The Return of the King

10:20 show - couldn't make it in time. 11:20 show - was in the auditorium waiting for the movie/previews/anything to supplant the dark screen. There is something about the Lord of the Rings trilogy that stuns the entire audience into complete silence. The movies have been very true to the books and people respect the effort that has been invested into making the epics - I'm one of them... There is no point drawing parallels between this trilogy and others because unlike the others, the movies are backed by 3 of the best pieces of writing I have read. Enough prelude, now to the movie.

We all know the story, good prevails over evil in the end - Sauron's ring is destroyed in the depths of Mount Doom and Aragorn is crowned king of Middle Earth. It's the nuances in the storyline that kept me glued to my seat till the very end. Unlike the 1st two installments of the trilogy, this one has the perfect mix of emotions and kick-ass battles to appease every viewer. There is meagre character development but I guess it's too late in the game to waste time on introductions - there is a story to be told and many loose threads to be tied up within 3 hours.

We begin with scenes of Smeagol's first encounter with the Ring, establishing the fact that he will do anything to get his hands on his "precious". Frodo progressively sinks deeper into the chasm of suspicion and self-doubt, the burden of the Ring becoming too heavy for him to shoulder alone. This is as much Sam and Gollum's movie as Frodo's, their individual contributions ensure the Ring is finally destroyed proving once again that some things are better done in a team.

Parallel to Frodo's voyage towards Mount Doom is the battle to save Minas Tirth. Gandalph, Aragorn, the Rohirrim and their King march towards Gondor to save the citadel. The battle scene is breath-taking; the cinematography perfectly depicts the darkness surrounding the battle-grounds and the scenes with the Nazgul attacking the hapless warriors are extremely graphic. There is a definite eeriness imparted to the whole setting reminiscent of the march of the clone army into their carrier crafts at the end of Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Trust me, if you thought the battle in The Two Towers was inspiring, it was pedestrian compared to what I saw this afternoon in ROTK. Just the last hour makes it worth the admission...

There is some mush and gush at the end but the story has to be taken to it's conclusion and to this, we must give credit to Peter Jackson; I felt a sense of closure to the tale and for now, I'm sated. Till I go to India that is and watch the movie again with my brother, friends, etc, etc. Highly Recommended viewing for anyone who can sit through 3 hours of intense entertainment...