Why is it so hard for movie trilogies to come to a strong end? Sure, there are trilogies that START strong, and even continue that way for a while, like in the cases of
The Godfather, The Dark Knight, and the original
Star Wars trilogies, but even the best of these still always seem to pewter out to a certain extent by their third entry, having already exhausted their best material beforehand... all of them, that is, except for one. Yes, in case you somehow hadn't figured it out by now, that one trilogy is Peter Jackson's
Lord Of The Rings, and that expectation-shattering third entry is
The Return Of The King, a fantastic conclusion to what has become one of film's definitive series, and a modern, generation-defining classic in its own right.
After beginning with the disturbing tale of Gollum's origins (in a sequence that was wisely moved from
The Two Towers to here),
King picks up right where the previous film left off, with the kingdom of Rohan having defeated Saruman's forces, Merry & Pippin reuniting with the rest of the fellowship, and Sam, Frodo, and a seemingly helpful Gollum making for an uneasy alliance, as the trio trudge ever closer to the dark land of Mordor, where the War Of The Ring, and the fate of Middle Earth itself, will be decided once and for all.
So, just like the way that
Towers upped its scale from the comparatively "small"
Fellowship,
King continues in the same direction, with the scope of its story becoming just about as epic as epic gets, but not in a numbing, overwhelming manner, but in a way that fully showcases the power of a visual medium like film, as Jackson and company bring Tolkien's words to awe-inspiring life, with Howard Shore's sweeping score, the lavish, lovingly detailed sets, and endless fields of the forces of good and evil stretching out as far as the eye of Sauron can see, as they fight back-and-forth for the fate of an entire planet in some of the most gargantuan battle scenes ever filmed.
Of course, the scale of such a story wouldn't matter at all if we didn't care about the individuals caught up in it, but Jackson never loses sight of the characters within the struggle, superbly balancing the epic with the intimate, as he's not afraid to slow down and focus on relatable human struggles, whether it be the tragic sub-plot of Faramir and his distant father Denethor, King Theoden's elevation of Eowyn to be the future ruler of their kingdom (as a sort of way to make up for the death of his son in the previous film), or the final steps of Sam & Frodo's arduous journey, which sees them reach the darkest of places, both in a physical sense, as well as a spiritual one, as the corruption of the One Ring threatens to be finally be too much for Frodo to bear anymore.
But, good does ultimately triumph here, and while the seemingly endless "false endings" of
King have become a bit of a running joke since its release, I feel that they're well-earned here, since they give the sense of events having come around full circle for the fellowship, as the hobbits finally reach the end of their long journey where they started, back in the warm sunshine of the Shire, enjoying a much-deserved rest, just like
Return Of The King enjoyed a much-deserved torrent of awards and praise, as it eternally secured the cinematic legacy of
Lord Of The Rings, once, and for all. One ring to bind them, and one trilogy to rule them all, baby!