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*Warning Major Spoilers Ahead if you haven't seen the movie*
My Review
Alright, here we go. First off let me say that Peter Jackson must be applauded above all else, he has taken a literary masterpiece and managed to fully entertain even those who are die-hard fans of the book, like yours truly. I hope he wins the Best Director award this year at the Oscars. Alright, now onto the movie.
I liked the beginning where they actually gave actor, Andy Serkis some screen time. For those of you who don't know, Andy Serkis is the voice of Gullom. So yes, it wasn't a voice over. Gullom's story, while rather gross, plays an invaluable assest to the storyline of the movie. My delving into the inner workings of the twisted, and obscure mind of Gullom. Ok, here's where i get nasty lol, they left out, Christopher Lee, a.k.a Saruman. Now who the hell authorized that?!? not only does he play a VERY vital role in the 3rd movie, but the way they attempted to cover it up was very... VERY bad. Oh he's still locked in his tower, and we'll deal with him later." Oh please!. Not only was I disappointed in this because of the obvious wrong it inflicted upon the literary backdrop, but also because it ruined the dramatic twist ending!. Now i know the movie is 3h and 28mins on it's own, the way it is, but comon folks.. if your going to end a great epic.. Let's do it right!. I know with me, i could drone on, on this subject for hours, but long story short, the scouring of the shire, shouldve gone in.. nuff sed.
Ok, skipping ahead a little bit in the movie, Denethor's death was just.. "blah", sorry for the non descriptiveness of it, but, everything up to that point was dead on accurate (well almost, ill discuss this later), and then the Pyre of Denethor was going to come up and it was all good, then pippen jumped on the table, rolled Faramir off and then, and here's where it goes odd. Denether gets lit, and runs and jumps off the peak of the highest level of the city. I literally sed "wth??", and what ever happened to Denethor's Palantir??. They hinted at it earlier when he said that "The Steward of Gondor sees more than you know.." etc.., but they didnt follow through. tisk tisk tisk...You have to catch those loose ends, cause people like me don't let these things slip.
Referring above, another element that wasn't right, was the Witch King's encounter with Gandalf at the Gates of the city, it didn't happen, Grond burst through the gate, and everyone fell back. Legolas's and Gimli's friendship is at it's strongest in this installment, I especially liked gimli's comment after Legolas brought down the Elephaunt, "That still only counts as one!". Another thing i liked, VERY much was the whole Path's of the Dead sequence. Bravo! It looks as if Jackson took a page from "Pirates of the Carribean" with the graphics of the dead ones. Well.. they DID have an inside source.. Orlando Bloom (cough, cough).
The Witch King was... well he ruled really. Minas Morgul, was very well done. I wasnt overly impressed with the unrealistcness of the stairway right above the witch king's lair path. And when Frodo peered over the rock, i mean, if he's a NAZGUL, and is far more powerful then any man or Mortal Being, he should be able to see a friggin hobbit hiding behind a rock.
One last item on my list of "tisk tisk tisk's", has to be Elrond's appearence at the Rohon emcampment. It took the company HOW LONG to ge to where they were from Rivendell??, and Elrond got there in what... 2-3 DAYS?!?!. (Subsequently, there is an event in the book that is not unlike this which still leaves me a little confused).
Overall, The Return of the King was an Amazing conclusion to a remarkable Epic. Even though they didnt show Frodo's first gaze upon the shores of Valinor.. it was still great. I personally stood and gave a round of applause at the end of it. (I was not the only one, so i didnt feel weird). I say bravo to all in the film and espeically, Ian McKellan, Viggo Mortenson, John Rys Davies, Orlando Bloom, Elija Wood, and Andy Serkis.
For the Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
I give this movie...
