There is nothing to hate about the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This was a masterful piece of cinematic adventure. However unloved by Tolkien’s family, there is no denying the success of, not only what was brought to the theaters, but also what the extended cuts brought to our homes. This certainly not the cartoon that we saw in 1980, at the time (2001) this was the pinnacle of CGI effects. That along with a wonderful cast, has made a legacy of the classic story.
In the final installment of the franchise, we witness the Battle of Minas Tirith as the armies of Sauron march to take the kingdom of Gondor. Sam and Frodo inch closer to doom, lead by Golum. And, Aragorn treats with an army of the dead. It all comes to a head here at the story’s end.
Unlike my review of the other two movies in this franchise (1, 2) I will make of note of the poor quality of the Army of the Dead. Compared to the rest of the effects in this franchise, it really does stand out as been sub-par in the battle of Minas Tirith. Everything else was done with such pain-staking, fantastic, vision.. and this army almost seems thrown together at the last minute. Their movements across the battlefield is inconsistent, and they swarm like ants (much like the zombies in World War Z). For all the work brought to the screen.. it just seemed out of place. Other than that, I have no other issues.
