From the peak of Mount Doom to the vast Pelennor Fields, the extended edition of “The Return of the King” compacts J.R.R. Tolkien’s incredible third book into an exciting 252 minutes.  The cinematography, set and costume design, and acting make Middle-earth feel as much as possible like the real world.

All 416 pages of Tolkien’s story are adapted to the new medium in a way that satisfies both the viewer and the characters. Director Peter Jackson stays faithful to the original work while adding his own creative ideas. “The Return of the King” is a 2003 film that all viewers can enjoy, even if they haven’t seen the previous two movies in the trilogy.

To compress Tolkien’s third novel into a film was a huge task, and one Jackson accomplished in a fantastic way. Trinity senior Garrett Weakley said, “The most impressive thing about the movie is the world it builds.”

The film begins with a seemingly innocuous scene of two hobbits fishing in the same river that Isildur, who lost the ring, was shown to have died in two movies prior. Though the scene first shows a friendship between two fishermen, it ends with the terrifying insight into the destructive corruptive powers the ring possesses. This dark tone echoes throughout most of the film.

The armies of Mordor are just one victory away from the destruction of man. The viewer is compelled to feel genuine anger towards the incompetent Denethor and to be elated to see the Rohirrim appear over the crest of the hill at the Pelennor Fields.

Weakley said there is too much fighting in the movie, but the long fight scenes help build the suspense that keeps the viewer enthralled.

Though the film follows Tolkien’s story most of the time, there are moments of creative liberties. These deviations, however, fit well into the story and create suspense.

The largest of these deviations is during Sam, Frodo, and Gollum’s journey into Mordor. The three of them take a secret path into the hellish place, and Gollum sabotages their journey and their ability to make it into Mordor.

In the novel, Frodo and Sam are both in agreement that Gollum is up to something, and they keep their eyes on him. In the film, however, Frodo takes Gollum’s side and sends Sam away, believing him to have eaten all their food.

This sets up Frodo being stung by Shelob, a giant spider, and the journey is almost cut short. When all seems hopeless, Sam appears and saves the journey. Denethor is made to seem incompetent in the film when he isn’t in the novel. This makes viewers feel more about Denethor and his perceived ineptitude.

Though it is not totally faithful to the novel, the film’s deviations work.

The depressing atmosphere and true feeling of hopelessness felt throughout the film could not have happened without the effective use of set and costume design, cinematography, and acting. Orcs are a foe to the party through all three movies, and their terrifying appearance plays into the feeling that if the armies of Mordor were to be victorious, all of mankind would be wiped out and destroyed.

Reflecting this theme is the final battle between the forces of Mordor and the kingdoms of Men, which, according to Trinity senior Morry Owen, is “the best part of the film.” In this scene the men are completely surrounded by a sea of orcs—a seemingly hopeless situation.

Orcs have thick Cockney accents, which according to BBC.com, makes them seem less refined than the primarily English-sounding elves and men. Through acting and costume design, villains like the orcs and the Easterlings are shown to be terrible barbarians who want nothing but death. Like the novels, the film trilogy does a strong job in its use of symbols.

The greatest of these is the use of the One Ring to show that great and unchecked power corrupts even the purest of men. Great power is the ring, and all men who have come in contact with the ring before Frodo were corrupted by it.

Frodo, a hobbit, is tasked with carrying the ring because hobbits are mostly content with what they have and, unlike men, elves and dwarves do not desire great power. Hobbits, therefore, are the most fitting for the burden of the ring.

But the ring is shown to be powerful. For each step taken towards Mount Doom, the ring becomes heavier. Each time the ring is worn, the Nazgûl are drawn towards its power. The ring is constantly tempting the bearer to put it on and take it for themselves, but to do so would only lead to the owner’s destruction.

Its corrupting power is shown several times throughout the movie, such as in Mordor when Frodo snatches it back from Sam after he had held onto it for safekeeping.

The ring’s corruptive powers appear at their fullest when Frodo, as he overlooks Mount Doom and the only place the ring can be destroyed, decides to take it for himself. He doesn’t get far, and Gollum and the ring fall into the flames shortly after, but it is shown that even the best of people can be corrupted by great power.

Trinity senior Zach Young praises the film as “an excellent conclusion to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.”