THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING — *** 1/2 — Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan; and featuring the voice talents of Andy Serkis; rated PG-13 (violence, gore); Carmike 12 and Ritz 15 Theaters; Century Theatres 16; Cinemark 24 at Jordan Landing; Cinestar 5-Star and Gateway 8 Cinemas; Megaplex 12 at the Gateway; Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons; Westates Holladay Centre Cinemas 6.
For at least a few fans, "The Return of the King"— the book — is believed to be the weakest of author J.R.R. Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings' " trilogy. So it's perhaps fitting that director Peter Jackson's film adaptation is, in many respects, the weakest of the film trilogy.
Among the film's bigger problems is its surprisingly slow and almost ponderous first half. Also, the final half-hour is so full of false climaxes. and somewhat saccharine, tearful character farewells, that you might think it had been directed by Ron Howard instead of Jackson, a filmmaker who rarely exhibits such sentimentality.
Yet, for all that, "Return of the King" is still an extremely worthwhile cinematic experience, and it provides a mostly satisfying climax to one of the most ambitious pieces of filmmaking in history. Even the weakest of these movies is head-and-shoulders above the vast majority of films churned out these days.
It's also likely that, when this film is viewed as part of the whole — all 11 or so hours of the trilogy — "Return of the King" will seem more cohesive and less scattered.
As this third film begins, we find the Fellowship locked in the final battle with the forces of Sauron, who are making an even bigger push to assume control of Middle Earth. And the struggle's not going so well for our heroes.
While they survived the Helm's Deep battle, it appears that Sauron's orc armies and hordes of mercenaries are now concentrating their efforts on Minas Tirith, the last real stronghold of mankind.
Meanwhile, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is slowly making his way to Mount Doom, which is the only place where the all-powerful ring he's bearing can be destroyed. Yet, the temptation to use the ring's powers is starting to overwhelm him. And despite protestations from his faithful pal Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), Frodo continues to follow the lead of the treacherous Gollum (a CGI creation employing the voice and movements of actor Andy Serkis). And it appears he's leading them into a trap.
As with the other movies, some moments in this one may be too intense, even terrifying, for younger viewers. And there are at least two lengthy sequences that will remind some audiences that Jackson began his career with the horror genre. (Not to give too much away, but anyone afraid of spiders may have nightmares after this one.)
As mentioned, Jackson's pacing is a bit off, although, by the time the action really begins rolling, most audience members won't notice. Many of the battle scenes are both exciting and stirring, particularly those involving Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Eowyn (Miranda Otto).
As usual, the cast is solid, top to bottom, with each receiving at least a little time in the spotlight (though Astin puts in a serious bid to steal this film).
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" is rated PG-13 for intense scenes of violent battle (swordfighting, arrowfire and various creature attacks) and some gore. Running time: 198 minutes.
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