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Ok, I wrote what I think is a KILLER little review of Return of the King and I wanted to show it off. Ok, it's probably not THAT good, but here it is anyway. Peace!

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The Lord of the Rings, probably the greatest movie in 40 years, original work of JRR Tolkien, movie version by Peter Jackson, is completed in this final movie. The Elven civilization stands on the brink of destruction. While immortal beings they suffer from the "world weariness" and the only thing sustaining them and their works are the Three Rings of Power. But the Three are bound up with the power of the One. If Sauron gets his Ring back, then the Three will become corrupted and the last defenses will fall. But if they succeed, and the One Ring destroyed, the Three will die too. The Elves are doomed either way, but they fight on. Their only real hope is to evacuate back to Heaven in the True West.

While the Elves hold Sauron back on the magic/psychic plane, it falls on the last cultural offspring of Elven-teaching, the human empire of Gondor, to hold Mordor and the hordes of the east back militarily. The Gondorian Empire, once the most powerful force on Earth has decayed over the millennia to a kind of proud, venerable, but increasingly impotent Byzantium. If Gondor falls, so falls the World.

But Sauron has already beaten the forces of good all the way back to the heartland and the ancient capital, Minas Tirith the White City! There, the High Kings of old ruled. But the old royal line passed away a thousand years ago and Gondor has since been under the control of the Ruling Stewards, who are none too keen on giving up the throne for the "last of a ragged house long bereft of lordship." That means Aragorn, last survivor of the old royal bloodline of Numenor, and heir to the crown.

Since the Elves are doomed to depart the world whether the war is won or lost it is vital that Minas Tirith survive and hold back the tide, not only for the sake of the Free Peoples of the world and because it is the last bastion of law and order, of art, skill and technology, but more importantly Gondor will be the last civilization to be taught the "true" religion, the perception of the Blessed Realm in the Uttermost West. In fact the White Tree of Gondor is a sapling of the original Silver Tree of Heaven…and the last physical link to the divine.

Knowing the history increases the beauty and potency of the films…to know what is REALLY at stake: the loss of the wisdom and awareness of heaven, the threat of the establishment of a demonic empire.

As Denethor, Ruling Steward of Gondor, prepares for the war that will almost certainly end his nation, our heros return from victory over the fallen Wizard Saruman. As they and the people of Rohan rest and ready for the next stage of the war Pippin sneaks a look at the recovered Palantir of Isengard and comes face to face with the utter horror of Sauron, who had corrupted the seeing-stone network long ago. Gandalf and Pippin ride to Minas Tirith to assist and give warning while Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas help King Theoden muster the full strength of Rohan to ride to the defense of the White City.

Gandalf and Pippin come to the capital and find Denethor in a kind of proud despair. Grief from the loss of his eldest son, Boromir, and knowledge from the Palantir of the White Tower about the awesome power of Sauron and the horror facing the certain doom of his civilization and all it's works was driving him to madness. Gandalf is forced to gradually assume command of the defense of the City.

Frodo, Gollum, and Sam (who is the true hero of the tale) continue to make their way into Mordor. They face the rocky mountains of Mordor, horror of Minas Morgul, the treachery of Gollum, and the dreadfulness of Shelob before they finally enter the Black Land. Their final enemies on the trek to Mount Doom are deadly thirst and hunger and the sleepless watch of the Lidless Eye of Sauron.

The forces of Evil have come to the City. The Great Gates of Gondor are broken and enemies poor under the archway that no enemy had ever passed before. Hope is lost…

But there are forces at work besides the will of Evil. And they have not totally forgotten or abandoned the World…and that is an encouraging thought.

Nothing can prepare you for the climax and the bittersweet epilogue…

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edit: ok, as good Alexa pointed out it really isn't a review, but more of a synopsis on the back cover of a video jacket. She is so right... heheh... I'll get to revising this baby so it actually works. *hugs*

[ May 18, 2004, 04:22 PM: Message edited by: Telperion the Silver ]

Posts: 4953 | Registered: Jan 2004  |  IP: Logged | 

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quote:

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Knowing the history increases the beauty and potency of the films…to know what is REALLY at stake: the loss of the wisdom and awareness of heaven, the threat of the establishment of a demonic empire.

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Posts: 1034 | Registered: Mar 2004  |  IP: Logged |