The Return of the King
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Movie Reviews of The Return of the King
Movie Review: Enjoyable For Everyone
Summary: 4 Stars
THis flick follows the The Hobbit more closely than it does the second. It remains faithful to the story but lacks the overhangin darkness that the second one does. Very Worthwhile
Movie Review: A mixture of the absurd and the sublime
Summary: 3 Stars
I strongly recommend potential viewers of this telefilm abandon ALL expectations regarding Tolkien lore before hitting "play". This animated story wasn't made to fill the gap left after Bakshi's feature film, or even "complete" the Rankin/Bass "Hobbit" adaptation. Instead, it's a hodgepodge chronology lifted from LOTR's "Return of the King"...and a pretty shrewd one at that. R&B likely balked at the task of making three LOTR installments; the same scale and financial demands applied as with adaptations in the traditional film business. Left with a choice of which (manageable) story within LOTR to bring to television, R&B wisely choose the events preceding LOTR's climax.The movie opens on Bilbo's 129th birthday at Rivendell, some time after the destruction of the One Ring. Flashbacks quickly ensue, and viewers are brought short with Samwise outside the walls of Cirith Ungol. From this point, the major events from "The Return of the King" unfold, though story emphasis is given to Sam and Frodo's relationship as they traverse Mordor. The inclusion of scenes from the siege of Minas Tirith are a small gift for Tolkien fans, but they are also a minor distraction in the context of this production.
I should also add that this movie's soundtrack is overripe with folky "message songs," an obvious sop to young children who are unfamiliar with adult responsibilities and relationships. The music would be an incidental annoyance for older viewers, if not for the nasal trilling of Glen Yarbrough, which defies even a deaf ear. Unless you have children doting on the singalong soundtrack, keep your finger near the "fast forward" or "mute" key. Take a minute to listen to the "Where There's A Whip, There's A Way" musical interlude, during Sam & Frodo's march with the orcs of Mordor. The lyrics are humorous and/or amusing on several levels, a rarity in the rest of the soundtrack.
As others have mentioned here, the animation in this movie is pretty poor fare, but wholly in keeping with both "The Hobbit" and Rankin/Bass' standard adaptations. Everyone, "good guy" or "bad guy" is craggy, or just ugly. This in itself isn't a major fault, unless you are expecting the type of glamor painting found in Tolkien calendars and the like. The animation is charmingly old-fashioned, and the color tones in this transfer are appropriately rustic.
Though the script for this adaptation is patched together, occasionally a bit of genuine Tolkien dialogue pops up, or a minor detail from the book is carefully included. These little touches are what save the movie from being a throwaway, or a kids-only flick. If Tolkien fans are willing to ignore the occasional pronunciation flub or thematic error, they should be able to find something to enjoy in this DVD. Certainly, there is much more to find fault with in this production, but why watch it if your only motivation is the desire to criticize?
Adolescents who are fond of fantasy may well find this film a good jumping off point, before tackling the actual books in the LOTR. The violent content of the book has been softened considerably, so I would think this movie would be a safe bet for kids 6 and up.
J
Movie Review: Decent entertainment, but untrue to its inspiration...
Summary: 3 Stars
While Rankin and Bass managed to stay somewhat true to Tolkien's vision of "The Hobbit" in their animated film, the same cannot be said of "The Return of the King." That is not to say that the film doesn't have its moments, but they are sometimes few and far between, and it strays often from its inspiration and takes too many absurd liberties to lazily tie up loose ends and transform "The Return of the King" into a single story, and not the third part of a complete vision.It picks up almost right where Bakshi dropped the ball, but in comparison to his film version of "The Fellowship of the Ring" and half of "The Two Towers," it is very, very pale. The acting is shoddy at times and almost all characters speak with American accents (a problem that also plagued "The Hobbit"). Aragorn, in particular, is a large offender in the department of overacting, and his delivery is dishwater. Oddly enough, the Mouth of Sauron stands out above the rest where the acting is concerned, and that's with only a few moments of screen time.
There is another grand exception in the acting department, however, and that is Roddy McDowall who voices Sam Gamgee. Thankfully, he probably has more time onscreen than any other character. In this area, and in this area alone, "The Return of the King" outshines "The Lord of the Rings." To Bakshi, Sam was nothing but a clown, and his depictation of the character was shameful. But here, Sam is given proper respect by both animators and voice-over.
But there are too many problems to ignore as a Tolkien zealot. There are too many glaring character omissions to even get into; too many liberties taken by the writers; and there are even moments of song - but not songs penned by Tolkien himself (though several appear in his book). These in particular are a great distraction and almost make a mockery of Tolkien's epic tale. And yet, in spite of ALL this, Tolkien fans who have not seen it should probably give it a try. Until 2003, it's as close as you can come to seeing this tale represented onscreen. And it does have its moments. If I knew how, I would have given it two and a half stars, but on a curve, I have to round up...
Movie Review: An All-Singing, All-Dancing Hobbit Extravaganza!
Summary: 3 Stars
Okay, the other reviews are all true. If you take your Tolkien seriously, this film can be a painful experience. Or... you can make it a drinking game! Every time the narrator or a character mispronounces a name or place, take a drink. If the pronounciation was made explicit in the book, as with THE'oden or KIRith Ungol, take two. When they make up stupid dialogue, or when they actually stick to dialogue (it does happen!), take a drink. When they burst into a song suggested by a single line of the book (i.e. "where there's a whip there's a will"), take a drink. When they skip over huge events and pretend they never happened (like Aragorn seeming not to know about the quest of the ring), just down the whole bottle. The movie is probably a lot more fun for an adult when you're drunk.It does have its good features. While the animation is not and never was state-of-the-art, the backgrounds are, I think, quite lovely -- all moody, evocative watercolors. While the songs are not exactly canon (as they are in "The Hobbit"), they make sense in the context of the movie (where the tale is being told by a bard, who is actually canon).
And it's a lot of fun for kids. My sister and I saw this on TV about 18 years ago, and will still laugh ourselves silly with the songs. (We did a rendition of "Frodo of the Nine Fingers" that went, "Frodo of the no earlobe, and the earring of doom... Frodo of the no breath, and the Dentene of doom..." etc.) My son, two years old, learned the word "Frodo" from the movie, which was very cute to my husband and I, both Tolkien fans.
If you prefer your Tolkien unadulterated, don't watch this. It will make you cringe with horror. But if you watch it with a kid... or indeed with some like-minded adults, it can be a lot of fun.
Movie Review: A Family Joke
Summary: 3 Stars
Though lightyears better than the "Lord of the Rings" animated version, this movie has become a family joke. Whenever anyone hears "All hail Samwise the Strong" we all start cracking up. Some other parts that get us laughing are the friendly goblins in the Shire, the Eye of Sauron (which looks like a button), the black pegasuses that the Nazgul ride on, Pippin's face and voice, and above all, the music. These people must have been running on a low budget because there are about three tunes and around twenty lyrics to those tunes. Worse, some of the tunes are recycled from "The Hobbit," a good movie, but enough is enough.
We really enjoy the song "Where there's a Whip There's a Way" and it gives us a great excuse to abuse younger siblings.
Though this movie is better than "Lord of the Rings," it is not as good as "The Hobbit" and incomparable to Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings." It is alright, though.
P.S. Did you know that the reason Hobbits don't exist anymore is (according to the movie) that they grew progresively taller and then started to look like humans.
P.P.S I was annoyed that all of the battle scenes were replaced by moving dots.
P.P.P.S. Fortunately, Frodo's voice wasn't all dreamy and distant like Elijah Woods' and he didn't faint as much and do as many stupid things