And now, the final part in the trilogy, capping off one of the best film series ever made. I've gushed enough about how great the first two were, cementing the series not only as an icon of literature, but now film. That being said, the higher the expectations, the lower it has to fall. So, did it stick the landing, or falter at the last minute?
As you would expect, the stakes are higher; Frodo nears the end of his journey, the ring more of a burden than ever before. Now, all the forces of the Enemy have their sights set on Gondor, Sam and Frodo's friendship is tested with the new horrors as they approach the way into Mordor, and the race of men, along with its remaining allies, must band together if they hope to survive and keep Middle Earth from falling to the powers of Sauron.
Each of the character's stories continue with the same care, attention and audience investment. The friendships of all of them continue to be endearing, and keep the story with all it's spectacle grounded and heart-filled. It's a good job too, because the settings now are larger than life, from the enormous kingdom of Gondor to the vast hellscape of Mordor.
If The Two Towers was fantastical, this is purely outlandish, making for the ultimate stage for the final instalment.
That being said, a fair criticism would be that it may do too much in places, pushing this spectacle above that of the atmosphere and set design, and while I disagree with this, I can see where that point comes from.
Regardless of what you think of it, the attachment the viewer gets for the characters is a strong as ever, pitting them against tougher challenges than before, and pushing them to their breaking points, and while the first two films had several tear-jerking moments, this film is littered with them, perfectly reflecting on the journey the audience has gone on with them to create the ultimate emotional payoff.
What has carried over though is the brilliant practical and digital effects, prosthetic work, musical score and performances. One of these alone would make any of these worth watching, but combined over three extended films really is the film equivalent of catching lightning in a bottle. There were few new additions to the cast in this film, a good decision considering its last film role, instead choosing to finish the stories of the pre-existing characters and expand on those that had minor roles before. No one scene or character has nothing meaningful to do in the film; they all serve a purpose whenever they appear, either to drive forward the story or mature and develop, growing as characters and even getting their own time in the spotlight. It is how a film should be, coordinated, refined and purposeful.
All in all, this film is as much as masterpiece as the others; it might not have battles as well structured, but it flawlessly rounds off the trilogy in an unforgettable fashion. It's a 10/10 from me.
SPOILER SECTION
One thing I will say going against the film is the lack of Saruman in the majority of the film. He is killed at the start after a standoff with the fellowship, and in the theatrical version, he doesn't even appear at all! To be fair, in the books, he disappears at around the same time, and only reappears during the Scouring of the Shire, something that was rightly removed from the film as it would only extend the story beyond audience interest, but even so, the Eye of Sauron as an opponent that only speaks rather incoherently through the Palandir is harder for the audience to root against, and I think that makes the film suffer as a result. There wasn't really a way around it, and it does allow us to focus on more minor villains, like Gollum, Denethor and The Witch-King that challenge the protagonists on a more human level, so it isn't entirely a negative.
The battle of Pelanor Fields similarly suffers from the problem of being bigger and even more epic than the Siege of Helm's Deep, but fails in a number of ways, like each new twist and turn in the battle is caused by another party entering the battlefield, be it the Rohirrin, the Oliphants and their riders, and the army of ghosts, which rather conveniently kill every enemy in the battle once they arrive. The conditions for winning were not as clear cut. It was simply for Gondor to hold out the enemies entering the city while the forces of Rohan fight them on the fields. We didn't get a full sense of how great Gondor's forces were when they were under siege, simply an army of soldiers to fight, unlike the Battle of Helm's Deep, in which we knew the numbers of both sides, various tactics they would deploy and the geography of the battlefield. Pelanor Fields were just that; flat fields. That isn't to say it wasn't enjoyable to watch, but nowhere near as refined as Helm's Deep (although that was a high standard to reach, being one of, if not the best battle ever put to film).
However, this did lead to Aragorn accepting his destiny as the king of Gondor, and his tearjerker line at his coronation: "My friends. You bow to no one." It may have been a character arc done before in many ways, but this is the most satisfying I have ever seen it done onscreen.
The growing desperation of Sam and Frodo's quest was definitely mesmerising to watch; seeing them scaling the steps at Minas Morgul all the way to pulling each other up Mount Doom, barely conscious and covered in soot and cuts. As a continuing story alongside the grandeur of the battles against Mordor's armies, it is both endearing and heartbreaking, knowing how far they've come and how desperate they are, not intending to make a return journey, knowing that there is no going back from there, and while they ultimately do, the lasting impacts on the previously peaceful and fun-loving hobbits feels you with conflicting emotions of both joy and sadness.
The ending takes this even further, with Gollum succumbing to the power of the ring and betraying Frodo, Frodo realises that once the Ring has hold of you, you are never the same, and going into the undying lands for healing with Bilbo, reflecting a sense of loss, guilt and tragedy that his friends will never see him again, but also hope, in Sam's new life and family, that he can go on with his life in spite of all that he has been through.
It may have ended about six different times, but I'd argue each and every one of them was worth it considering all that came before it. A quick ending wouldn't do justice to the story, and this ending did the story more than proud. And thus, my reviews of my all time favourite film series comes to an end.
UP NEXT
I've got a few games in mind to review, to wrap up this generation of consoles, including Horizon: Zero Dawn, Spider-Man and Ghost of Tsushima. Stay tuned. Until then, goodbye!
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