...the crownless again shall be king.

If I were to watch only one movie this year, then, hands down, it would have to be "The Return of the King". Not being fond of comparing Peter Jackson's saga to that of my beloved Lucas, I decided that reading reviews written by other authors wouldn't really be advisable, so here's my own....

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Some sections of the text have been hidden, just highlight the white spaces if you're okay with reading spoilers.

Probably picking up where "The Two Towers" was unceremoniously cut, the movie starts with a backstory on how Smeagol found the One Ring and how he turned into the creature now known as Gollum. For those who have not read the book, this is a welcome scene that demonstrates in yet another way just how evil the Ring truly is.

We then come to hobbit friends Frodo and Sam as they try to make their way into Mordor led by the treacherous Gollum. We see yet another of Smeagol/Gollum's "schizophrenic episodes" which would probably earn Andy Serkis an acting award if only he were technically qualified for one. :)

As expected, a lot of scenes from the book were either changed or cut out. I completely understand cinematic constraints and all, but from a fan's point of view, I wish they didn't edit out the scenes in the Houses of Healing. For one, it shows that Aragorn is the true King of prophecy without linking his kingship entirely to the War. It was said that the true King had healing hands, and his efforts to heal Eowyn, Merry, and Faramir, showed his true nature. Also, it would have been interesting to see how PJ would have pictured Eowyn and Faramir's story which took place almost entirely during that chapter of the book.

The whole Battle of Pelennor Fields sequence was a sight to behold, and one I certainly would not forget. Kudos to PJ and whoever did all the CG and designs, it was totally awesome, and just how I pictured it from reading. There was nothing sad about that whole sequence, but I found it so wonderful, I actually cried. :D And there's no substitute for the audience reaction when Eowyn was fighting the Witch King, and she took off her helm and cried, "I am no man.", then thrust the sword through the Witch King's head. Wow. Here's one for the women. :) And what about the arrival of the Mumakil and the army of the Dead?. That sure was one heck of an "i want to stand up and applaud if only the people at the back of the theater wouldn't shoot me with arrows" moment.

The coronation of Aragorn was another great sequence. Attended by virtually everyone in Gondor plus all the other important people in the epic, Aragorn is suddenly transformed from Ranger to King. There's a very noticeable change in Viggo Mortensen's appearance, manner, and voice, which certainly screamed "I am the true King of Gondor. I have returned."

I totally loved the parts where Pippin and Aragorn sang. This shows how talented the actors truly were, and especially during Pippin's scene, it added a lot more heart to the whole sequence.

I wish we could have seen more of Eowyn and more of how Eomer eventually led the men of Rohan after the death of King Theoden.

As with all great movies, the musical score plays a big part in its overall effect, and I think Howard Shore did a masterful job for this one. That's a compliment coming from me, who worships only John Williams. Heheheh. :) But really, Shore's score is wonderful and the Annie Lennox song, "Into the West", is very very very cool and fitting.

The only real big complaint I have is the editing. I just didn't like how some scenes seemed suddenly cut off, or how certain scenes pre-empted certain scenes, etc. But you can't have it all, eh?

I knew they weren't gonna show the Scouring of the Shire but I was surprised to see a sequence where the Hobbits indeed return to the Shire. And although I know those last scenes where Sam gets married to Rosie and the Ringbearers sail off to the Undying Lands was very much a part of RotK's Epilogue, I just felt that it took away from much of the awe and excitement generated by the end of the War and the Return of the King. I really would have wanted the movie to end on that note. But again, that's just me. :)

Can't wait for January to see it again!

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not whither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadow shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."

===

I submitted this review to TheOneRing.Net's Ringer Reviews. Hopefully it gets published. :)

===

Happy Christmas, one and all! May the birth of the true Chosen One bring harmony to our lives. As we enjoy the food and gifts and the fun, let us not forget the true reason for all the celebration. The true King has come. :)

More on the recently concluded 1st Philippine Star Wars Convention soon. :)



.:chronicled by senator skywalker at 1:01:00 AM:.
.: | :.

...