[rating=5]

Grand Finale to an Epic Trilogy…

The Plot: Frodo and Sam continue their quest to Mount Doom; the film opens with a little prehistory of Gollum, revealing his origins. Back in the present the little bastard cunningly attempts to grasp hold of “the prec-c-cious”. In the meantime, as the former Fellowship of the Ring prepares for final battle, the power of the ring is taking hold of Frodo, who struggles to resist its evil, abandoning loyal Sam in the process.

Admittedly, I wasn’t really into that whole “Lord of the Rings” hype at first. J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” was one of my favorite childhood books, and though I haven’t read the “LOTR” trilogy, after watching Peter Jackson’s (“Bad Taste”, “The Frighteners”) first installment, “The Fellowship of the Ring”, I was mildly disappointed. I felt that the film, despite boasting some great performances, and spectacular special effects and cinematography, was a tad too self-indulgent and grim. In addition, the pace was lethargic – the film had too many ‘helicopter shots’ of the main characters striding towards their destination. Since two more chapters were yet to come, I felt that the film should have had more than just numerous close-ups of weepy Frodo’s (Elijah Wood) mug to compensate for the awareness that the ultimate goal, the apotheosis, would not be reached until the third part of the trilogy. After all, this was supposed to be a grand fantasy for both kids and adults to enjoy, and Peter Jackson failed to supplement the intermittent grandeur of impressive visual effects and mildly riveting suspense with the spine-tingling awe of, say, Wolfgang Petersen’s “NeverEnding Story”, or Bob Zemeckis’ “Back to the Future” trilogy. “Fellowship of the Ring” was all impressive production value and epic scale, but no zest.The kid in me was not impressed.

“The Two Towers”, the second installment, further disheartened me – I considered its structure messy, its pace even more languid than in the previous chapter. The constant identical close-ups of Elijah Wood expressing distress annoyed me doubly, as did Elrond, played by Hugo Weaving in ‘Elven Agent Smith’ mode. The talking trees kept my attention for a while, but then their almost incomprehensible mumbling, interweaved with gorgeous shots of the protagonists walking through snowy New Zealand mountains and endless plains, soothed me to sleep. I did wake up to watch Arwen (Liv Tyler, unnaturally gorgeous with elf-ears); I was enthralled by Gollum (the subsequent media dissection of the character and how it was digitally created, and the actor Andy Serkis’ constant presence diminished some of Gollum’s wondrous appeal); I enjoyed Ian McKellen’s wizard Gandalf (who, I think, kept truest to Tolkien’s magical spirit); and the final battle was startling in its scale. Still, I walked out of the theater somewhat confused: why wouldn’t Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin) just fly one of those long-necked dragons all that way to the ring, instead of conquering monsters in caves and all that stuff? (Cos there wouldn’t be a movie, that’s why.) And what’s all the rage about Orlando Bloom’s Legolas, who comes off as a sissy with his elfish ears and long shampooed blonde hair?

With the third chapter, “The Return of the King”, Peter Jackson manages to validate his commitment and affection for the saga, if not the preposterous publicity his films have triggered (one could get a specially designed “Lord of the Rings” Harley Davidson bike – what association does a motorcycle have with J.R.R. Tolkien?!) After watching the final episode of the saga, I recognized and grew to appreciate the fact that essentially, the director kept true to his vision throughout, handled a hell of a yarn, and ended it with a blast. The virtuosity of Peter Jackson’s grip becomes most apparent in “The Return of the King” – the film made me temporarily forget how much I criticized the first two installments.

For example, there is a giant spider scene, which I feared, having just suffered through two painfully tiring hours of watching hundreds of CGI “Eight Legged Freaks”. However, I found myself on the edge of my seat at the sight of unconscious Frodo getting tangled up in sticky web, as Sam hurries to his rescue. More than that, I remained on the edge of my seat almost until the end, as opposed to slouching back all the way through the first two chapters. The reason for that is: “The Return of the King” works as a separate film, with freshness introduced to the material. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) asking the ghost army for help is a brilliant scene that leads to a stunning pay-off. Aragorn’s romance with Arwen also feels fresh – it lacks the sentimentality of their previous encounters. Legolas proves he’s not a sissy in a jaw-dropping confrontation with a giant elephant (the elf literally SURFES on top of the creature, killing off the enemy in the process, as well as slaughtering the mammoth, and it all looks real.) The battle goes on forever, and is executed flawlessly – it is almost impossible to tell where the CGI is, and when an army crashes through the combating legion, the thunderous power of it all will take your breath away.

In “The Return of the King”, Peter Jackson has taken the best elements of the two previous chapters – the action, the effects, the cinematography, Ian McKellen – and elaborated them. The exhilaration and the palpable enthusiasm of the director overshadow small inconsistencies reminiscent of the preceding chapters, such as some stretched-out parts, a lengthy triple-ending which is just about groan-inducing, and, of course, the frustrating determination to win ‘Best Puppy Eyes’ contest on Elijah Wood’s part – kid’s acting range is clearly limited. Sam’s the one we’re rooting for from beginning to end, but annoyingly, Frodo gets all the credit.

In actuality, director Peter Jackson and his team of filmmakers deserve all the credit, for making the last installment of the saga the most faithful to the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien. True aficionados of the writer might enjoy all three of the chapters, but in my opinion, only “The Return of the King” is the inspired cinematic masterpiece.

Bottom Line: Exhilaratingly inspired, Peter Jackson’s conclusion to the LOTR trilogy is such a wonder to behold, one may even forgive its minor flaws, and forget the tediousness of the preceding chapters. A visceral visual feast, this is THE fantasy epic for the ages.