In 7 words or less: More bluster than I can muster.
What's it all About? This review has been languishing as a stickie on my desktop for a couple of months. Apologies!
So here we are, at the end of Tax Return Week 20120 - I've stormed through all three LOTR films while sorting through reciepts and it was JOYOUS!
CONTRACTUAL PISS: This film is the final instalment of the vast trilogy and covers Frodo, Gollum and Sam sneaking to Mordor while thousands of orcs head to Gondor to extinguish the world of men.
Best bits? Guess what?! So many! The fanfare with the first shot of Gondor as Gandalf rides up to the top gets me jumping up and down in my seat. The shot of Frodo, Sam and Gollum climbing a vertical rock stair as a huge jet of light flies into the sky and an army pour out of Minas Morgul. THE LIGHTING OF THE BEACONS! Howard Shore is at full tilt with the brass in this film, and he scores big! Not so many twee Hobbit themes and more epic blasting! DUNN dah dah DUNN! The Charge of the Rohirrim is still, to my eyes, pretty damn good CG, and gets the heart stirring! Shelob's Lair! If any other film had that many great set pieces, it'd be a wild film. For the ultimate poindexters, in the extended cut, the mouth of Sauron is a great addition too. So cool and creepy.
But three of my favourite bits are much quieter, and basically come down to McKellen. That man can monologue the shit out of anything! As Gandalf and Pippin wander into (or out of) their initial meeting with Denethor, he talks about how the city of Gondor lost it's way, caring more about their ancestors and asking questions of the stars.
Another Pippin and Gandalf moment just before the siege, as Pippin thinks about being a Servant of Gondor. As they chat about how quiet it is, the breath before the plunge into battle, Gandalf's coughs echo over the city - strange moment, but really great.
And finally McKellen chatting about the "Far green country" that Pippin is about to get biffed to by the Orcs the other side of the gate is much more poignant than it has any right to be.
I think I love these last couple of moments so much because, for me, they really have the spirit of the first film, and have less pomposity and bluster than most other fantasy.
Did it make you think thoughts? I don't know how anyone could finish a trilogy like this while maintaining the beautiful tone of the first film. Just the need to amp up the scale and scope to 11 is so tough - partly caused by Tolkien's material, but also to make the ending SENSATIONAL. Now, I LOVE the scale of the battles, even though some of the CG doesn't quite hold up, but there is something a bit overly frantic and less intimate, less personal than in the first film, which isn't a good thing. COULD they have finished it in the same mood as Fellowship, but with more tension and drama rather than 1,000,000 orcs? I kind of doubt it. I'm bloody glad they didn't have Sauron appearing at the end like they were toying with!
Following along from the "everything up to 11" issue, the quips and the bendy Legoland the Elf moments are more prominent now - running over an Olifaunt is really annoying, and then Gimli chirruping "that still only counts as one! (wiggle eybrows, thesp)" still had me punching my knee in anguish.
Even though it attracted a lot of criticism at the time, I didn't feel the hundred year ending was that huge a problem - it's been a 12 hour trilogy, so how else can they end it? Just one issue with the ending really - please, for the 50th anniversary 3D cash in, end it on ANYONE but bloody Samwise Gamgee!
Even though it attracted a lot of criticism at the time, I didn't feel the hundred year ending was that huge a problem - it's been a 12 hour trilogy, so how else can they end it? Just one issue with the ending really - please, for the 50th anniversary 3D cash in, end it on ANYONE but bloody Samwise Gamgee!
Oh, and god, is Gollum more likeable as the wasted weird monster than as the folk festival Andy Serkis at the beginning.
Would you watch it again? Of course! Probably every year. Forever.
Rating (out of 100%): It's just great, and an unreal achievement, but doesn't have the total magic of the first one. Still, I can't pick between this and the second, so for me, it's a 90%er.
