Has there ever been a movie that totally transported you to another world? Have you ever seen a movie that completely enraptured you, and made you realize why you love great films? For me, that movie was The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Released in 2003, The Return of the King earned a remarkable 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, making it the film with the most wins in the twenty-first century. In fact, the film sits at number six on IMDB’s “Top 250 movies” list. Despite all of its accolades, they don’t make the movie my favorite. The reason I love The Return of the King so much is, I suspect, the same reason that so many others love it as we well. I love the film because of the emotions it brings out of me. The first time I watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy was during the early part of 2020, when I was forced to stay home in a cast after my foot surgery. For some strange reason, however, I only watched the first two films in the trilogy, and I remember thinking that they were only okay at the time, so I didn’t see the need to watch the final film immediately. Once Covid hit, however, I found myself--once again—confined to my own home, so one night I remember thinking to myself, why don’t I just go ahead and watch the third Lord of the Rings movie? I put the film on, not expecting too much of it, and my mind was absolutely blown.
In my opinion, The Return of the King is the perfect climax; it is the best third act of any story I have ever seen or read. Everything comes together so beautifully, and throughout the entire film, there is this sense of finality to everything. Never before or since have I experienced any story that is able to capture that pure epic scale which Tolkien and Peter Jackson, the director of the film, were able to create. With every scene, every character interaction, you can feel the weight of the world on the characters shoulders; you can tell that, as Frodo tells Sam, they are at “the end of all things”.
I cannot write about this film without mentioning the battles in it, because oh my gosh, the battles are incredible! From the massive siege of Minas Tirith to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, these battles are simply breathtaking and are sure to have you on the edge of your seat. When I watched this movie for the first time, I had never seen any large-scale battles put to screen before, so to say I was riveted would be an understatement. In fact, since my first viewing of this film I have been trying to find other on-screen battles that give me the same feeling of awe and wonder, and so far, I haven’t been able to find any. For me, the battles in The Return of the King are the gold standard of on-screen battles. And the music! Who knew a simple scene about lighting a beacon could be so epic?
All in all, the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy is fantastic, but The Return of the King will always have a special place in my heart. From incredible music to awe inspiring battles, this film is nothing short of legendary.
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