film that I did in the book. Also on Frodo's quest, She was worth the wait, looking even more impressive than the Balrog, and being as unrelenting as you remember. To be honest I didn't find her as fearful as I did in the book, but it would have been unfair to expect a film to top my own imagination.

That is the best way to describe the film, in fact the entire trilogy. It's not quite up to the books standard, but could never have achieved that. Jackson has now completed his trilogy and I cannot imagine the films being done better. It's an amazing finale to an amazing trilogy, and I have just one small complaint. What is up with the character of Arwen in these films. Add up everything we learn about her in the books and you fill, what, half a page? Yet Jackson seems obsessed with this character, writing in situations seemingly to add a little romance to the films. As I said, it's a very slight problem, and one I wouldn't be bothered by had I not read the books, so the film still deserves top marks.