The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition)

It's hard to believe but The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King is now over twenty years old and is perhaps the one film of the trilogy I have seen the least. I had the first one on video and watched that many times, which was the same with the sequel on DVD but I only ever had the extended version of The Return of the King on DVD, which is coincidentally very long. However, being much older now and with a fair better appreciation for films, it was time to revisit Peter Jackson's final chapter in the great trilogy.

Following swiftly along from The Two Towers, Frodo, Sam and Gollum are edging ever closer to Mordor and so greatens the burden of the ring as it comes closer to home. It's here the journey sees them run out of allies and only find orcs and monsters making their quest all the more perilous. Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin are reunited with Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli but this is short lived when a turn of events fixes Sauron's eye to Pippin.

It does feel redundant explaining the story to this great film and it certainly isn't easy to do when there are so many moving pieces which Jackson handles with brilliant efficiency. Until now, I could happily choose between the theatrical or extended versions but with TROTK, the extended version is the only way to go to get the complete story as Jackson was forced to cut the scenes with Saruman. And even then, he had to alter Tolkien's story for the sake of the film which would not have been easy to do but the end result is a real achievement. It is very long but I don't think any fans would have this any other way, or maybe except longer!

Just like the films before, the cast are terrific, the visuals amazing and the score perfect. My only gripes aren't entirely original but just fall with the army of undead soldiers which just don't quite gel with the rest of the story as this overpowered force as sparingly used. I've yet to read the book but understand they were handled differently and it is the one area I feel as if Jackson was running out of time. I would also note this film uses a lot more CGI than the two before, not that it is an issue but it marked a turn in the industry when this would start dominate more and more epics. This all makes me glad Jackson made these films when he did, using the technology where strictly necessary, as The Hobbit films show what could have been. 

The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King is a wonderful film, complete with so many great, great moments and I am not sure we will ever see anything with this level of passion quite like it again. Over twenty years on and this remains one of the best, and it will be hard for anyone to match this no matter how money they bring to the table.