LotR -- Return of the King -- 2004

Lord of the Rings

Return of the King
(2004)

Rated: PG-13 for violence and frightening images
My Rating: 5 Stars

Elijah Wood
Sean Astin
Billy Boyd
Dominic Monaghan
Cate Blanchett
Ian McKellen
Viggo Mortensen
Bernard Hill
Miranda Otto
Andy Serkis
John Noble
Orlando Bloom
John Rhys-Davies
David Wenham
Hugo Weaving

“I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you.”

The triumphant finale of The Lord of the Rings.

Summary:
After Saruman's defeat at Helm's Deep and the Ents' march against Isengard, Sauron wastes no time in sending his armies and wrath upon the last city of men who have not set their allegiance with him: Gondor.

Pippin looked into the Palantir and saw the coming doom. With this knowledge, Gandalf takes him and rides hard to Gondor in hopes of averting disaster. Here we see for the first time the magnificence of the White City, built into the mountain. Here we see Lord Denethor, father to Boromir and Faramir, whom we have come to respect. And with his first words, we feel his weakness... and madness.

Sam and Frodo are being led ever closer to their destination: the land of Mordor and Mount Doom. Where the One Ring was made, there only in it's fires can it be destroyed. But their companion, Gollum, is treacherous. Frodo is blinded by his burden but Sam suspects and it leads to an ever broadening rift in their friendship. Gollum looks on with glee and leads them on to their doom.

Those surviving from the battle of Helm's Deep gathered at the city of Rohan. There they wait for word after Pippin and Gandalf leave for Gondor. When the beacons were lit in a summons for aid, King Theoden gathered his men from all regions and with his army of 6000, answered the call. Together with Aragorn's army of the dead, they defeated Sauron and Gondor still stood.

But it is only one battle and there  must be another to end all. Until the ring is destroyed, Sauron will always gain power. Frodo passed from Gandalf's sight into the land of Mordor where Gandalf fears there is no hope for ever destroying the ring. Sauron would feel it calling to him and his eye would soon be upon them... unless something attracted his attention elsewhere. Aragorn, as heir to the throne of Gondor, leads an army against Mordor's very gates. There, they use a trick as old as time: diversion.

But Frodo and Sam are running out of strength as they battle weakness and pain and the Eye itself. Is there any hope? Can there be a happy ending after such darkness and evil? But as with life, what seems like the end is a beginning and when all hope is lost, it is the moment when Truth shows His hand.

Highlights:
1: The battle of Gondor with Rohan and the army of the dead. I love the comment about Pirate scum always being late.
2: The humor is wonderful, once again.
3: Aragorn and Arwen are together, at last.
4: I appreciate the fact that Eowyn and Faramir are going to be wed, as well.
5: How a woman killed Sauron's General. :-)
6: Eowyn riding into battle, taking Merry with her.
7: The Separate adventures of Merry and Pippin. They are amusing while apart... and amusing together.

 

8: I find it fascinating and horrifying that Gollum had to be the one to destroy The Ring.
9: Although there wasn't what I would consider a happy ending for Frodo, he was content with it. Yes, he was sad to leave The Shire and his loved ones, but he was ready to leave a world of pain and sorrow and struggle... it's almost like a Christian's perspective on death and eternal life.
10: I think my favorite scene is right after Aragorn charges the gates with his sword and guess who is right behind him, yelling their hearts out?

What I Didn't Like:
1:A couple of untied threads that I didn't understand until reading the books: In the movie, it is mentioned that Lord Denethor had foreseen the evil that was to come but they don't say how he had foreseen. In the books, it is explained that he had been using one of the nine lost seeing stones and Sauron had deceived him by letting him see only the defeats and horror.
But I think they did this purposely since they would have had to include more scenes with the Palantirs and, perhaps, explain as did the book, that Palatirs are not necessarily an evil. This may have offended many viewers.

2: In the books, the ending of Saruman and Wormtongue is shown. I think it would have added more to the movie if they had included this. However, I think they were running out of time. I would really like to watch the extended version of the movies.

Things to Remember:
1: The land of Mordor and everything that happens in it, is backwards.
2: Tolkien stated specifically in his books that the story was not allegorical and it was not to be taken so. With that in mind, you can embrace what you wish to and ignore the rest. Lol. Or you can do exactly as he wished the partakers of his story to do: enjoy it for what it is; nothing more, nothing less.
3: As dark as this movie may seem, there is more light.

LotR -- The Two Towers -- 2003

Lord of the Rings
The Two Towers
(2003)

Rated: PG-13 for violence and frightening images
My Rating: 5 Stars

Elijah Wood
Sean Astin
Billy Boyd
Dominic Monaghan
Miranda Otto
Orlando Bloom
Ian McKellen
Viggo Mortensen
Andy Serkis
Karl Urban

John Rhys-Davies
Liv Tyler
David Wenham
Cate Blanchett
Christopher Lee
Brad Dourif
Bernard Hill
Craig Parker

“An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honor that allegiance.”

Summary:
The Fellowship of The Ring has been broken. Gandalf has entered Shadow. Boromir met his death defending Merry and Pippin from Orcs. Merry and Pippin were captured by the Orcs Boromir hadn't killed and were borne away towards the tower of Isengard and traitor Saruman. Frodo and Sam make their way to Mordor, alone in a lonely, desolate land. Or maybe not so alone...

Knowing they can do nothing more in Frodo's quest, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli decided they were not going to leave Merry and Pippin to their fate of torture and death. So they go chase some Orc, to quote Aragorn. Three days and nights of neither food nor rest later leave them wondering if they will overtake the enemy in time.

Meanwhile evil is brewing in the city of Rohan, one of the last cities of men in Middle Earth who haven't succumbed to the evil power. Saruman has possessed it's king, Theodred and has killed or driven out most who are honorable. In their wake is left Eowyn, niece of the King, to the wiles of Saruman's ambassador, Wormtongue. Her courage wavers as her brother, cousin, uncle and all those dearest to her are taken and she alone is left with evil all around her.

Uruk-hai are more powerful than typical Orcs because they can travel in daylight. Their armor and weapons are strong and numerous. They can run at great speeds and distances without food and water. The traitor Saruman has a host of 10,000. His armies combined with those of Sauron makes a formidable force that appears invincible. Here too, we first see the dread Nazgul and shudder at their approach.

All those of Middle Earth are forced to decide with who their allegiance stands, and those who believe in Truth begin to wonder if it is a fool's hope. But Truth should never be taken lightly and Saruman has forgotten how many allies It has.

Again, the entire movie is phenomenal but here are a few of the highlights:
1: Eowyn, daughter of Kings.  I love how courageous she is. I love how she did what she had to do. She wasn't always submissive but she wasn't always rebellious. The fact that she was beautiful didn't hurt either. :-) Miranda Otto was wonderful playing this character... in fact, the movies wouldn't have been as good if she hadn't gotten the part.
2: Peter Jackson knows exactly how to leave the viewer hanging and wishing for more. The story could have gotten long and dull but the way he broke the story up into fragments kept it interesting.
3: Scenery shots on this movie were lovely. In fact, they are so majestic and beautiful that there really are no words for it.
4: I really enjoyed the battle of Helm's Deep. In fact, it is my favorite part of the movie. :-)

5: Elves. I still get goosebumps when Haldir and his army come to aid Rohan. I have watched it again and again and I'm still not tired of it. I must admit to feeling a great sadness when Haldir is killed. He doesn't appear often in the movies but when he does, he inspires honor and righteousness and devotion.
6: I really appreciate how they kept the romance theme throughout the movies. This is one area in which they changed the books that I felt was good. In the books, you almost forget that Arwen exists. By including more of Arwen, the story feels more connected.
7: When the Ents overthrow Isengard and Saruman is left without power. It's so satisfying. Lol. :-)
8: Andy Serkis as Gollum/Smeagol was an excellent casting. He is truly a disgusting and pitiful creature. You find yourself very wrapped up in his story and fate.
9: There is more light in this film, I think. In the books, there was a lot of singing and dancing... I appreciate how they included a little more of it in The Two Towers. I do wish they had done more because some of the songs in the books are really lovely. Tolkien was a wonderful poet.
10: There are several themes that run through the movies/books. One of them is the friendship/enmity between Legolas and Gimli. It makes for a wonderful story and lots of humor.
11: The humor, once again, is excellent.
12: The score... the music for Rohan and the battle of Helm's Deep are my favorites.

“I'm wasted on cross-country. We dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances.”

Things to Know:
1: Palantirs are shown again.
2: There is magic.
3: There is a reason it's rated PG-13 (or 14A Canadian)... there are parts that are really scary for kids. Parents be cautioned.
4: Again, those who don't care for the darkness, be warned.

What I Didn't Like:
1: I didn't understand the scene where Gollum attacks Sam and Frodo until I read the books. They had spotted him and were only pretending to be asleep. Also, the rope they put around the creature's neck was elvish, therefore, it burned his skin. Thus, the complaints. :-)

If you want to further your education in literature, I would suggest Lord of the Rings. Watching/reading LotR has raised my standards... I tend to compare everything I read or watch to LotR. In my opinion, there are few stories out there that can compare, the Bible being one of those few.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade -- 1989

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(1989)

Rated PG-13 for violence, language, horror and sexuality
My Rating: 4 Stars

Harrison Ford
Denholm Elliot
Alison Doody
John Rhys-Davies
Julian Glover
Sean Connery

My favorite Indiana Jones movie. I have always loved stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, so this film really hit the spot. But not only for that aspect of it. The movie is very well acted, with lots of history and laughs thrown in. Makes for an enjoyable evening of watching.

Summary:
Hitler had to abandon the Ark of the Covenant after it disappeared without a trace (thanks to Dr. Jones) but he hasn't given up hope for an easy victory. There is another “mystically-empowered” legend from the antiquity that he intends for himself and his followers: The Holy Grail.

One fine afternoon, Dr. Jones is followed and intercepted on his way home from the university. They bring him to a man who has in his possession part of a stone tablet and a request that Dr. Jones find it's twin. On the tablet is depicted a riddle of the location of the Holy Grail. But there is a problem and it lies with the fact the tablet is broken, therefore part of the riddle is missing. This man needed to find the other tablet, which is in the tomb of one of the Knights of King Arthur's assembly.

 Dr. Jones is impressed with the tablet but not by the request. His father had studied anything and everything related to the Holy Grail for over 30 years. In fact, the Grail was an obsession that took him away from his family and allowed room for few friends. Indy said that if they wanted someone to find the Holy Grail, his father would be a better pick. It was unfortunate, the man replied, but they had chosen Professor Jones first and he had gone missing. That was why they needed Indy.

As you well may guess, Indy and his father had never been close. The very fact that Indy hadn't realized that his father has been out of town for awhile says a lot for the amount of contact between the two. Immediately after the meeting, he rushed to his father's home, only to find it had been ransacked. He stood in his father's trashed living room and wondered who and why? What are they looking for? Where had his father disappeared to?

That was when he realized the package he received in the mail that day was his father's Grail diary. The one Professor Jones wrote all of his notes in... all the clues, the maps... everything he had discovered in his 30 years of study. Indy knows his father would never part with his diary unless he thought it would be in danger. And if it were in danger, it meant that Professor Jones was also in danger. The two may not have been close, but Indy is a good son. His only reason for excepting the job to find the missing tablet is to search for any clues that might lead him to his father.

The next day found Indiana Jones and Mr. Brody, a close friend of both the Jones', on a plane to Venice. Straight into the heart of danger and adventure... and face to face with Adolf Hitler.

“Germany just declared war on the Jones' boys!”

What I Liked:
1: The acting... phenomenal.
2: 99% of the special effects were so well done that you didn't realize they were.
3: Alison Doody was a beautiful woman and wonderful actor. She is my favorite of all Indy's love interests. But she also had an appropriate end.
4: The humor. My family and I nearly laughed ourselves silly. :-)
5: When there was sexual references, it was discreetly done.
6: All of the history, legends, story, etc.
7: The actor who played Hitler actually looked very much like him.
8: Sean Connery is wonderful. He was the perfect pick for Harrison Ford's father.
9: In spite of their differences, father and son learned to appreciate and respect each other.
10: The punch through the paper. That was clever...
11: How well Indiana Jones and his father are depicted. It's just about perfect.

What I Didn't Like:
1: Some of the adventure/script was pretty unbelievable. Some of the pickles could have been avoided with a little common sense.
2: The sexual references. It didn't help the story.
3: language.

“Junior...”
“Daaaadddd....!”
“No ticket!”
“You were named after the dog?! Hehehehehe!”

If you want to watch Indiana Jones, this is the film. :-)

Raiders of the Lost Ark -- Indiana Jones -- 1981

Raiders of the Lost Ark
(1981)

Rated PG for violence, language and innuendo
My Rating 3 Stars

Harrison Ford
Karen Allen
Paul Freeman
Ronald Lacey
John Rhys-Davies
Denholm Elliott


The Time: early 1940's; World War 2.
Dr. Jones is a dedicated professor of archaeologist. His classroom is filled with bored and somewhat starstruck students who don't take him very seriously, except to write “love”  “me” on their eyelids. But take off the scholarly glasses and the suit, replace them with clothes of the Aussie outback and a whip and Dr. Jones becomes a man of steel and action that his students would have never recognized.

To the rest of the world, the studious Dr. Jones doesn't exist. Only the whip cracking Indiana Jones who comes sweeping in to help if you're in trouble or happen to possess an archaic object that he thinks should be in a museum. Regardless, wherever he goes, the bad guys are never far behind!

Summary:
The government comes to Dr. Jones and his associates with a riddle to solve. They have cracked a German code but they don't understand what the Nazis are talking about. However, they did know where to go for information on all things buried or ancient, and sure enough, Indiana Jones knew exactly what the German information was about and where to find it:

The Ark of the Covenant.

For many years, scientists and archaeologists alike had assumed the Ark was a myth. But Adolf Hitler was a man who thought all myths had some fact. If he could get his hands on the Ark and it's power, the war would no longer be an issue. And now, it seemed that his people had found evidence that the Ark existed and they were close to discovering it.

The United States representatives were grim after hearing the news. They looked at each other and back at Dr. Jones. They were not unfamiliar with his escapades since he always worked for the good guys (in most cases, the US government had claimed that particular title). Dr. Jones took off his glasses slowly and looked back at them.

Within hours, Indiana Jones was on a plane, headed straight into into the middle of the fray. First stop? A hard-bitten Marian and a blizzard.

What I Liked:
1: Indiana Jones. I love the fact that he loves books and teaching and wears owlish glasses. And I love it when he discards his tame occupation for a whip and dusty fedora and real archaeology. Harrison Ford is an excellent actor.
2: John Rhys-Davies. He adds such a nice flavor to the film: happy family man... but quite willing to take risks for Indy's sake.
3: The monkey.
4: I love how the bad guys give me the creeps. Not many movies have really good bad guys.
5: The way they overlay plane with map/destination. It's one of my favorite things about the movies.
6: The snakes. They looked very real.
7: How nothing on the movie seems like a set or unreal. You do forget you're watching a movie.
8: The massive feeling you get when he's down with the snakes. The statues are huge and impressive.
9: I love the part where they kidnap Marian.
10: My favorite part of the movie is after Indy kills all of his attackers with a sword/whip, etc, and the last swordsman leaps into the open, brandishing his sword so expertly that the audience is left asking, “How will he ever defeat him!” because not even Indiana Jones is that good. Indy sighs, pulls out his gun and blows the guy away. It always cracks me up.

What I Didn't Like:
1: Messed up theology. It's really bad. Lol!
2: Marian was too tough and too seductive.
3: Please tell me that every ship captain on the seven seas has a Vera Wong evening gown in his locker.
4: The almost bed scenes. Didn't help the story.
5: The language. Not too much but enough to be offensive to some.
6: How stupid Indy is at times. I suppose every hero has some down time but it seemed extreme at times.

I am still debating on whether to give this movie a 4 Star rating or keep it at a three. There are certain aspects about about this film that aren't that well done but there is a certain magic about Indiana Jones that I love, regardless of how well, or not, the film is done. :-) I understand why people flocked to the theaters whenever a new Indiana Jones movie came out.

And if it hadn't been for Harrison Ford...

Bravo!