Pulp Features

On Tuesday night, one of the local cinemas treated us to a Lord of the Rings Marathon – all three films, back to back. And, of course, I went along.

And, after having spent the best part of two days recovering, I’m still at a loss for words.

Return of the King is powerful, moving, spectacular… On it’s own it’s a great film. But when you watch the three films together, Peter Jackson’s genius becomes truly apparent.

The battle scenes – from Helm’s Deep to Gondor - are, of course, nothing short of incredible. The massed armies of orks, the Nazgûl, the Rohirrim all leap from the page spectacularly onto the screen.

The camerawork, swooping over the scenery, is not only beautiful to watch but effectively conveys the sheer scale, not only of Tolkein’s Middle Earth, but also of the quest taken on by Frodo and his companions – and of the scale of the task taken on by Peter Jackson.

And, most importantly of all, the cast – all of whom put in excellent performances, including Gollum, of course, who sets new standards in CGI characters. And in Return of the King, Andy Serkis even gets his face on the screen in a flashback that reminds us that, under the power of the ring, Sméagol can be just as murderous as Gollum.

This is also where watching all three films as a single ten hour narrative really brings home the amount of character development that has gone on throughout the films. Watching Strider, the ranger lurking in the corner of The Prancing Pony accept his destiny as Aragorn, the king, and leading his men into battle. From Merry and Pippin, the fools of the Shire who bring about the fall of Isengard and continue to grow into the doughty warriors of the final battle.

And, of course, Frodo and Sam – the real heroes of the story. The relationship between the two – Sam loyally supporting Frodo through every step of the journey is a moving portrait of friendship and courage. And, in Return of the King, it is very clear that Frodo would be simply unable to complete his task without Sam’s support.

Throughout the three films that make up Lord of the Rings, Jackson has managed to maintain the momentum of the events without ever losing sight of the essentially human nature of the story.

Watching the three films together is an incredible experience and one that I fully intend to repeat when the DVD of Return of the King is released.

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