But though they occupy plenty of screen time, there is the secondary part of this story. The lion's share belongs to Frodo, for whom they are all fighting and whose resistance to the Ring's pull is finally beginning to buckle. His companions mirror the twin halves of his fragmenting self -- faithful servant Sam (Sean Astin), hiding an indomitable will beneath eternal optimism, and the wretched Gollum (Andy Serkis), slave of the Ring whose guidance towards Mount Doom is tied with deceit. Wood gives a heartbreaking effort as a good-willed spirit pushed to the brink of despair, but it's Astin and Serkis who truly shine. Sam, normally relegated to Man Friday duties, must now take up the slack for his uncertain master, and Astin complements his always-sympathetic performance with some deep reservoirs of heroism. Serkis has long been a talking point for these films, but his CGI-rendered Gollum remains no less irresistible here as the better angels of his nature give way to blackest wickedness. Yet we never lose sight of the tragedy at Gollum's core. The film's opening features an effects-free Serkis planning his character's slow plunge into monstrosity, and he retains our pity even as he plots a horrifying end for Frodo and Sam. Together, the two actors skilfully represent the battle for Frodo's soul, punctuated by fierce spoken confrontations that give voice to The Return of the King's most important staged conceits. The fiery conclusion to their struggle (perfectly realized from Tolkien's text) stands as one of the great moments in modern storytelling.
The only cloud in the middle of all of this is the absence of Christopher Lee, who is the wicked Saruman deserves at least a curtain call (as does his servant Grima Wormtongue, played by Brad Dourif). Presumably, they'll make an appearance in the extended DVD, but that's no reason to leave them out here. We're already in for 225 minutes; five more wouldn't kill us. Another supposed letdown, however, proves to be anything but. Early critics have mentioned a slanting quality to the last 30 minutes, believing that Jackson fails to wrap things up effectively. That misses the point a bit. Not only does he considerably update the ending of the book, but more importantly, he retains a key theme that adds new poignancy to the saga as a whole. Tolkien understood that great struggle has an equally great cost, which irreversibly marks those who pay it. Wounds linger, scars fail to heal, and even in triumph, some things are lost which cannot be regained. Jackson develops this into a beautiful conclusion, capturing the iconic moments of the book and allowing us to reflect on the 10-plus hours that preceded it. The Lord of the Rings is about more than whether the good guys win; shortening the ending would have done it a severe disservice.
Thankfully, the people at the helm are smarter than that. It's easy to take The Return of the King's accomplishments for granted, so accustomed have we become to the high standards of its predecessors. One look at The Matrix Revolutions shows you how wrong this could have gone. But disappointment has no place here and fans of the series can rest easy knowing they're in capable hands. The Return of the King is every inch the finale this saga deserves, fortifying its place as one of the influential cinematic achievements of our time. To Jackson, Fran Walsh, Barrie Osborne, and the thousands of artists and craftsman who gave their talents to this project, the only thing left to say is thank you, so much.
Leaving Middle Earth, Jackson is now headed for Skull Island and a remake of King Kong that already has me excited. He has not ruled out a return to this fantasy world - he would like to make The Hobbit with some of the same actors, if the complicated rights issues surrounding the prequel can be straightened out. In the meantime, he has given us a trilogy of films to savour and remember. The Lord of the Rings will go down in cinematic lore as a milestone. It has legitimatized fantasy like no other production and has shown that it is possible for studio executives to realize huge gains when taking huge risks. (Had The Lord of the Rings failed, New Line Cinema would have gone down with it.) History will show the importance of The Lord of the Rings. The present illustrates its broad appeal and undeniable critical and commercial success. For many, the release of The Return of the King is the event of the year.
