The Return of the King is the conclusion to The Lord of the Rings story. Here, Frodo and Sam near the end of their quest to destroy the One Ring, while their friends battle the forces of darkness outside Minas Tirith. The odds are hopelessly against them . . . can they prevail? (Yes, you know they can, because the film begins after the quest is over, with a Bard singing the tale to Frodo and company.)
It's been almost a year since we watched the other two movies in this style: 1977's The Hobbit and 1978's The Lord of the Rings (which combined the first two books into one film). I had a hard time locating this- it wasn't on any streaming service, and I couldn't even buy it on Amazon. We were excited to find it through the library system, and finally finished it today. It wasn't worth the wait.
This film returned to the production team and style of The Hobbit (The Lord of the Rings differed in several ways- see the review). As with the first film, moral-infused folksongs were prominently featured. Yet here, they clashed with a dark tone and advanced vocabulary (was this film for kids or adults?). This was confusing and bizarre in places, and overall, the least enjoyable of the three films. (You know it's bad when the director himself admitted that it wasn't a very good film.) I enjoyed some of the dialogue and background art, but little else. On the plus side, I have a heightened appreciation for Peter Jackson's accomplishment.
Rating: C-
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