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THE LORD OF THE RINGS

The Return of The King

 

What could I possibly say about this truly marvellous movie-watching experience? Peter Jackson (and all others responsible) should have bronze statues made in their images. 

 

At over three hours long, this movie didn’t feel any longer than your average movie and, if anything, it could have been a bit longer. Alternately, they could have shortened the epilogue and lengthened the battle scenes (which were absolutely incredible).   In fact, if I had to choose one thing to actually dislike about this movie it was the lengthy treatment that the parting of friends got at the end.  Really, (and I mean really) the characters all could have just smiled, looked at each other knowingly and shared their triumph with the audience.  That probably  (and, again, I mean really) would have been enough. With the amount of bowing, warm hugs and firm handshakes that were showed as part of the end of this movie, one might for an instant suspect that Jackson thought these were real people who deserved their time in the spotlight for having completed such a monumental task as defeating the evil empire.  Maybe to Jackson they were real people.  Hell, this was a monumental movie.  Unfortunately, no matter how good the characters were, these were not real people and after the first lengthy wrap up the movie started feeling like an Oscar ™ acceptance speech that had gone on too long.

While I’m at being critical about a movie that deserves little (if any) criticism, the love-life of Aragorn and his elf princess could have been lessened to make room for longer battle scenes.  Oh, and the whole un-dead, ghost warriors could have saved the battle a bit more slowly (surely there was some way to fight those guys?  If there wasn’t then really they only needed one).   What else?  Nothing really. If Jackson had to keep the lengthy ending and the truly less than important human/elf relationship in there, the least he could have done was make the movie half an hour longer so that the battles could be longer.  I mean, this movie was about battles but somehow the battle for Helm’s Deep (which was the climax of the Second movie) seemed more intense than the battle for Minas Tirith (which, on one level, was the climax of the entire movie).

 

In case you are reading this and you are one of the ten people in North America who have not paid to see this movie in the theatre, go see it in the theatre.  At least go see it on someone’s large screen television with full surround sound.  If you like battles and the struggle that good must go through to defeat evil you owe it to yourself to see this movie. 

 

If you are at all interested in pop culture you owe it to yourself to see this movie as it is not only pop culture on its own as a movie phenomena but is also the story that really started all the fantasy culture of the last 20 or 30 years (Dungeons and Dragons, etc).   Tolkien’s novels created a whole world and that world spawned and influenced others.  The makers of this movie did a fantastic job of bringing the story that started it all to the big screen.

 

This is a remarkable piece of cinema that, to me, really goes a long way towards bridging the gap between movie and film (it is still more of a movie).  I am thrilled that it has been rewarded so well at the box office and I hope it is equally well rewarded in awards and acknowledgement.  Whether you like this sort of movie or not, I think you definitely woe it to yourself to get a taste of what the phenomena is about and you could not find a better example than The Lord of The Rings movie.

 

Before I finish rambling:  I predict that this movie will effect the teens of today in much the same way as Star Wars affected those growing up in the late 70s and early 80s.  So, if you want insight into your kids, you should know something about this movie and how it portrays good and evil.  Obviously, if I am correct, the leaders of tomorrow will have much more complex views about good and evil than we Star Wars kids do. Both movies share supreme good pitted against supreme evil, but while one has a much harder struggle to a much more final conclusion the other has basically an easier fight with a victory that is far less certain. 

 

You can choose which one is which. 


 
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