Review – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) directed by Peter Jackson.

Rewatched on June 25th, 2020
Rating: 5/5 Stars

If there’s any way to start this, it’s to say that I am extraordinarily grateful. I’m grateful to have grown up on these movies. I’m grateful to have been able to love these movies. I’m grateful for these movies. And now, I’m grateful to have had an opportunity like this, one I might never experience again. This is my favorite movie of all time. Seeing this movie in the theater, something I’d always dreamed to be able to do one day, was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

There’s something truly special about the cinema experience. The immersion in darkness, the big screen, and the surround-sound speakers that seem to encompass and enclose you can truly only be described as magical. There is magic in movies.

I’d be lying if I said I was excited for this. I was more than excited. I’d been anticipating this for weeks, hoping I’d be able to go. And once the tickets were bought, I began my journey of reliving the saga that means so much to me. Having seen all but this one for my marathon, the time had come. And I can say with confidence that this was the best and most special movie theater experience I’ve ever had.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen these movies. Sure, I was quite familiar with the big moments, but seeing it come together through moments I forgot was perfect. I’ll be using this word a lot, but it touched my nostalgia and happiness seeing the scenes I loved, the scenes I’d forgotten, and the scenes that mean so much to me.

My first encounter with Lord of the Rings wasn’t even watching the films or reading the books. Whenever my dad drove me places when I was younger, when it was just me and him, we’d play songs off his iPod through the car speakers. A lot of his playlists were heavily populated with the epic themes from movies or tv; this included Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and the John Adams HBO TV miniseries theme song to name a few. And of course, Lord of the Rings. In particular, “The Fields of the Pelennor” was the one I always requested. That was on repeat for quite a bit of my childhood. Now watching this movie the first time and finally hearing that song in its original context was great. But something about hearing the song through the theater’s speakers was just sensational. It hit me in a beautiful way, reminding me of my childhood, my passion for this film, and my passion for this franchise. And seeing this with my dad made that moment all the more special.

That’s the thing I’ll keep repeating about these movies: the music has power, and quite frankly it’s unbelievable how Howard Shore was able to craft a world purely through his music. There’s a scene in this film that, visually, is simply just lighting beacons across mountains. Yes, the nature and scenery of Middle Earth/New Zealand is beautiful. But the music that accompanies it brings it to a whole new epic level. This scene of lights across mountains ranks as one of my favorite scenes in all of the Middle Earth films, and it would not be that way if it was not for the soundtrack.

From a film standpoint, it’s a project to be marveled out. It’s visually gorgeous and its direction is immaculate. Because this was a special showing of the film, preceding it was a short clip talking about the history of the film and its making. In it, it stated that Peter Jackson had been a huge fan of these books before he started directing, and had always said, “I can’t wait until someone makes a movie about these!” Well, he ended up being that someone. And he did it justice unlike anyone ever could. His vision of Middle Earth truly makes it feel like a real place. It’s epic on a grand scale and he knows exactly what he’s doing. Similar to The Two Towers, he does an outstanding job of transitioning between stories. What’s amazing about this is that you’d think this is Frodo’s story, but for huge portions of the film, the focus is on our other heroes. And when watching their tales, that becomes the story you want to follow the most. That ability to go back and forth between equally compelling stories is a gift. On top of that, he’s got a way of blending scenes together that you really wouldn’t see working until it does. Particularly, there’s a scene that juxtaposes a somber and hopeless battle, a man sloppily eating, and a character who sings a somber song. And it’s probably one of the best scenes of the trilogy.

I was fortunate enough for this theater to show the extended edition, to properly finish my watch of all the extended editions. I’ll be honest; it didn’t feel as long as I thought it would. Maybe that’s because it was 4 hours of pure and utter enjoyment. But even having seen the theatrical cuts in the past, I can’t imagine 50 minutes of this film being gone. It’s that great. Those extra scenes add an extraordinary amount of depth to the film, conclusion, and essential moments that I believe are needed for the movie to truly feel whole as an epic of our age. I don’t think I’ll ever be going back to the theatrical cuts.

The film itself is perfection to me. The character arcs are that are built up in this movie and the previous two are concluded fantastically. I couldn’t imagine a better way for them to deal with these characters. They all go on journeys of their own. Some bigger than others, but each one carries its own impactful and emotional meaning. Not a single character is done wrong in my eyes. And, right when you think things are done, the movie builds even more upon the arcs of our fellowship, and it’s fucking perfect. That’s another word I’m overusing, but there’s really no other way to describe it.

I’ve said this before: I don’t really cry at movies. But this is a film I’ll cry at every time I watch. This time was a bit different. When the main theme boomed and soared through the theater’s speakers, when the moments of nostalgia became exponentially larger on the big screen, and when it hit that I was seeing my favorite movie in the cinema, I cried. It was that feeling of just being so happy and grateful to be experiencing what I was. And of course, those emotional moments in the film itself that have always made me cry did indeed make me cry.

I can’t imagine a better ending to the saga. Having seen it with fresh eyes, and with from the newfound perspective of a cinephile, I can safely say it's still my favorite movie of all time. Seeing that conclusion in theaters will probably be the highlight of the summer, and one to remember in my life. I will cherish a memory like this. I don’t know if I’ll ever experience this movie again in theaters, but that’s okay. I have this.

It’s the perfect ending to a perfect trilogy of perfect films, and to see it in theaters was beyond beautiful and ultimately magical.

There and back again.

Check out the original review posted on Letterboxd here.