I have watched in awe as Peter Jackson’s trilogy of movies unfolded. The Fellowship of the Ring was excellent, setting the atmosphere perfectly. The Two Towers continued admirably, perhaps getting a little confusing, but still delivering a decent and atmospheric movie. However, in the words of a famous song (or a Bisto commercial) Peter Jackson ‘saved the best for last’.

To understand this movie you really have to understand a lot of what has gone before as well as quite a bit that hasn’t been explained. As we begin and watch a pleasant ‘hobbit’ like creature fishing with his best buddy, we begin to see the importance of a certain ring, and the effects it can have on its wearer. As Smeagal begins to use the ring, and is corrupted instantly by its evil power, we see a strange and dangerous transformation. In perhaps a portent of what may happen to Frodo, we see Gollum emerge, a twisted shadow of his former self that has multiple characters and a desire to retrieve his ring from Frodo. His duality is obvious as he dances between wanting to assist Frodo and not hurt him to seeking revenge for losing his ring. Controlling him is his desire to retain the ring.

As Frodo and Sam forge ahead through the barren volcanic wastes of Mordor, we see Smeagol begin to push a wedge between Frodo and Sam, sowing the seeds of decent and distrust between the lifelong friends. This is enlarged by the detrimental effect the ring is also having on Frodo and it’s evil power is seemingly getting close to control. Gollum’s influence grows as he leads them through more sinister and dangerous landscapes, some seemingly perhaps not the safest routes - you sense early that Gollum has ulterior motives and you almost find yourself pulling your hair out in frustration as Frodo doesn’t see the deceit.

Meanwhile, after the tumultuous battle in Helm’s Deep, we find Aragornm Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli reunited with Merry and Pippin at Isengard. As a fan of the books I was very disappointed that a large part of the book was essentially missing from this movie. The ‘end’ of Saruman is glossed over in a few sentences, and this means that an additional hundred or so pages at the end of the book are not in the movie – granted they are not anything to do with the main plot, but it is an interesting additional sub plot

While at Isengard, Pippin finds a ‘bauble’ that turns out to be a Palantir – a powerful wizards ‘ball’ that allows Sauron to communicate with his minions. Gandalf manages to wrest the ball from Pippin, and Aragorn uses the ball to ‘announce’ to Sauron that the King has returned…hence the name of the movie – this announcement is a great diversion as Gandalf is desperately worried about Frodo and seeks to assist him in any way he can.
Through this ‘connection’ Gandalf finds out some of Sauron’s plans. So Gandalf sets out to Minis Tirith – a huge fortress in Gondor – Sauron’s massive army is heading towards Minis Tirth….

…well I could go on and on and on about the plot – but then you wouldn’t need to watch the movie. Suffice to say that nothing is ever easy, and that like the previous movies there are twists and turns, Stewards who have lost all belief in good and refuse to act, heroes and villains, love and hatred, destitution and war….and that’s just the next five minutes…..oooh and then there’s the Elves….didn’t they ship themselves out to a different continent in the last movie?.....


Ok so now that the plot is out of the way, how is the actual movie? One last point on the plot, this movie had a little more artistic license than the previous two. There were some parts missing, and some parts that were changed to suit the movie plot and build the drama – overall though it was close to the book.
Well as expected Peter Jackson’s attention to detail was even better than the first two movies. With some very complicated plots going on, you never felt too lost, and generally everything tied together superbly, especially as all the plots came together in the ‘tumultuous’ end! To achieve this we do find ourselves floating between the different plots, but this is done so well and seamlessly that we barely notice. We are too lost in the beauty and atmosphere of the movie that the ‘quirky’ nature of the movie is diminished.

If you thought that the fight scenes at Helms Deep were amazing, wait till you see the battle at Minis Tirith and the other scenes throughout the movie. The CGI is flawless and the choreography is amazing (event he computer controlled choreography). You really do get a feel of the desperation of war, and amazingly at times you are entwined in the ‘fog of war’ and somehow feel you are part of that reality. The danger you feel is vivid and real, and is perhaps better than any movie battle that I have seen (including Braveheart). This movie is not for the faint hearted – it shows the reality of war in vivid detail – the squeamish and the young will not be too happy with this.
What is interesting and fun is that you get to see most of the major characters fight – the previous movies really glossed over this aspect, but this movie you see Gandalf, Merry and Pippin all engaged in battle – this is perhaps done even better than the books.
One thing to mention is that the overall feeling of the movie is dark and sinister; while there are a few places of humor and romance, these are very few and far between. This is also right as this is the darkest and most dangerous part of the book. If you have read the book you’ll know that it gets very intense and exciting, making you turn the page anticipating what will happen next. The movie captures this; every scene is building towards the end and you find yourself watching and waiting for things to happen, the pace is perfect just enticing without rushing through the movie.

What impressed me most about the movie is the way all the characters ‘clicked’ – as we progressed through the first two movies, the characters (and acting) got better – it just seemed that in this movie everything was finished – everything was perfect – whether because the cast knew each other so well, or Jackson had learnt so much from the two prior movies is unknown.
Yet again Jackson has excelled with the atmosphere and the locations – this has what has helped set aside the trilogy as a classic. It is obvious, from the sheer beauty and size of Minas Tirith, to the starkness, and visible evil of Mordor that Jackson has read every inch of the books and has transformed mere words into visuals.
The whole atmosphere is perfect. This is a combination of the setting, the acting, the music and the costumes. The authenticity is unbelievable – from the elven songs, dwarven chants and drums of mordor, to the Elves costumes – everything is detailed and awe inspiring. It’s this completeness that is truly exceptional – not only has Jackson transferred the story, but he’s also transferred the land, the flora, the feel, the danger and the romance – truly amazing.
What I liked mostly about the movie was the fact that it told the story plain and simply –it wasn’t embellished with fanciful speeches, and the CGI wasn’t noticeable This doesn’t mean they weren’t amazing – they were just understated, and only appeared when they needed to appear. They blended with the action perfectly making it seem real rather than amazing CGI.

Overall this movie was the most impressive of the three. It has everything in it to make a great movie. There are some exceptional performances particularly Gollum and Frodo, I was surprised no actors got the nod at the Oscars, the atmosphere was perfect, and the action was well done, gruesome and very realistic! The movie truly captured the essence of the book and capitulated the movie to the top of my favorites list. I do advise you watch all three movies in sequence though – but this is certainly the best of the lot and deserved the 11 Oscars! Well done – can’t wait for the next two movies!

Hope you enjoyed my opinon, please read my reviews on the prior movies:

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - My Rating ****
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - My Rating: ****




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older