Today I went to the Magic Johnson Theater (obviously) on MLK Blvd. in LA to see The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The attendance for this showing was sparse. I guess not many Rings fans in the area are willing to skip work for it. That suited me just fine, since lines and crowds strain my already tenuous hold on sanity.
It was the first time in many a year that I have gone to see a movie on its opening day and now I remember why VHS tapes and DVDs are so popular. Sitting in a movie theater that long is not pleasant.
However, I’m saving the rest of my shekels for the extendo version. Even at nearly four hours in length, there was still a lot left out of this one, and, IMO, leaving out these necessary pieces of film—a couple of which are in the preview--turns a classic into merely an excellent film.
I’ll save a detailed review for next week, however I can't resist just a little bit of opining.
• Best Character: Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin)
• Best backstory: Smeagol/Gollum (Andy Serkis)
• More scary that before: the Nazgûl ( no, not those Nazgûl)
• Purtier than before—not an attractive quality in a man: Legolas (Orlando Bloom)
• Best scenery: Minas Tirith
• Second best scenery: open plain surrounding Edoras
• Most heartbreaking scene: Faramir's (David Wenham) confrontation with Denethor (John Noble)
