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Starring: Elijah Wood, See more
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Director: Peter Jackson
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Encoding: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. This DVD will probably NOT be
viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
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Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen
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Rated: Studio: New Line Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: May 25, 2004
Review With The Return of the King,
the greatest fantasy epic in film history draws to a grand and glorious
conclusion. Director Peter Jackson's awe-inspiring adaptation of the
Tolkien classic The Lord of the Rings could never fully satisfy those who
remain exclusively loyal to Tolkien's expansive literature, but as a
showcase for physical and technical craftsmanship it is unsurpassed in
pure scale and ambition, setting milestone after cinematic milestone as
the brave yet charmingly innocent Hobbit Frodo (Elijah Wood) continues his
mission to Mordor, where he is destined to destroy the soul-corrupting One
Ring of Power in the molten lava of Mount Doom. While the heir to the
kingdom of Men, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), endures the massive battle at
Minas Tirith with the allegiance of the elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), the
dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and the great wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen),
Frodo and stalwart companion Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) must survive the
schizoid deceptions of Gollum, who remains utterly convincing as a hybrid
of performance (by Andy Serkis) and subtly nuanced computer animation.
Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have much ground to
cover; that they do so with intense pacing and epic sweep is impressive
enough, but by investing greater depth and consequence in the actions of
fellow Hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), they
ensure that The Return of the King maintains the trilogy's emphasis on
intimate fellowship. While several major characters appear only briefly,
and one (Christopher Lee's evil wizard, Saruman) was relegated entirely to
the extended-version DVD, Jackson is to be commended for his editorial
acumen; like Legolas the archer, his aim as a filmmaker is consistently
true, and he remains faithful to Tolkien's overall vision. If Return
suffers from too many endings, as some critic suggested, it's only because
the epic's conclusion is so loyally inclusive of the actors--most notably
Astin--who gave it such strength to begin with. By ending the LOTR trilogy
with noble integrity and faith in the power of imaginative storytelling,
The Return of the King, like its predecessors, will stand as an adventure
for the ages.
-------------------- All of the
performances delivered, the special effects were dazzling and used when
and exactly how it was necessary for keeping the film as more than a mere
visual show. A true and powerful drama and fantasy adventure.
The Battle of Pelennor Fields is something Hollywood is going to try (and
notice I said TRY) to reproduce for years. And I doubt there can be many
faithful adaptations to the spirit of a mythology like this one.
On the other hand, the only thing that bothers me about this DVD is the
lack of "Extended Edition Preview" unlike previous Lord of the Rings
Theatrical Editions (the announcement with the features in the official
page omitted this one). I know I certainly will prefer the Extended
Edition (like the first two films) better, and personally recommend these
editions over the Theatrical ones.
If you cannot wait until November (or June as some rumors claim over
there), or if you are not that of a Lord of the Rings fan and prefer the
rough cut that is a Theatrical version compared to the Extended one, then
buy this one.
But I still advice people to wait for the Extended Edition which will
include scenes like Saurman's fate after a final confrontation with
Gandalf, The Houses of Healing where Eowyn's love for Aragorn comes to
closure after meeting Faramir, more Pelennor Fields, more Minas Morgul
with Sam and Frodo, probably the Mouth of Sauron character, Aragorn
confronting Sauron through the Palantir, more of the "Path of the Death"
with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, Gandalf's confrontation woth the
Witch-King, and much more ( - over 40 minutes of additional material! - )
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