Week 7

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Genre: Epic-Fantasy

The final movie of a series can either make or break the saga, but The Return of the King goes way beyond faithfully completing Tolkien’s epic trilogy, and satisfies audiences while remaining true to Tolkien’s themes and vision in this penultimate film. There’s a reason The Return of the King swept the 2004 Oscars, winning in all categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture and Best Director, for a total of 11 Oscars, among numerous other film awards.

Unlike The Two Towers, The Return of the King doesn’t start where the previous film left off, and instead throws the audience into the midst of a flashback depicting how Gollum acquired the ring. Not only does it remind the audience of the origins and dangers of the ring, but also presents the beginning of Frodo’s own conflict with the ring as he, Sam, and Gollum approach Mordor. The beginning also sees Merry and Pippin reunite with Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, bringing the majority of the fellowship together once more as the battle with Sauron nears. After this reunion, Sauron’s power is explored through Pippin’s close encounter with the figure, revealing Sauron’s intentions to attack Gondor, but also his ability to contort Pippin’s mind through fear. After this incident, Pippin is split from Merry and taken by Gandalf to Minas Tirth in order to warn Denethor, the steward of Gondor, of Sauron’s impending attack. Merry and Pippin’s split truly shakes up the dynamics of the remaining group, but also helps Merry and Pippin develop as individual characters, giving them a stoic character development that Tolkien describes in the novels. Similarly, Pippin and Merry’s heroic split can be compared to Sam and Frodo’s, wherein Gollum takes advantage of Frodo’s fragile mental state to remove Sam from the equation, and engineers a fight between the two which causes Sam to leave his beloved. Gollum then leads the weak Frodo into a trap which he hopes will cause Frodo’s death and the eventual return of the ring to himself. However, Sam comes back, unwilling to abandon his dear friend, and is heartbroken to discover Frodo’s “death.” Before he can properly mourn Frodo, orcs come and take Frodo’s body, and Sam soon discovers Frodo is just in a state of paralysis, and goes on a rescue mission. Armed with Frodo’s sword and guarding the ring (which he cleverly removed from Frodo’s body) Sam marches into the Orc fortress alone to successfully rescue Frodo, in both a shining moment of Sam’s heroism and Sean Astin’s acting chops.

The story continues, with Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas recruiting an undead army, and Faramir falling wounded in battle, driving Denethor, overcome with loneliness, to attempted murder-suicide, the latter of which is successful. Of course, there’s also an epic battle occurring outside the walls of Minas Tirth too, and the Riders of Rohan, accompanied by a disguised Eowyn and Merry, join forces with Gondor in order to weaken Sauron’s army for the good of Middle-earth.

As Frodo and Sam approach Mt. Doom, and perhaps certain death, war still rages throughout Middle-earth, yet a war rages within Frodo as well. The closer the pair get to Mt. Doom, the more desperate the ring becomes, attempting to leech out Frodo’s humanity piece by piece, yet what the ring doesn’t know is that the biggest part of Frodo’s humanity is Sam. A hobbit whom he arguably loves, and this love is best shown within Frodo and Sam’s struggles in The Return of the King. At points Sam even volunteers to carry the ring, aware of its power over the psyche, but Sam does not desire the ring. Sam does not allow the ring to have any power over him because Frodo’s power over Sam, and their relationship, is much more powerful than any ring. Sam stays with Frodo, and even gives Frodo the last of his food and water, and even when starving and dehydrated, Sam carries Frodo up Mt. Doom. Their bond keeps them alive, and the chemistry between Elijah Wood and Sean Astin is what makes the relationship we see on screen so remarkably unique. Usually in fantasy movies, the protagonists are rough, emotionless men, yet the portrayals of Frodo and Sam reinforce the complexity of both characters, as well as the delicacy and beauty of their relationship. Frodo and Sam cry together, laugh together, and fight together, which is why their relationship is so sensitive and deep, for they’ve witnessed horrors with one another, just like Tolkien and his batman did in the First World War.

The war rages on, and just before Sam and Frodo reach Mount Doom, Sauron spots the pair, but luckily, Aragorn, the remaining members of the fellowship, and a large army march on the Black Gate to distract Sauron. It’s a mission almost as suicidal as Sam and Frodo’s, but all are willing to lay their lives on the line for not just Middle-earth, but their friends, Sam and Frodo. The distraction was successful, allowing for Sam and Frodo to enter the heart of the volcano, but not without a visit from Gollum, who was at first fended off by Sam as the two entered. Just as Frodo was about to throw the ring into the lava, he becomes overtaken by it, putting it on and turning invisible, wherein he was attacked by Gollum, and the two go over the edge, with Sam watching in horror. Gollum and the ring fall, leaving a shaken Frodo clinging for his life, thankfully saved by Sam. The two escape and the volcano explodes. They spend what they believe to be their final moments on a rock on the mountainside, as lava flows around them, talking to one another about how much they mean to each other. Thankfully, Frodo and Sam are rescued and reunited with the rest of the fellowship, who all witness Aragorn’s crowning of King of Gondor and marriage to Arwen.

Years later, Frodo is still shaken from his adventure, and decides to move to the Undying Lands with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the rest of the Elves, leaving Sam behind. This is the final “big” scene of the film, and it’s an incredibly emotional one, with Frodo saying goodbye to Sam, Merry, Pippin, and The Shire for one final adventure.

I also have to say, the facial expressions and movements Elijah Wood makes when Frodo is finally overtaken by the ring really remind me of Alexandre Cabanel’s 1868 ‘Fallen Angel’ painting. Though I’m unsure if the allusion is intentional, it truly marks the ring’s establishment of complete dominance over Frodo, which is only broken by Gollum extreme lust for the ring itself. Thus the two can be considered “Fallen Angels” in their own right, but Gollum a bit more literally. (Pictures below for reference)

Overall, The Return of the King is peak cinema, with fantastic performances, loyal screenwriting, and incredible special effects. But most importantly, the film brings Tolkien’s vision to life, and is truly able to visually complete the trilogy. The emphasis on teamwork and friendship in The Return of the King complete Tolkien’s message and turn Sam and Frodo’s relationship in the books into something never-before seen on screen. I would have to say The Return of the King isn’t just a great film, but one of the best films of all time.

Final Rating: 10/10