Thursday, February 2, 2012

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King -- February 2004

WHO'S THE HERO?





All things considered, the best movie of 2003 for me was The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Whether or not it wins the Oscar for Best Picture, it’s very much worth seeing. However, so much is packed into it that it might seem a bit overwhelming without a scorecard. Director Peter Jackson doesn’t give any summation at the beginning of what’s come before, and someone who hasn’t read the book might have some difficulty figuring out what’s going on, at least for a while. So for anyone who hasn’t already seen the previous movies in the series or read the book, here’s a brief summary:

At some time in the dim, distant past, the evil Dark Lord Sauron made a number of rings of power. Unfortunately for him, he lost the one most powerful ring, which causes anyone who puts it on to become invisible and which eventually corrupts the person who continues to wear it. In a flashback scene at the opening of The Return of the King, Smeagol and Deagol, two hobbit-like creatures, are fishing in the Great River. Pulled by a gigantic fish to the bottom of the river, Deagol finds the one lost ring, but his cousin Smeagol kills him, takes it, and flees. Many years pass and Smeagol, now a recluse living in the bowels of the earth, is consumed by the ring. Along comes Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire, who finds the ring and takes it away. Smeagol, aka Gollum, wants to get it back, and so of course does the Dark Lord. Thus ensues a major struggle between the powers of good and evil. The forces of good -- represented by hobbits, an elf, a dwarf, a good wizard, and men -- are trying to destroy the ring. The forces of evil -- represented by the Dark Lord, orcs (goblins), and a bad wizard -- must get the ring back if they are to exert total control over the world. Hobbit Frodo Baggins, Bilbo’s nephew, is appointed the ring-bearer. Frodo’s quest is to destroy the ring by throwing it into the Crack of Doom, a fiery volcanic chasm in the Land of Mordor, where the ring was made. He is accompanied by his friend and gardener, Sam Gamgee. In this last episode of the trilogy, Frodo and Sam are excruciatingly near their goal. Will they make it?

Not too long after writing the trilogy, author J.R.R. Tolkien was asked what various things in it stood for. Was, for example, the Dark Lord really Joseph Stalin and Mordor the land behind the Iron Curtain? No doubt exasperated by questions like these, Tolkien said he detested allegory (i.e., the use of one thing to symbolize another more important thing) but “much preferred history, either real or feigned.” He further said that in reference to The Lord of the Rings, people seemed to be “confusing allegory with applicability.” Tolkien’s point is well taken; this is not Pilgrim’s Progress but a story with real flesh-and-blood characters. Still, it’s interesting and profitable to try to figure out what some of the people and things might “apply to.” It seems pretty clear that the Shire represents England, and if that’s so, the hobbits are the English. But what about the Dark Lord? What are the palantirs, the four “crystal balls”? And what is the ring and the attempt to destroy it? Tolkien was a Christian, and his trilogy is certainly applicable to the Christian walk.

The Lord of the Rings has it all: exciting battle scenes, appealing characters, effective acting, majestic scenery, and a wonderful sweep that sets it apart from most other movies. Best of all, it’s about something important. There is no objectionable language in it and no glorification of immoral behavior. It is frightening in places and quite violent, however, so anyone younger than 10 or 11 perhaps shouldn’t see it.

I’ll leave you with this one final question: Who is the hero and, by extension, the main character? Is it Frodo? Aragorn, the man who “returns” to become the king? Gandalf, the good wizard? Gollum? Or maybe Sam? Yours to choose.


Film Rating: PG-13
Rating: 3 ½ stars      
Highly Recommended

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