For a long time, I always wanted to give my thoughts on one of my favorite movie trilogies The Lord of the Rings. And instead of reviewing each film individually, I wanted to touch upon all three of them in one review. There's plenty to talk about, so let's dive right in.
Most people I talk to or critics I listen to regarding The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will likely say their favorite film is The Two Towers or The Return of the King. Despite that I view the trilogy as one long movie in parts; I do have a favorite that I rarely hear is someone else's, which is The Fellowship of the Ring. I can easily see how a person would prefer the sequels more than the first film for plenty of fantastic reasons, and while I do love them for the reasons others do, the first strikes a stronger chord with me. A primary reason that is so is because it mainly functions as an adventure film instead of focusing too heavily on politics and giant wars. Now, I am not by any stretch saying I don't love these elements too, but as grand as they are, they, at times, do slow the pacing down a bit, and bring the quest to a halt, even if the action and performances are magnificent. Fellowship is a constant journey as the film goes to one magical place after another where one can get into the action while learning the lore of "Middle Earth." Frodo's quest in the film mirrors our own as we too experience these magical and dangerous places we're seeing for the first time, thus bringing a sense of awe and relatability.
While the later films have more than their share of iconic scenes, I remember this film a little more when thinking back to the trilogy. I love how Middle Earth and the ring are established in the prologue. I enjoy spending time with the Hobbits at the Shire as we see two old friends bond again. The Nazgul are at their scariest in this film. We see one of the villains, Saurman, briefly act as a friend to Gandalf before revealing his turn and seeing the two participate in a Wizard duel. The monsters the characters face, like the Watcher, the Cave Troll, and the Balrog, despite the CGI looking a little dated, still look solid for the year it was released and are still awesome based on design and the stellar action. The Uruk-hai are horrifically nasty. Frodo's scene with the Elf-Queen Galadriel is a scene that is wonderous and yet effectively signals dread that may befall. It has Sean Bean giving one of the best performances of his career. I appreciate how the elf Arwen is utilized (even if it's at the cost of making Frodo a weaker character). And I find Howard Shore's score to be his most memorable of the three.
What truly makes things come full circle in making this my favorite of the trilogy is the fellowship itself. As these characters would all be separated afterward, it's a treat to see all of them together during their quest, fighting together and interacting off-one another. I could watch another hour or even a film with all of them banding together for how perfect their chemistry is. And when the fellowship does break either through death, kidnapping, or agreeing to part, it's incredibly heartbreaking. The strongest scene that gets me is Aragorn and Frodo's last scene together when the two realize they cannot carry on their journey together. Any problems I have with the film are nitpicks; however, that does not mean there wasn't great stuff presented in this film that will not be improved in the next movie.
After talking about my favorite Lord of the Rings movie, it is only appropriate for me to say that The Two Towers, while still an incredibly marvelous film, is my least favorite of the trilogy. As the first and third films had exciting, adventurous locations, the places the characters visit while still looking stellar are pretty boring. Rohan is a generic village, Osgiliath is your typical ruined city (which cleverly resembles London during the Blitz) that we hardly know to get emotional about, and we spend too much time in the wilderness with hardly a variety of distinctive landscapes. Of course, we still have the magical Fangorn Forest, the cursed dead marshes, and the most epic set piece of the movie Helm's Deep that are more interesting and cooler to look at, and again, the places that lack my interest are still amazingly crafted and places I'd like to visit and get to know more about, just not as much as I feel about the places in the other films. And since the film is gloomy primarily with its blue and grey color pallet, while not at all ugly, and subtly yet effectively emphasizes the tragedy and danger ahead, I prefer the balance of places looking whimsical and dramatically depressing or frightening presented in the other films.
I do get that this film is supposed to be a dark chapter with higher stakes than the first film, and while the stakes regarding Rohan are intense, the main cast of characters do not suffer much. As characters we cared for or knew horrifically died or suffered tremendous pain in the first and last film, there's no real scene actually to fear for their lives. As there were fake-out deaths in the first film, they're suffering from the abuse strongly impacted their journey or had a cool reveal; here, these fake-outs can be cut as it is too obvious that none of them are going to die, nor will the pain greatly affect them. When taking part in the fight in Helm's Deep, none of them get so much as a scratch or appear vulnerable except when the castle takes severe damage. Frankly, this observation doesn't bother me as much as you think, as I see that as part of the fantasy element, and the scenes themselves look too breathtaking for me to be distracted by their invincibility. I do think the stakes are high enough as it is clear that the characters, while they can survive and apparently take the abuse, are still not enough to destroy an entire army. But am I supposed to ignore that in the last battle of the first film, the characters looked tired and beat up during and after their fight with the Uruk-Hai? Shouldn't that fight be considered a day at the Shire compared to fighting against a massive army of Uruk-Hai? The only person who dies is someone we barely know about, and as big as the scene makes his death impactful, I feel nothing.
As far as characters go, I feel a few are highly underused. Aragorn's love interest, Arwen, introduced to us as a kindhearted elf with heroic qualities, barely does a thing. The whole scene with her visions of living a life with Aragorn is compelling, but to lose everything cool about her with so much potential makes that side of her pretty pointless. Initially, she was supposed to fight in Helm's Deep, which would've made a previously powerful scene as unneeded as her strengths getting ignored, but there could've been a way to compromise. Maybe having her join the fight will be her last noble deed and the time she sees Aragorn before parting with the other elves. I feel the same about Éowyn (who I know will be redeemed in the next film), as she demonstrates her skills and never uses them in the fight. Despite coming across as another love interest for Aragorn, their scenes together are too brief to make me believe he would suddenly settle down with her. The one who disappoints me the most is Faramir, who, like Éowyn, would have a better arc in the next film. Still, he is hardly any different from his brother Boromir, except he is a full-on antagonist who shows little signs of relatability. There was a deleted scene showing why he acts viciously and is obsessed with the ring that would have added so much more to him, but in the theatrical cut, he is just a bland antagonist who would only make sense until the next film.
My biggest problem with the film is how padded out it feels. From the badass opening scene to Aragorn (stupidly) sparing Grimer Wormtongue's life, we have a tight film as solid as the first that knows when to excite and bring emotional drama. But in the next hour, aside from fighting against (easily the worst effects and most disappointing designs in the films) the Wargs and Faramir capturing Frodo and Sam, it's all just talking and constant build-up for the Helm's Deep fight that are all magnificently acted scenes with grand visual storytelling but do slow the film's pace down after a while. And realizing there's still an hour left of mainly fighting and talking trees, as awesome as it all is, a part of me wishes we made it to the battle sooner. In many respects, the film could have been at least twenty minutes shorter, as the film is mainly just has lengthy exposition and fighting with (clever) sequel baiting for the next film.
Now, for all my reasons why this film is my least favorite of the trilogy, I still think it's an all-around glorious fantasy epic! Most of my problems are nitpicks, especially when viewed as part of a trilogy. As much as I miss the fellowship, I admire how the film juggles the characters and stories, hardly ever feeling intrusive and confusing. I'm one of the few who don't mind the conversations with the Ents during the battle of Helm's Deep. I get why people dislike these scenes for feeling drawn out (which they at times do feel that way) and a buzzkill from the fight, and while I wouldn't mind watching a full-on fight scene, given how long it is, I find their placement as a nice breather and terrific build-up to their part in the war. One of the many technical improvements the film offers is the fighting. I still get a kick out of the fights in the first film, but here, they appear bigger and are better edited, allowing you to get a better look at the action. There's not one fight scene that is not stellar (even with the Wargs, there's plenty of fun and action to be had). While many regard Helm's Deep as the best fight sequence in the film, as massive as it is, my favorite is with Gandalf fighting the Balrog, which is so epically badass that it's the most incredible opening scene in the movies.
Although I have my issues with some of the new characters, the film still does introduce most of them well, where we have enough time to get to know and care about them. My favorites are Treebeard, Grimer Wormtongue, and, above all, Gollum. Without proper care in character, voice work, and effects, Gollum could have easily been the trilogy's worst part, but they make him the best and most iconic part of this movie. A character who is so well-rounded that you both love and hate him created through the most groundbreaking CGI effects in film history that still looks impressive now; it's no wonder many people would consider this their favorite. Any scene with Gollum is as precious as the ring he covets. The characters we grew to love from the first film are as charismatic as we remember and are evolving. As Frodo is overwhelmed by the ring, his friend Sam steps up to the plate as a more heroic character. The same applies to the Hobbits Pippin and Merry, who were previously the carefree comic relief, now must take up some responsibility to help protect Middle Earth. Gandalf is more powerful than he was before. The dwarf Gimli may be at his goofiest here (that can be forcefully insufferable at times), but not only does he still have his badass and, at times, genuinely funny moments, but the way he and the elf Legolas work off each other is joyfully entertaining, especially when considering how their two races don't get along. Even the Uruk-Hai and Orcs have more personality, making it much creepier, especially underneath all that fantastic makeup. For all my issues with the film, there's rarely a scene that goes by that is not amazing in some way. Regardless of how I favor it, it's still a grand and essential sequel showing the new wonders and dangers Middle Earth has to offer as it all builds to the actual payoffs that await in the next movie.
I've discussed The Fellowship of the Ring as my favorite and The Two Towers as my least favorite. Return of the King is objectively the best film in the trilogy! Everything that made the previous two films a spectacular fantasy epic is more than incorporated here but is at the trilogy's grandest! The fighting is twice as breathtaking and gigantic in scale and stakes as the previous two. The special effects are at their finest! The story does not feel stretched out as The Two Towers, nor does it typically feel overcrowded with too much going on. It has just the proper balance of exposition, character, action, world-building, and adventure as the film juggles all the plots as solid as The Two Towers. And everything the movie has been building up to or teased has a tremendous pay-off that does not disappoint.
As the locations in the last film mildly interest me, this film has plenty of new places to offer, such as Minas Tirith (Gondor's capital), Shelob's lair, the Paths of the Dead, and the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Each place is filled with so much personality and lore, leaving me with as much wonder and fascination as the locations in "Fellowship." As a horror fan, after finding myself disappointed with the lack of terror "The Two Towers" had, it's fantastic to see Peter Jackson go back to the same amount of fear and tension he brought to the Nazgul in "Fellowship" to the monster Shelob, who is the scariest giant spider I've ever seen in film. And without a doubt, the new characters introduced outside the monsters are just as memorable as the others we've seen the characters encounter on their journey. The most notable is the Steward of Gondor Denethor, who has gone mad with power and out of touch with reality and himself. My favorites go to the Army of the Dead, led by the King of the Dead, who is creepy, sympathetic, and badass.
What makes this finale special is seeing how far the character's arcs come in full circle. As we had a few scenes with Gandalf the White rarely ever fighting in the last film, here we spend much more time with him as we see him kick some serious orc ass while remaining as humble, pleasant, and protective as we knew him as Gandalf the Grey. Merry, Pippin, and Sam have officially stepped up as full-fledged heroes who will not look at their fun-loving life the same way again. Aragorn decides to become the leader he is destined to be during these dark times of near-loss hope, whereas Gimli and Legolas have cemented their bond. Characters introduced in "The Two Towers," like Éowyn and Faramir, who either have little to do or come across as bland clones of other characters, have more purpose and personality. Beyond that, as stakes in "The Two Towers" felt minor to the characters, we're back to the same drastic stakes of "Fellowship," where characters die, get hurt or maimed, and are in constant fear that this may be their last stand and that they won't be coming back alive or worse not save Middle Earth.
I won't pretend the film is pure perfection because I have some issues with it. Many are nitpicks, like Frodo and Sam's friendship at its corniest, the fake-out endings, Sam's reason for not giving up, Frodo's Mithril Vest suddenly becoming useless, and not focusing on how Éowyn becomes a soldier almost as perfect as Legolas. But then you have Arwen, who once again is out of the action and is somehow tied to the fate of the ring (which makes no sense at all), which all amounts to her as nothing more than a generic (but still likable) love interest with one action scene in the entire trilogy. But it's nowhere near as insulting as cutting out Saruman and Wormtongue's final scene, which would've made better sense than what we got in the theatrical cut. Also, by cutting the mouth of Sauron scene we could have had a cool new monster, a better transition to the opening of the Black Gates of Mordor, and heavier weight to the film's final battle, making it feel like more of a loss cause than Helm's Deep. And while those flaws bother me, they hardly ever distract from how massive a finale it is. A part of me wants to love this over "Fellowship." However, whatever feelings I have for the film, nothing will change it as the trilogy's best film.
There's so much more I could talk about this trilogy, such as the perfect casting, the combination of practical and CGI effects, the art direction, the score, the cinematography, some small scenes that often get overlooked, and most of the cut material. There's so much awesomeness happening in all three films from a filmmaking standpoint that most of them (like any well-made film) we take for granted. That's not to say I'm as obsessed with these films as other fans, nor am I familiar with the source material. But I still love them enough to consider them the best movies of the year each film came out, which no trilogy has convinced me. Whether one's a Tolkien fan, movie critic, or someone who wants to enjoy these films casually, it's clear there's something in these movies to please all crowds. And I guarantee that over time, these films will keep getting more praise as groundbreaking classic movies such as The Godfather, Citizen Kane, The Wizard of OZ, and the Star Wars Trilogy.
