Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King

Essay Type: Persuasive

Written for: Writing (WRTG101) Class, UMUC

Graded: A+

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the concluding sequel to the fantasy-adventure film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. It took the world of cinema by storm in 2003 by making billions of dollars and becoming a record-breaking box office hit. The trilogy is an adaptation of the three-volume book series, The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien. You’d find the majestic screenplay distributed as three films: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). The third is the concluding masterpiece to the brilliant series. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won all of them in areas of motion picture, direction, screenplay, original score, visual effects, art direction, costume-design, make-up, sound, and editing. The Return of the Kings is a must-watch movie that is bound to captivate your senses with an extraordinary cinematic experience, and it is a guaranteed entertainment package because of an interesting storyline, digitally enhanced graphics, and an expert crew of actors.

The movie’s plot sparks an instantaneous interest through a powerful storyline that conveys superior human values and a mix of genres. The story unfolds in the fictional world of Middle-earth that is bound to allure you towards its enchanted realm of fantasy. There are magical legends, spell-bounding places, and fascinating creatures that will capture your interest. The story is the traditional clash between good and evil. It begins with a sinister prelude about the Dark Lord, Sauron, who had created a powerful ring to impose his evil rule on Middle-earth. The ring found its way into the hands of an innocent little hobbit called Frodo Baggins. He embarks on a dangerous quest towards Mount Doom in Modor to destroy the ring and put an end to Sauron’s realm of evil. Frodo is accompanied by a fellowship of his hobbit friends, human warriors, an elf-prince, and a wizard. You will find yourself following them on a sensational journey, packed with dangerous encounters and battles, on their way to save Middle-earth. At one end, you will be following Frodo and his best friend Sam on their quest towards Mount Doom to destroy the ring. Suspense builds up as they are guided by an ugly creature, Gollum, who is hatching schemes of their murder along the way. At the other, you’d find yourself intrigued by the climaxes of great, war battles being fought by the rest of the fellowship against the forces of the Dark Lord. Super human values of friendship, loyalty, compassion, love, and hope will make you emotionally connect to the plot. You will enjoy the comic foolishness of the witty hobbits, a classic romance between an elf-princess and a human warrior, and action-adventure episodes throughout the movie.

The flawless acting and on-screen chemistry of the actors breathe life into the literary characters from Tolkien’s bestseller book series. The young actors, Elijah Wood and Sean Austin, playing Frodo and Sam respectively, convey an emotionally intense bond of friendship. Their facial expressions and dialogues are bound to bring the audience to the verge of tears. Sean Austin also received the Academy Award for best supporting actor in this movie. The strikingly good-looking, Orlando Bloom managed to steal the hearts of many female fans with his elegant poise in playing Legolas, the elf-prince. Viggo Mortenson, plays Aragorn, the lost king and leads the wars with a real ethos of a royal heir. The entire cast shows commendable warfare skill in acting out the sword-fight stunts and archery sequences.

The movie’s digitally enhanced visuals, artistic design of sets, scenic locations, and costume design deliver a larger than life cinematic experience. Watching The Return of the King is like plunging into a breathtakingly majestic realm of fantasy and adventure. The movie has been shot in New Zealand which is why you can expect to see the most exotic waterfalls, forests, and meadows. It is exactly how Tolkien’s Middle-Earth is described to be. Additionally, you will be awestruck at the architectural grandeur of the mythical cities depicted in the movie. There is the majestic Gondor – The City of Kings with its sky-high watch towers and tapestries. The fortress of Helmsdeep is mighty building of concrete walls and bolted doors. You will be stunned at the beauty of the exotic Rivendell – The Kingdom of Elves. Nestled between mountains with lakes and fountains of silver waters, the city is bound to enchant you. The darker locations like Mordor, the fiery volcano of Mount Doom, and the City of the Dead will grip your senses with fear. Digitally created war sequences with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, human and non-human, are the main catch of the film. You would find all your senses engaged, and your heart racing, as the battle scenes unfold. The dark creatures: dragons, beasts, trolls, and horned mammoths, charge against men with their gigantic artillery of catapults. The visuals are so true to life that you would find it hard to distinguish between what is real and what is computer-generated. Costume design is another creative, visual aspect to look out for. You can expect to see the most grotesque and decayed faces of goblins and misshapen human half-breeds. There is the terrifying and faceless Witch King whose mask and digitally enhanced voice is enough to send chills up your spine.

You should be prepared for some serious emotional and physiological engagement while watching the film. There is a heart-stopping anticipation of seeing the unimaginable. An excellent soundtrack and special sound effects create powerful climaxes throughout the movie. As Frodo and Sam make their way towards the Dark Land, they are met by the most dangerous of creatures and places. You never know what’s hiding in a dark cave or what would plunge out at them from behind a mountain. Expect to have your heart racing throughout the journey. The battle scenes are an extraordinary experience. If your sound system does justice to the movie’s audio effects, you’ll find your heart thudding as war bugles are sounded and drums are rolled. Thousands of archers, knights, and horsemen charge forth as they chant war slogans. Amidst the clanking of armor, the hammering of feet on the battlefield, and the clash of metal swords, you’ll find yourself amused. Fear sweeps in as the human sounds intermingle with inhuman grunts, snarls, and roars.    

Despite the critics claim for being too long, the three-hour fantasy adventure is not just digitally enhanced garbage but excellent quality entertainment. You will be laughing at the witty dialogue, biting your nails as suspense builds up, crying with overwhelming emotion, and experiencing your heart racing throughout the movie. There are great lessons of courage, glory, and hope to learn. By the time you get to the end of it you will be convinced of the movie’s rightful claim to winning the Academy Awards. 

But does Frodo ever reach the fiery summit of Mount Doom, and does he ever get to destroy the ring? Does he make it alive, or do the others from the fellowship make it alive? That is for me to know, and you to find out. I leave you with some final dialogue between Sam and Frodo as they collapse from exhaustion at the foot of Mount Doom, their strengths leaving them, without even a sip of water to spare. The Free People of Middle-earth have been outnumbered and the Dark armies surround them.

Frodo: “No, Sam. I can't recall the taste of food... nor the sound of water... nor the touch of grass. I'm... naked in the dark, with nothing, no veil... between me...”

Sam: “I don't think there will be a return journey, Mr. Frodo.”

Word Count: 1,280 words