December 18, 2003

Lukewarm ROTK Review

I swear I'm not just being contrary here. I'll admit that sometimes I'm just being contrary, but this time, I'm not. Okay? Okay.

So. Return of the King. I liked it. It was okay, and there were some really good bits in it. But it wasn't The Greatest Movie of All Time. Frankly, I don't even think it was the best movie of the year, since Pirates of the Caribbean still fills me with glee for pretty much the whole runtime.

I just thought Return of the King was really long. I mean, at three and a half hours, obviously it is really long. But it seemed longer than that to me. Some of that might be my fault, because the show started at 6:00 am and I was sleepy. But on the other hand, it was a free showing, so I shan't complain about the earliness. Not too much, anyway.

Part of the reason it seemed so long was that I was impatient for the first time in the series. In Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers I knew there wasn't going to be a resolution anytime soon, so I was willing to let the story unfold at its majestic (glacial) pace. But this time, Mount Doom is right there! Let's go! Move it along!

Also, frankly, I have some complaints. Just a couple. For one thing, it seemed like there was more Theoden and Eowyn than was strictly necessary. And although the battle scenes were good, I've already seen a sweeping epic siege and gritty doomed defenders being saved at the last second. For that matter, I've already seen a crazy-slash-evil king making poor decisions until Gandalf smacks him around. So, yeah, some of it seemed like a rerun. I know that's the way it is in the book, but I read pretty fast, so I can control the feeling of repetition when I'm in charge.

There was also a lot of slow motion, which didn't help when I was already feeling impatient.

Having said all that, I enjoyed much of the movie. I may have cried a couple of times. And I would not be a bit surprised to see Sean Astin get himself a richly-deserved Academy Award at some point. Personally, my favorite part of the books is the Merry/Pippin story arc, where they start as comic relief goofballs and mature into adult; but I don't mind a version that focuses on Samwise.

Now, I'm going to engage in a small bit of backlash. If you head over to Rotten Tomatoes, you'll see many, many positive reviews. And I approve of that. But there's a lot of gushing. Here's a brief sampling of the phrases that appear just in the sample paragraphs: "a stunning achievement," "the most awe-inspiring spectacle ever to play on a big screen," "one of the seminal cinematic achievements of our age," "monumental cinema," "an experience of epic scope and grandeur, amazing emotional power, and relentless momentum." And so on. Plus, I'd roughly estimate that about half these reviews use some variation of the phrase "a crowning achievement." I believe that all these people are going too far. I liked the movie a lot. But if you cut about an hour and a half from it, I think I'd like it even more. Maybe two hours.

At the very end I kept wanting to shout: Throw it in already! God! It's your DESTINY, I know you're going to do it, you know you're going to do it, so do it! I have to pee!

Overall, I liked it, especially every scene with Aragorn in it, but it did drag. TTT is still, by far, my favorite of the three.

Posted by: Hannah at December 18, 2003 02:42 PM

I suspected I was too old for this site. I thought I might be just uncool. Now this tears it. I haven't seen, nor want to see, any of these movies. Can you ban me from returning?

Posted by: Donna at December 18, 2003 04:54 PM

Donna. Come on. You have to see them. One word: Aragorn.

But, Monty, I do agree. I loved the movie, but I had a few problems with it that I didn't have with the other two. I felt like the first two set up and supported the stories like they should have. This one, though, was THREE HOURS of battles. It started to get to me when the elephants showed up.

Also, Faramir and Eowyn... just a nod and a smile at the end? Unacceptable.

ALSO, not enough Legolas and Gimli in this one to satisfy me at ALL. I love their friendship - especially the deal they make to go to each others' homelands after the battles are over.

ALSO... ok, it's looking like I had a lot of issues with it...

However, I will say that no matter what, I still LOVED the films. All of them. The first one was my favorite, but I loved them all and really do feel like they were "stunningly achieved," or whatever.

As a matter of fact, ROTK could have been much worse. That book goes on for about 200 pages longer than it should, and I am glad the whole sniveling Saruman storyline was dropped.

Posted by: Allison at December 19, 2003 07:03 AM

>>Also, Faramir and Eowyn... just a nod and a smile at the end? Unacceptable.<<

Yep. This was my only problem with the film as well. I mean, really. REALLY?

Posted by: Erin at December 19, 2003 09:22 AM

Just saw it.

Much of what was left in should have been cut, and a great deal of that which was cut should have been included. I didn't love this movie. I didn't even like it -- which is a shame, because I thought the previous films were very well done.

Far too much slow-mo. Far too many heavy-handed Spielberg-esque attempts to tug the heartstrings. I commend Jackson and company for making the attempt, but sadly it seems that they managed to miss most of the grandeur and poignancy of the story entirely. I really wanted to like this film -- too bad. It sucked.

Posted by: Ed at December 20, 2003 05:40 PM

aragorn? begging your pardon but WOT are you talking about??? the hobbits are where it's at.. especially pippin with his sexy scottish accent.. and frodo with his big blue eyes...

and if you're not into hobbits, legolas is hot stuff too. mmm, those pointy ears.

Posted by: laurel at December 22, 2003 08:23 PM



	« Monty's Guide to Moving \| Main \| What I Get For Waiting » December 18, 2003 Lukewarm ROTK Review I swear I'm not just being contrary here. I'll admit that sometimes I'm just being contrary, but this time, I'm not. Okay? Okay. So. Return of the King. I liked it. It was okay, and there were some really good bits in it. But it wasn't The Greatest Movie of All Time. Frankly, I don't even think it was the best movie of the year, since Pirates of the Caribbean still fills me with glee for pretty much the whole runtime. I just thought Return of the King was really long. I mean, at three and a half hours, obviously it is really long. But it seemed longer than that to me. Some of that might be my fault, because the show started at 6:00 am and I was sleepy. But on the other hand, it was a free showing, so I shan't complain about the earliness. Not too much, anyway. Part of the reason it seemed so long was that I was impatient for the first time in the series. In Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers I knew there wasn't going to be a resolution anytime soon, so I was willing to let the story unfold at its majestic (glacial) pace. But this time, Mount Doom is right there! Let's go! Move it along! Also, frankly, I have some complaints. Just a couple. For one thing, it seemed like there was more Theoden and Eowyn than was strictly necessary. And although the battle scenes were good, I've already seen a sweeping epic siege and gritty doomed defenders being saved at the last second. For that matter, I've already seen a crazy-slash-evil king making poor decisions until Gandalf smacks him around. So, yeah, some of it seemed like a rerun. I know that's the way it is in the book, but I read pretty fast, so I can control the feeling of repetition when I'm in charge. There was also a lot of slow motion, which didn't help when I was already feeling impatient. Having said all that, I enjoyed much of the movie. I may have cried a couple of times. And I would not be a bit surprised to see Sean Astin get himself a richly-deserved Academy Award at some point. Personally, my favorite part of the books is the Merry/Pippin story arc, where they start as comic relief goofballs and mature into adult; but I don't mind a version that focuses on Samwise. Now, I'm going to engage in a small bit of backlash. If you head over to Rotten Tomatoes, you'll see many, many positive reviews. And I approve of that. But there's a lot of gushing. Here's a brief sampling of the phrases that appear just in the sample paragraphs: "a stunning achievement," "the most awe-inspiring spectacle ever to play on a big screen," "one of the seminal cinematic achievements of our age," "monumental cinema," "an experience of epic scope and grandeur, amazing emotional power, and relentless momentum." And so on. Plus, I'd roughly estimate that about half these reviews use some variation of the phrase "a crowning achievement." I believe that all these people are going too far. I liked the movie a lot. But if you cut about an hour and a half from it, I think I'd like it even more. Maybe two hours.
	« Monty's Guide to Moving \| Main \| What I Get For Waiting »
	Comments There was so damn much slo-mo! The movie would be like an hour shorter played in real time. Posted by: Anna Rain at December 18, 2003 07:19 AM At the very end I kept wanting to shout: Throw it in already! God! It's your DESTINY, I know you're going to do it, you know you're going to do it, so do it! I have to pee! Overall, I liked it, especially every scene with Aragorn in it, but it did drag. TTT is still, by far, my favorite of the three. Posted by: Hannah at December 18, 2003 02:42 PM I suspected I was too old for this site. I thought I might be just uncool. Now this tears it. I haven't seen, nor want to see, any of these movies. Can you ban me from returning? Posted by: Donna at December 18, 2003 04:54 PM Donna. Come on. You have to see them. One word: Aragorn. But, Monty, I do agree. I loved the movie, but I had a few problems with it that I didn't have with the other two. I felt like the first two set up and supported the stories like they should have. This one, though, was THREE HOURS of battles. It started to get to me when the elephants showed up. Also, Faramir and Eowyn... just a nod and a smile at the end? Unacceptable. ALSO, not enough Legolas and Gimli in this one to satisfy me at ALL. I love their friendship - especially the deal they make to go to each others' homelands after the battles are over. ALSO... ok, it's looking like I had a lot of issues with it... However, I will say that no matter what, I still LOVED the films. All of them. The first one was my favorite, but I loved them all and really do feel like they were "stunningly achieved," or whatever. As a matter of fact, ROTK could have been much worse. That book goes on for about 200 pages longer than it should, and I am glad the whole sniveling Saruman storyline was dropped. Posted by: Allison at December 19, 2003 07:03 AM >>Also, Faramir and Eowyn... just a nod and a smile at the end? Unacceptable.<< Yep. This was my only problem with the film as well. I mean, really. REALLY? Posted by: Erin at December 19, 2003 09:22 AM Just saw it. Much of what was left in should have been cut, and a great deal of that which was cut should have been included. I didn't love this movie. I didn't even like it -- which is a shame, because I thought the previous films were very well done. Far too much slow-mo. Far too many heavy-handed Spielberg-esque attempts to tug the heartstrings. I commend Jackson and company for making the attempt, but sadly it seems that they managed to miss most of the grandeur and poignancy of the story entirely. I really wanted to like this film -- too bad. It sucked. Posted by: Ed at December 20, 2003 05:40 PM aragorn? begging your pardon but WOT are you talking about??? the hobbits are where it's at.. especially pippin with his sexy scottish accent.. and frodo with his big blue eyes... and if you're not into hobbits, legolas is hot stuff too. mmm, those pointy ears. Posted by: laurel at December 22, 2003 08:23 PM aragorn? pippin? frodo? try Eomer Posted by: karla at January 10, 2004 02:46 PM Syndicate this site (XML)

Lukewarm ROTK Review

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