The Return of the King
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Movie Reviews of The Return of the King
Movie Review: There seems to be a bit of confusion
Summary: 3 Stars
The review here dated May 24, 2004 from an anonymous viewer in NJ (my home state) has CONFUSED this animated movie with the recently released Peter Jackson- Return of the King DVD. THESE ARE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FILMS MADE MORE THAN 20 YEARS APART.
The animated Return of the King was a TV special released in 1980. For its time, it was an entertaining look at the last segment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Keep in mind that this was targeted at a younger audience, especially those who watched the animated Hobbit film. I recall watching this in middle school, my first taste of the fantasy genre.
And I will admit, I did compare one scene from the animated Return of the King (1980) with the live-action Return of the King (2003). It was the scene with Eowyn facing off against the Lord of the Nazguls. The animated movie hewed closer to the book in that more of the actual dialogue was used.
Eowyn's speech is a bit wordy and seems more at place in a stage play than in a fast moving battle. But I did enjoy how it paused the momentum of the Battle of Pelenor Fields and you get this beauty standing on the battlefield with her long blonde hair flowing in the wind like a banner of courage. I was hoping for equal treatment from Peter Jackson, but he kept this scene short. It is a critical moment in Eowyn's character development.
Movie Review: To much bad music
Summary: 3 Stars
This is the exact same team and art as is seen and heard in The Hobbit. The Hobbit is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I prefer this style to Bakshi's and Jackson's, which is Bakshi's IMHO, by far. The main problem with this film is there are songs twice as often that are very uncreative limerick- like pieces. Several are reused periodically throughout the film. The songs in the Hobbit are much better and occur less often in the film. The other major weakness of this production is the types of characters were not expanded upon very much at all. You will not see any dwarves, no elves fighting in the battles, no elvish wife for Aragorn, no Ents, and no ghost army. Golum's wonderfully terrifying eyes and shear size are missing, and expect corny Scooby-Do voices like Shaggy as one of the Hobbits and those comical but unimpressive crazy old man ghost voices for the leader of the Naasghoul. This is a very disappointing follow-up to the Hobbit, which is still the only Tolkien rendition that creates distinctly non-human images for non-human characters, something Bakshi and Jackson either failed to do or completely avoided in their attempts. Save your money and look forward to Del Toro's up and coming film in 2012.Movie Review: "Beware, the power that was simple now has grown"
Summary: 3 Stars
Rankin-Bass' "Return of the King" is by far the most underrated of the six films that have been adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's works. One has to bear in mind that it was an animated prime-time television special aimed at children, that it was intended to be at least halfway comprehensible to viewers whose only previous Middle-earth knowledge came from the Rankin-Bass "Hobbit", and that the filmmakers were apparently unable to use any material whatsoever from the previous two volumes of Tolkien's trilogy.
Given all those restrictions and obstacles, it's amazing how good the Rankin-Bass RotK is and how much of Tolkien's work it captures. Viewers get to see many elements of the book that were excluded from the Peter Jackson films, from little things like the all-white standard of the Stewards of Gondor to big moments like Sam feeling pity for Gollum on Mount Doom. I also think Rankin-Bass' ending is sadder, and closer to the spirit of Tolkien's ending, than that of Jackson's trilogy.
So I wholeheartedly recommend this film for younger viewers. And as for all you adult Tolkien aficionados who have heard nothing but bad things about this movie: Give it a try; you just might like it!
Movie Review: 'who is this darklord who turns sunless days...
Summary: 3 Stars
...into starless nights, adding up the minutes to no passing hour?' - beautifully delivered by Huston as Gandolf.this isn't a very complete movie but does a credible job trying to complete the story started by Bashi's animated Lord of the Rings. it is no easy task and the movie needed to take some liberaties to this effect so don't expect a direct translation.
McDowell was very good as Samwise but Huston was outstanding; i really applaud the direction this movie took in using Gandolf as the narrative voice. this decision i feel most made the movie enjoyable.
the whimsical animation styling that worked well in the Hobbit is less effective here but the same care given to the characters and the background art is clearly evident. the songs by Glen Yarborough that are based mostly from the book in the Hobbit are given more liberty and seems a bit too intrusive and dated here, although, i thought well of the initial 'telling' of the background by the ministral.
all in all, given the framework of the storyline that the Rankin/Bass team had to work in, it is a good attempt in telling the final portion of Tolkien's great work.
Movie Review: A bare-bones adaptation of the book.
Summary: 3 Stars
If you've seen Ralph Bakshi's animated Lord of the Rings, and want to buy this to get the rest of the story, be warned: The Return of the King totally dispenses with many characters from the books & previous movie, such Legolas & Gimli. The characters of Sam and Frodo are the primary focus of the film, as they struggle along on the final leg of their quest to reaach Mount Doom, and dispose of the Ring of Sauron. (They stop to break into song every three minutes, only a few of which are tolerable once, let alone 5 or 6 times each.....) The animation is clean and attractive, and the voice acting is pretty good. My only beef on that front is Casey Kasem....YUCK! Fans of the book will probably get a kick out of seeing the characters on the screen, non-fans will like the story, and fanatics will be angry at the stuff they left out. Decide which catagory you're in before you buy.
The DVD has little in the way of extras; just a few text features. Hopefully, seeing the animated films will persuade a few people to move up to Tolkien's wonderful books.....