THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003) - 10/3/2024
My #2 movie of all-time
*Note: I’m slowly going to be listing off my top 5 movies of all time in order.
For the longest time this was the one. I remember the pure excitement of being 11 years old and anticipating the final conclusion of a saga I didn’t know I needed until it started. I remember going two weeks early to the theater with my mom to get the tickets in person because we knew every showtime would be sold out. I remember going to the theater 30 minutes before the start time because seats weren’t reserved, and you had to fight to get any grouping together. I remember the three and a half hour journey that took place on screen, but never wanting to leave my seat or have this experience end. I remember the buzz that took place and being able to talk about it with everyone at school over the following weeks. I remember obsessively following the Oscars that year for the first time, pleading with myself that this has to win everything because it was the greatest film ever made1. I remember the first Tuesday it was released on DVD (when DVDs were released and that happened on Tuesdays) and immediately going in person after school to buy it for fear of it being sold out (it wasn’t). I remember when I was in the hospital at the end of my sixth grade year, and how I would sit with a portable DVD player, watching all three films (full-screen version, of course) being amazed and excited and jealous that I was stuck, immobile in a sterile space, dreaming of exploring this fantasy world in front of me. I remember the countless car rides to State College, or Virginia, or the OBX where, because of its length, I would sit with headphones and watch this entire film because I knew it would kill the most time. I remember the fantasy related dreams I had, with giant sword and shield battles in ruins that mimicked that of Middle-Earth, because films like this are magic and have such an impact on youth (particularly young boys). I remember because, not to be corny, but this film is a perfect example of why movies are important.
When Fellowship first came out in 2001, I had no idea what it was about or if it would be any good; I really just recall wanting to go to Burger King to collect the toys in the kids meals because they looked really cool. But from the first time I saw it, with its adventure and sword fighting scenes, I was hooked. That’s what happens when you have an impressionable youth who gets lost in N64 games about a 10 year old who has a fairy companion and must save the world. This was the exact same vein, of cool characters exploring an improbable, magical world with a quest to save it against evil.
Then when Two Towers came out the following year, all of that was doubled down on. Sure it was a huge decision to let an unproven director in Peter Jackson helm a multi-million dollar franchise, but it paid off. As we would slowly learn, they were filming all three films at the same time, so each one would come out in successive years. There was no two to three year wait just to see if the box office returns were worth making another film. There was a definitive end from the start, that would deliver yearly, at the holidays, for us to enjoy. The success of the first set up the anticipation for the second, and moved millions of more books and merch and put one of the most popular fantasy series ever at the forefront of culture and presented it for another generation. I have rambled on about it before, but this film was even stronger and cooler than the last, mainly because of the Battle of Helm’s Deep. This film, of course, was another massive hit and really set the stage for the conclusion of this epic saga the following year.
I already told you who I was and what I felt at the time, but whatever expectations I had were blown away. Return of the King is my favorite of the series. Maybe that is because at the time I always thought the third movie was supposed to be the best (Last Crusade, Return of the Jedi) but this one actually was. All of the action scenes we loved from the first films? Tripled down. All of the incredible effects? Enhanced ten fold. How do you not watch this and not think this is incredible?
And, again, this movie found me at a perfect point in life, where I was young and not yet jaded from reality, even in the wake of a terrorized America that created political rifts, xenophobia, and the outset of a Middle Eastern war that, when you’re eleven, believe is justifiable because how could the president and government ever be wrong? But this is something that can just fully envelope you and transport you to a place where good and evil are so easily defined. Where snow capped mountains border glacial plains and forests of untold mysteries. How can you forget the endearing images of Gandalf and Merry as they ride over the hill to view Minas Tirith2? Or Gandalf galloping toward the Nazgul as the remainders of Gondor’s men flee Osgiliath? Or that fateful image of the soldiers of Gondor carrting out one last suicide mission to Osgilaith (and the tomatoes Denethor crushes)? Or when Frodo and Sam approach the dark tower of Minas Morgul, drenched in its sickly green light as it explodes with the release of hundreds of thousands of orcs? Or when the witch king lands in front of a fleeing Gandalf and Merry on the terrace? Or when Rohan appears on the hill above Pelennor fields, to once again sweep across a field of sieging orcs? Or when the Oliphaunts of the east come charging in to sweep away everyone? The final speech at the gate as Aragorn leads everyone in. The arrival of the eagles. Sam's speech to Frodo and subsequently, the final looks Sam gives to Frodo that recall the opening scenes of Fellowship. Or the sad, sad goodbye at the end of the film.
This film draws you in and leaves an indelible impression on those who view it. There’s so much magic that is in this film that it leaves the viewer in awe. It’s the same type of story and epic that has even the most dismissive fans of the genre hooked, not unlike Game of Thrones. And, even in 2024, when you think the VFX won’t hold up, they somehow do3. It’s insane that an extended director’s cut can actually make a film more perfect three times in a row, and that a blu-ray version can make the DVD quality VFX become new. But it does and they do.
Rewatching this film is such a treat and somehow I can catch new things every time4. I also never realized how funny the film really is, like when Gandalf tells all of the men to protect the gate no matter what comes through as it explodes with trolls. Or when Rohan regroups to take the Oliphaunts on in another heroic sacrifice as the music swells, just for it to immediately cut out and hear the crunching of men and horses under their feet - a truly harrowing image of their smallness5. There’s so much that rewards you upon every repeat viewing, and very few films can say that.
But no matter what, every time I watch this impeccably perfect film, I’m always transported back to a time when this felt like and was the biggest thing. I may not get the same chills I did when I was eleven, but I’ll be damned if some of those same feelings aren’t stirred up. Films that are so rare and special like this one can transport us away from everything for a couple of hours if that’s what we want and remind us that even the most absurd films can make us feel safe. And that’s why movies are important, because they remind us that there is some type of magic left in this world.
It did. It was nominated in 11 categories and had a straight sweep, tying it for most wins by a film in a single year along with Titanic.
Honestly a place I think living in would be incredible. What are the insides of those white stone houses like? Does every resident automatically get a house? How does the living situation work?
Yes, they are not all perfect and we have seen the curtain pulled back one too many times in the 21 years since to not unsee how they accomplished this, but they did and so much of it is still crazy. There’s a lot of this film where, unless you are really looking for it, the effects are near seamless.
Like how I actually learned that the reason the orcs were invading Minas Tirith then was because Sauron was creating a giant black cloud to cover the sun for the orcs and trolls to operate under, which explains the coloring of those epic scenes. I usually just glossed over the information in that scene.
This is something I recall from before, but for some reason it was just hilarious this time.