Ring a Ling Ding

Speaking of love among men (‘I’ll never leave you, Mr. Frodo!’), I went and saw The Return of the King this afternoon. I’m not really keen to offer a full-fledged review. Obviously, these are exceptional films–the performances, plotting, scenic design, costuming, editing, musical score, everything–are done with admirable care and attention to detail. Metacritic’s 94/100 is perhaps a touch generous, but it’s a really well-made film. In this film, I was particularly impressed with Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan as Pippin and Merry…their performances were subtle and moving. Also, there is a jaw-dropping sequence where Legolas brings down a massive mastadon o’ war that sets a new standard for digital effects.

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this film. My appreciation of a film depends on my observation of its craft: acting, directing, etc. Also, I enjoy those films most that exceed my expectations in a surprising way. I knew pretty much everything there was to know about The Return of the King. Not because I’m some Tolkein nut…I’ve read the books a couple of times. Having seen the first two films, I knew all of the characters (few new characters were introduced), the cinematography, the design, plot (from the novels) and the acting. So, occasionally, I was willing Sam and Frodo to just get on with it and reach the damn (hee, hee) Cracks of Doom. As the third film, it’s a feast for the eyes, but not the brain or the spirit. In this way, I was far more impressed with and moved by the first film.

I do have two minor complaints. The first is the denoument. As Mr. Cranky puts it, the film “fades to black more times than Ozzy Osbourne taking an I.Q. test”. Unless you’re doing something innovative, an film’s (or novel’s or play’s) conclusion should be as brief as possible. The climax has occurred, tension has been released and our investment in the characters lessens. In the context of a 12-hour film, this film’s conclusion was about the right length. For a 3-hour film, it was way too long.

The second is the whole Arwen/Eowyn/Aragorn love triangle. This was handled clumsily, and should have been cut altogether. In terms of adapting the novels, it’s extremely trivial to the plot. There was much grousing about Liv Tyler’s role in the first film. The complaints were mostly from Tolkeinaites concerned about the sanctity of the story. Who cares about that–it just didn’t play very well on screen. Arwen’s gone for enornmous swathes of the second and third film, and Aragorn seems to turn down Eowyn more times than I got refused at my grade 7 dance.

MINOR SPOILER AHEAD

In any other film, when Arwen shows up at the conclusion, the director would cut to Eowyn for a reaction shot. Jackson seems too concerned about the mythic to worry about minor details like his characters’s reactions.