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*** Official THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING Review Thread (1 Viewer)

John Geelan

Screenwriter
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Oct 11, 2000
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Saw it today in an almost empty theater and thought the battle scenes and CGI were top rate.

The story kind of dragged in parts and at over 3 hours long it was hard to sit for that long a period.

At points I felt I wish this were a DVD and I had my remote to FF thru the slower parts.

The movie has its emotional points and I did shed a tear here and there.

It is worthy of the great reviews it is getting but non-fans of LOTR may have trouble with its length. The multiple final endings were a bit much.

Overall though a very satisfying conclusion of a great trilogy.

When's the DVD? :D
 

Ralph Summa

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 6, 2001
Messages
715
[rant]
I hate the movie theater.

I sat next to some guy eating the crunchiest freaking snack known to man. He tried to be considerate but I still prayed for the loud battle scenes.

Only 6 or 7 cell phone calls throughout the theater. WHAT PART OF "TURN YOUR CELL PHONE OFF" DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?"

The sound hiccupped from the Eagle rescue to the credits.

[/rant]

:star: :star: :star: :star: :star: /:star: :star: :star: :star:

God I loved this movie/trilogy! Sorry to see it all end. Then again there is the EE DVD and hopefully PJ will nail down The Hobbit! :D
 

Bryant Trew

Second Unit
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Jun 3, 2001
Messages
346
:star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

With Return of The King Peter Jackson has clearly ascended film making to a level not seen before. Never have I seen a film with so much detail, so much complexity and so much realism, be pulled off so damn well. It's the kind of talent where you feel relatively stupid. It's humbling even, to see that someone could pull the battles off the way he did. I feel like I just had plastic surgery (eye lifts).

Well done, Jackson. I feel like I need to erect a shrine in my living room. And for the record, I have not read the books - just really impressed with his craft.
 

Gary->dee

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I had a chance to see ROTK today. I thought it was a good movie, not great. Perhaps repeated viewings will shift my opinion towards great. I didn't have a very strong reaction to ROTK as I thought I would have. Maybe it's because so many people are hailing this movie as being so great that it was inevitable that I'd be let down by it. But not by much, I'm not suggesting I hated this movie. I simple don't love this movie the way I do the Two Towers extended edition. When watching these movies initially in the theater I realize now that the extended editions will likely change my opinion of the movie. In the case of the theatrical version of Two Towers I basically had the same reaction that I had to ROTK. But when I watched the extended edition of TTT I enjoyed it much more than what I can remember of the theatrical version I saw. So basically I'm sitting there watching ROTK and I can't help thinking that I know the extended edition is going to rock. No Saruman? But he'll appear in the extended edition as I've read. Faromir's scenes are minimal, he's there one moment then disappears only to reappear at the end. Again, seems like the extended edition will do his character justice.

To be honest, upon seeing ROTK it seemed to directly match my experience with the Star Wars trilogy and as such I think the extended edition of Two Towers is the best movie of the trilogy, much as I think Empire Strikes Back is the best episode of the original SW movies. ROTK to me is much like Return of the Jedi: more of the same only bigger.

I have to say though that while watching the beginning of ROTK one word came to mind: disjointed. A lot of it seemed somewhat poorly tacked or edited together. Whereas I thought TTT:EE was brilliantly cut together, I thought ROTK was rather weak in the editing department. But again, I'm sure once I see the extended edition of ROTK I'll enjoy that version much better.

As it is I feel the theatrical versions of the LOTR movies are but very long previews to the much more enriching and enjoyable extended editions that seems to do the story and the characters more justice. Also as it stands for me, Two Towers extended edition is simply a triumph of filmmaking and the best of the trilogy that I've seen so far.
 

Neil Joseph

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Fellowship Of The Ring was a tremendously great movie. It had the advantage of a peaceful introduction showing us the life of Hobbiton, before the impending doom of Mordor which only helped to re-inforce just how fragile life really is.

The Two Towers was a dramatic second installment to this trilogy, the place where the ground usually starts to cave in. Luckily, this was not the case in the series.

After seeing Return Of The King, all I can say is "wow". I went into the theatre fully expecting to see a movie that would top both FOTR and TTT so my expectations were sky high. I got even more than I expected. I was very appreciative of the extra 30 minutes. It helped to wrap up the story properly. I have to admit that tears came to my eyes on several occasions during this film. The acting was real, the story was unparalleled. I feel fortunate to have seen this film in the theatres during its initial theatrical release. I feel like I have witnessed a part of history.

Sometimes we are unappreciative of the things we have in life, not knowing that we often hang on a very delicate thread. The sheer spectacle of what I have seen in these 3 films, especially ROTK, does an excellent job of illustrating this fact. I am still trying to contemplate what it took to rid Middle Earth of evil. Mind boggling when you think of what had to come together to tip the scales towards good.

I have a new favourite film and expect that will be the case for a great many years.

Whew!

:star: :star: :star: :star: :star: /:star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
 

chris rick

Second Unit
Joined
Sep 20, 1999
Messages
300
This is one of the greatest achievements I've ever seen put on film. I can't imagine something ever coming close to the scale and yes, the emotions of this film. I have never seen something so big in scale that still could make me feel such strong emotions.
 

mark_th

Grip
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Mar 12, 2002
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:emoji_thumbsup: I saw this movie on Wednesday night. I don't see how any other movie could ever top this one. Yes the beginning of the movie did seem a little disjointed, but from about 45 minutes on it was absolutely spectacular. I was transported to middle earth. I thought all of the actors did a great job, Sean Astin's Sam was perfect. THe special effects were excellent and the ending was great, though maybe a bit short. All in all my favorite of the three and the best movie I have ever seen.


:star: :star: :star: :star: :star: /:star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
 

Zen Butler

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Some of the best battle scenes on screen. A nice ending to the trilogy. I felt it a bit uneven, and even rushed. These are minor gripes to a solid trilogy. I suspect ROTK will benefit most from an extended edition. Not my favorite genre but Mr. Jackson's obvious love and effort into this trilogy is just too hard to resist.

FOTR: 4/5
TTT: 4/5
ROTK: 4.5/5


I might add, that I suspect a much better film on the EE. This was the best of the 3 theatrically, hands down. A real thrill.
 

Troy_M

Stunt Coordinator
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Mar 22, 2002
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This movie was so good, I am afraid to see the EE dvd. I don't think a film or series will ever be this grand and epic in my lifetime. I couldn't have dreamed a better movie than the ROTK.
 

Randy Korstick

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Saw it last night. I have to start with
Wow! I was glued to my seat from beggining to end.

I'm sort of a snob when it come to newer films. I love all different genres of movies and I have always held older films(Pre-1970) on a higher level than anything made later. Sort of a they don't make em like they used too thing. I grew up on the original Star Wars trilogy and always consider that the exception. Just a rare trilogy in modern film that was so good it was on another level and would never be equalled.
Well the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is so far above that and so far above my snob attitude on newer films that I really can't belive these films were made by human beings. I mean my only real complaints are that they are not long enough in already long movies. I have never said that about any long epic movies of the past. They always feel long enough or maybe a little too long.
Return of the King is definately the best of the 3 even in its theatrical edition. I had to choke back tears at Theoden's death, "You Bow to Know One" and the Grey Havens. I saw it with a group of guys so I couldn't let myself cry. It is probably the closest to the book of the 3 and yet it suffers the most from cutting and the rushed endings. I scratch my head when I see complaints on multiple endings and a slow pace at the end. This was a hundred pages, 5 chapters in the book and its barely 20 minutes in the film. We see one scene, barely get to take it in and then we're rushed on. Its like you can feel the producers say "Hurry Peter the audience wants to get back to its Christmas shopping or go get a $6.00 burger at Carls Jr." I don't get it. We just spent 11 hours with these characters so slow down sit back and enjoy the resolutions. They are well filmed and full of heart felt emotion. The real world will still be there when its finished. Hopefully the extended edition will give us a little more to the endings as well as give us the needed scenes with Denthor, Faramir and the Houses of Healing among others. The movie really feels rushed from the release of the undead army to the finish. This is my only critism of the movie and I'm sure the EE will fix this.
I honestly do not believe I will see a movie or a trilogy as good as this one in my lifetime and coming from an old movie snob this is the greatest compliment these films can receive.
My ratings on a 5 star scale:

FOTR:
****1/2

FOTR EE:
*****

TT:
***1/2

TT EE:
****1/2

ROTK:
*****
 

Rob Gillespie

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No point in doing a full 'review', so here's my £0.02

Never in all my years of movie watching, has a film delivered such a gut-wrenching adrenaline rush. Never have I seen a movie so thrilling and giving so many shivers down the spine. The Return Of The King is by far, the my exhilirating and exhausting movie I've seen.
 

Tim Glover

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2nd time is the charm evidently for me....:D what was a 4/5 star now stands as a 5+.

Among the best movies ever made.

:star: :star: :star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
 

Chris Atkins

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LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING

:star: :star: :star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

ROTK is not a perfect movie. I wouldn't even call it one of my top 20 all-time. But it IS a perfect end to a great trilogy.

What I liked:

-The charge of Rohan. Nearly brought a tear to my eye. Just great filmmaking.

-Everyone kneeling to the Hobbits at Aragorn's coronation


-the charge of the oliphants


-the Shelob sequence...scary but perfectly played out

What I didn't like:

-I thought the first hour was very choppy and even boring at times

-PJ uses flashbacks to much for my taste

-PJ also tends to overutilize slow motion


All in all, ROTK is as good a film as you will see this year.

As far as LOTR's place in film history, well, I think it will settle in nicely behind the Star Wars OT. Both had (in my opinion) two great movies and one merely good movie. The difference is that LOTR had its weaker movie in the middle, which harmed the narrative slightly more than the Star Wars OT.

Both are great and I look forward to watching them for years to come with my children!
 

Todd H

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:star::star::star::star::star: out of :star::star::star::star::star:

The best of the three and a fitting end to quite possibly the greatest film trilogy of all time. Kudos Mr. Jackson.
 

Jan H

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Messages
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If I could invite 5 people over to my house for dinner & drinks, I'd choose: William Shakespeare, Richard Wagner, Homer, Stanley Kubrick and J.R.R. Tolkien.

I might have to make room for a stubby Kiwi with vision comparable to these titans. Thanks, PJ. The next round is on us.

;)


ROTK: 5/5
 

JonZ

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Out of 4 :star:s

FOTR: :star: :star: :star: :star:
TTT: :star: :star: :star:
ROTK: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Comments are in discssion thread
 

Steve Christou

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I just posted this in testy but I'll post my mini review here too...:)

ONE FILM TO RULE THEM ALL!

I just saw the most visually spectacular movie ever made, calling it an epic hardly does it justice. Battles like you've never seen before, massive stupendous eyeboggling, I came out the cinema and my eyes were on fire. The actors were all great in their parts, but if I had to single out one actor in ROTK it would be Sean Astin as Sam, Frodo would never have made it without Sam, and Sean was perfect, the emotional centre of the saga. I was teary-eyed on several occasions.

Return of the King is the magnum opus of epic fantasy, I can't imagine anything in the next few years coming close to what I just witnessed. If there is any justice in the world Peter Jackson will finally get his Oscar next year.


:star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
out of
:star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
 

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