Recommendation: 5/5 Stars
The Cinephile’s Journey is an attempt to watch and review every film that has won The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar for Best Picture.
Plot: “Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron’s army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.” - IMBD
Review: Instead of a movie review written in the traditional way where I examine the writing, production, acting, cinematography, and score, I want to look at a combination of things that emerged for me as I watched this film. I am choosing this path, because I do not think I can offer any new critiques for this movie or the trilogy. I would rather spend our time together discussing what made this film worthy of the award “Best Picture.”
Trilogies are a tough thing to get right. The Godfather, I am looking at you. From beginning to end and with very blemishes, this trilogy is consistently great. Ultimately, in my opinion and the opinion of lots of other critics, this film won Best Picture, not because of its individual merit, but for the accomplishments of the entire project. The quest at the center of this picture is grand in scale. Along the way, we meet countless characters and obstacles to overcome, but the end goal is never in doubt. Awarding a film for such ambition makes complete sense to me. If I had been a member of the Academy, I would have voted the same way.
Yet, this is not an easy film to revisit out of the blue. I watched all three films in this trilogy during their theatrical releases. I have not revisited them since. As characters referred to people, places, and things I had completely forgotten about, I found myself lost and struggling. At first, this frustrated me and stood in the way of my overall enjoyment. Then forgiveness washed over me. While an adaptation of a beloved book is a challenging thing to get right, this film and its predecessors try to remain faithful to the original vision. As I admired the unique locations selected to represent Middle Earth, I stopped trying to remember every character and place we have been on this journey. Instead, I gave myself permission to be in the moment.
As I did, the vastness of the culminating battle that defines so much of this film became even more breathtaking. Since we first left the Shire, we knew this day would come, but I never expected it to be so grand and mesmerizing. Watching countless soldiers battle on my screen, a simple and bold thought rolled through my mind. Of all the battle scenes I have ever watched, this may be my favorite. This may be a moment in a film that I judge all others by.
While the epic nature of the battle for Middle Earth sits as a rallying point for this movie, it is not the reason we are here. This is a movie about friendship and the power of people banded together around the common good. With a battle staged within shouting distance of Sauron and Mount Doom, I found myself less concerned with the characters on screen or the trials and tribulations before them. No, I was thinking of my own friends. I was thinking of the work I do and the things we could accomplish together if we convince the masses.
With the ring safely out of reach of anyone who might use it for evil, a particular scene struck me. With a new king crowned, scores of people bow to their new leader. The Hobbits follow suit and are told, “No, friends. You bow to no one.” There are several scenes in this movie that almost moved me to tears. I lost that battle when the massive crowd paid respect to brave souls who all once doubted.
When I first watched this movie all those years ago, I assume I rated it 4 out of 5 stars. With the passing of time, it means so much more to me. It is a cinematic experience I consider myself lucky to have lived through during its original release. It is a movie I will hold dear for some time to come.
Be good to each other,
Nathan