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The Lord of the Rings: |
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The Lord of the Rings: |
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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. --Jeff Shannon |
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| DVD
Features:
Once again this LOTR DVD has come filled with enough extras to outplay the movie. With extras like these you wonder why anyone still uses VHS, for nearly the same price and less quality. You'll love the movie again and if you liked the extras on the previous LOTR DVD you'll love these extras too. It's debated whether you buy this version when you know that there will be the extended special edition 3 months down the track. The argument that you should wait only has one benefit, you save a little cash. However that arguments for buying this edition first far out weighs not getting it for purchasing the first release means:
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Cast
List:
Elijah Wood ... Frodo Baggins
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USA
U.K. 
AUS