Hundreds of years ago, a simple hobbit named Deagol (Thomas Robins), fishing with his friend, Smeagol (Serkis), found a ring in the mud of a river. The One Ring. It bewitched Smeagol so that, in his lust for it, he strangled his only sibling for want of the Precious.Now, in the waning days of the Third Age, the war drums sound in Mordor. Ringbearer Frodo (
Wood) and his faithful gardener, Sam (
Astin), trudge ever deeper into that dark land, led by the pitiful Gollum (Serkis again), who carries only dim memories of his friend.
Scheming to repossess the Precious, Gollum leads Frodo and Sam past the haunted city of Minas Morgul, up the treacherous mountain stairs of Cirith Ungol and into a dank cave, where the awful smell hints at something more horrible within.
Elsewhere, Gandalf (McKellen), Aragorn (Mortensen), Gimli (
John Rhys-Davies) and Legolas (
Orlando Bloom) ride to the ruins of Saruman's tower, where they finally meet up with Merry (
Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (
Billy Boyd), who are celebrating with pipeweed and salt pork.
Later, in the Golden Hall of Edoras, the fellowship celebrates the Rohirrim's deliverance at Helm's Deep. But Gandalf (McKellen) frets. He worries about Frodo's progress. "What does your heart tell you?" Aragorn asks. "That Frodo is alive," Gandalf says.
Legolas warns that the Eye of Sauron is on the move. A mishap with Saruman's rescued Palantir seeing crystal draws Sauron's attention to Pippin, and thence to the race of men. Gandalf warns Theoden (Bernard Hill) that the Riders of Rohan may soon be needed again, to defend the citadel at Minas Tirith, the white city of Gondor. Taking Pippin with him, Gandalf rides to warn the Steward of Gondor, Denethor (John Noble), that a battle is coming. Merry remains behind to prepare for the coming war with the aid of Eowyn (Otto).
As Gandalf tries to reason with a recalcitrant Denethor, his last surviving son, Faramir (David Wenham), leads a losing battle to defend Osgiliath.
Back at the Rohan encampment, Elrond (Hugo Weaving) arrives to challenge Aragorn to meet his destiny as the last heir of Isildur. It is the only way that the race of men can hope to prevail against Sauron's hordes.
And deep in Mordor, Gollum schemes, driving a wedge between Sam and Frodo, whose thrall to The One Ring strengthens minute by minute.
Tolkien's epic adventure rings true With the
Return of the King, director
Jackson brings to a close the epic adventure he started seven years ago, when he set for himself the monumental task of adapting Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece for the big screen. He has been quoted as saying that
King is his favorite of the three
Rings films, and it's easy to see why. For all of their considerable merits, the previous two films have been prologue to this one, setting the stage for the story payoffs and emotional climaxes that cascade like lava down Mount Doom. And Jackson more than fulfills his promise to outdo the previous two films' effects, action and heartfelt character drama with
King, which is one of the best genre films ever made.
King hearkens back to key moments in the previous two movies, while advancing the narrative several levels higher. The action, exemplified in the massive Battle of Pelennor fields and the siege of Minas Tirith, is several orders of magnitude more grandiose than
Two Towers' Battle of Helms Deep and puts to shame everything from
The Lost World: Jurassic Park to
Star Wars: Episode II. Mixing proprietary computer animation with jaw-dropping stunts and thrilling camera moves, Jackson sets a new standard for the depiction of epic battles.
But the effects, including a terrifyingly real Shelob the giant spider, wouldn't amount to a hill of pipeweed without the movie's loving attention to its characters and their emotional journeys, which are every bit as perilous as Frodo's trek through Mordor. There's the Shakespearean tragedy of Denethor and his son; the conflicted destinies of two kings, Theoden and Aragorn; the unlikely heroism of Merry and Pippin; and the unyielding valor of Otto's Eowyn.
But the true heart and soul of the movie belongs to Astin's Sam, Wood's Frodo and Serkis' Gollum. Serkis (whom we glimpse briefly in the flesh, as Smeagol) proves that Gollum is no mere computer-animated parlor trick, but rather a full-blooded tragic villain. And Astin, who deserves an Oscar nomination, imbues the stalwart Sam with depths of feeling Tolkien himself may only have dreamed of. His scenes with Wood tear the heart out.
There are some who may feel that King wears out its welcome with multiple endings long after the fires of Pelennor are quenched. But given the epic scope of Jackson's masterful trilogy, such a lengthy denouement seems only proper and fitting. If good truly triumphs over evil in Hollywood as in Middle-earth, then Jackson should take home a gold bauble at next year's Academy Awards to put on the mantle next to The One Ring. — Patrick
