<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>Now that I’ve seen the film a few times I have been able to examine the characters and plot of it a little more carefully. In as short as I can make it: the build up begins fairly slowly, and it builds up and up to very high levels, and the ending is quite well done as well. Certainly the ending does not hold up to the book, but the ending in the book which would include the Houses of Healing where Merry recovered (he was not actually supposed to be in that final battle), Eowyn and Faramir recovered and met each other and grew together over the days, the scouring of the Shire, visits back to Rivendell, etc... It could have beeen a whole other 3 hour long movie in itself! Even though I would love to see it, it would just not be marketable to the crowds. The Return of the King itself as is is smashing sales records all over the world and fcor the entire world as a whole, the movie is already coming close to the world wide sales of the Fellowship of the Ring (and its only on its second full week on screen), the first part of the saga, and if any movie in the next decade has even a chance of exceeding Titanic, it is this one, but even that chance is “just a fools hope” as Gandalf would put it. There's still a hope =)
We have Frodo, who was at his best towards the end of the movie, an unexpected turn for the viewers. Some scenes would appear to have some homosexual undertones in them, particularilly the ending, but obviously these scenes had some power to them, because looking back on the crowd, I see tears in eyes; likely the whole idea for these sorts of scenes came from none other than “Gandalf the gay” who was a dominant figure among both cast and crew. Frodo’s overall character in the movie had a much less aggressive atmosphere about him than his original book counterpart (that I was something I definetly missed throughout the movies, Frodo wasn’t exactly the wimp that Jackson portrayed him as). I will not complain about it though, the movie was good, though different. The book Frodo did carry himself with a lot more confidence and pride than he did in the movies.
Gandalf, played by Sir Ian Mckellen, was fantastically cast for the movie; though I myself was hoping for Connery, who I believed would have been absolutely perfect for the role. My favourite part with this character was when he beat up Denethor. Overall, he was at the top of his game, in the second movie he had only a small part, in this one he had his largest part. Though I do miss his confrontation with the Witchking of Angmar, where the Witchking was to attempt to “break him” which I believe he does in the Extended Edition, if you noticed, Gandalf had no staff from the time of riding up to the citadel and on, in the first trailer for the movie, it shows the Witchking flying down to confront Gandalf at the gates of the Citadel.
Aragorn, I felt Viggo Mortensen did not get enough air time in the third installment: he was the main character of the book, very obviously, but in the movie he did not seem to get the time he deserved. He did a great job himself, but I believe that his character could have been better shown had the script remained similar to the actual book plot, but again that would require a lot more time for the movie overall. In the book the dead army only took the ships, Aragorn had gathered an army from around the lands of Western Gondor to travel with him on the shores to join the battle with Rohan led by Eomer, and Gondor led by Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. I also missed Aragorn challenging Sauron with the Palantir (speaking fof which, showing Denethor’s Palantir, which was the true source of his knowledge).
With the main characters described, I will now describe my favourite character of the movie: Theoden King of Rohan. I felt that more than anyone, he had the greatest scenes and was absolutely dead on the character. I like to compare him now to William Wallace of Braveheart, and though I still like Wallaces speach ending with “They may take our lives, but they will never take our FREEDOM!” I felt that Bernerd Hill’s speach as Theoden hit a higher note (possibly in co-operation with the great music at that particular scene); I am still debating which I like more. Theoden’s thoughts were also done well, and his death scene I very much liked. The second and third time I saw the movie, I still felt the tension that I did the first time throughout the whole Ride of the Rohirrim, truly a classic moment for the history of cinema. It would be quite nice for this film to do especially well, for Bernerd Hill is already credited in the highest grossing movie currently, Titanic. It is a shame that liklely he will be overlooked by the larger award ceremonies since he does only really appear for the first half to first two thirds of the movie or so; and has other characters such as Gandalf, Sam, and Aragorn who are generallyseen as more important characters, and they also all did very well in their acting jobs themselves; That still doesn’t change that Theoden was my favourite character in the movie. To sum it all up: of all the leaders there, he seemed to own the part and did hold about him the authority and charisma of a true King that armies of men would follow. In my opinion, he kind of stole the show from Aragorn =P
From Lord of the Rings (pg 132 of the Return of the King):
Then suddenly Merry felt it at last, beyond doubt: a change. Wind was in his face! Light was glimmering. Far. far away, in the South the clouds could be dimly seen as remote grey shapes, rolling up, drifting; morning lay beyond them.
But at that same moment there was a flash, as if lighting had sprung from the earth beneath the City. For a searing second it stood dazzling far off in black and white, its topmost tower like a glittering needle; and then as the darkness closed again there came rolling over the fields a great <I>boom</I>.
At that sound the bent shape of the king sprang suddenly erect. Tall and proud he seemed again; and rising in his stirrups he cried in a loud voice, more clear than any there had ever heard a mortal man achieve before:
<I><c>Arise, arise Riders of Theoden
Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter
spear shall be shaken! Shield be splintered!
a sword day! a red day! ere the sun rises!
Ride now! Ride now! Ride to Gondor!</I></C></div>
We have Frodo, who was at his best towards the end of the movie, an unexpected turn for the viewers. Some scenes would appear to have some homosexual undertones in them, particularilly the ending, but obviously these scenes had some power to them, because looking back on the crowd, I see tears in eyes; likely the whole idea for these sorts of scenes came from none other than “Gandalf the gay” who was a dominant figure among both cast and crew. Frodo’s overall character in the movie had a much less aggressive atmosphere about him than his original book counterpart (that I was something I definetly missed throughout the movies, Frodo wasn’t exactly the wimp that Jackson portrayed him as). I will not complain about it though, the movie was good, though different. The book Frodo did carry himself with a lot more confidence and pride than he did in the movies.
Gandalf, played by Sir Ian Mckellen, was fantastically cast for the movie; though I myself was hoping for Connery, who I believed would have been absolutely perfect for the role. My favourite part with this character was when he beat up Denethor. Overall, he was at the top of his game, in the second movie he had only a small part, in this one he had his largest part. Though I do miss his confrontation with the Witchking of Angmar, where the Witchking was to attempt to “break him” which I believe he does in the Extended Edition, if you noticed, Gandalf had no staff from the time of riding up to the citadel and on, in the first trailer for the movie, it shows the Witchking flying down to confront Gandalf at the gates of the Citadel.
Aragorn, I felt Viggo Mortensen did not get enough air time in the third installment: he was the main character of the book, very obviously, but in the movie he did not seem to get the time he deserved. He did a great job himself, but I believe that his character could have been better shown had the script remained similar to the actual book plot, but again that would require a lot more time for the movie overall. In the book the dead army only took the ships, Aragorn had gathered an army from around the lands of Western Gondor to travel with him on the shores to join the battle with Rohan led by Eomer, and Gondor led by Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. I also missed Aragorn challenging Sauron with the Palantir (speaking fof which, showing Denethor’s Palantir, which was the true source of his knowledge).
With the main characters described, I will now describe my favourite character of the movie: Theoden King of Rohan. I felt that more than anyone, he had the greatest scenes and was absolutely dead on the character. I like to compare him now to William Wallace of Braveheart, and though I still like Wallaces speach ending with “They may take our lives, but they will never take our FREEDOM!” I felt that Bernerd Hill’s speach as Theoden hit a higher note (possibly in co-operation with the great music at that particular scene); I am still debating which I like more. Theoden’s thoughts were also done well, and his death scene I very much liked. The second and third time I saw the movie, I still felt the tension that I did the first time throughout the whole Ride of the Rohirrim, truly a classic moment for the history of cinema. It would be quite nice for this film to do especially well, for Bernerd Hill is already credited in the highest grossing movie currently, Titanic. It is a shame that liklely he will be overlooked by the larger award ceremonies since he does only really appear for the first half to first two thirds of the movie or so; and has other characters such as Gandalf, Sam, and Aragorn who are generallyseen as more important characters, and they also all did very well in their acting jobs themselves; That still doesn’t change that Theoden was my favourite character in the movie. To sum it all up: of all the leaders there, he seemed to own the part and did hold about him the authority and charisma of a true King that armies of men would follow. In my opinion, he kind of stole the show from Aragorn =P
From Lord of the Rings (pg 132 of the Return of the King):
Then suddenly Merry felt it at last, beyond doubt: a change. Wind was in his face! Light was glimmering. Far. far away, in the South the clouds could be dimly seen as remote grey shapes, rolling up, drifting; morning lay beyond them.
But at that same moment there was a flash, as if lighting had sprung from the earth beneath the City. For a searing second it stood dazzling far off in black and white, its topmost tower like a glittering needle; and then as the darkness closed again there came rolling over the fields a great <I>boom</I>.
At that sound the bent shape of the king sprang suddenly erect. Tall and proud he seemed again; and rising in his stirrups he cried in a loud voice, more clear than any there had ever heard a mortal man achieve before:
<I><c>Arise, arise Riders of Theoden
Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter
spear shall be shaken! Shield be splintered!
a sword day! a red day! ere the sun rises!
Ride now! Ride now! Ride to Gondor!</I></C></div>
-Insert Inspiring Quote-
