The first forty minutes of the great film, excluding Duke's special edit of Saruman's death, hardly have any action scenes. Yet, Brad Miller felt no sense of boredom. Even without large-scale scenes, this film was still an epic in his eyes—grand battles, grand characters, epic music, a heavy sense of realism, rich content, and a dramatic plot. Everything was a setup for the grand finale, making the atmosphere of the final battle even more intense and overwhelming!
Sitting next to the famous Roger Ebert, Kunitz had completely forgotten about him and was absorbed in the film. The places where this film shocked him were too many to count. The lifelike orcs, the ominous and dark Minas Morgul, all were produced flawlessly. Even without delving into the meaning of the battle between good and evil, it was enough to be worth the ticket price.
Especially the next scene—just the voice acting and visuals almost made the entire theater erupt with emotion. Pippin climbed the beacon tower and lit the beacon to call for aid from Rohan!
The beacons on the snowy mountaintops lit up one by one, and with the stirring music, the beacons rose like a dragon awakening from slumber, stretching all the way to Rohan!
The beacon of Amon Din was lit, and humanity's hope was also ignited!
Oliver Stone sat in the theater, silently sighing. When it came to emotional manipulation, Duke Rosenberg was undoubtedly one of the best directors in Hollywood. He didn't need any elaborate techniques—he often used the simplest and most direct methods to stir emotions. Even though the audience could tell the film was manipulating their feelings, they were still immersed in it, enjoying the emotions and joy it brought.
Not just the audience, even he, a professional director, was full of anticipation for the upcoming battle.
Would Rohan send troops? In the life-or-death moment for Middle Earth, would humanity unite to fight the dark forces?
Kunitz had such a question in mind, but King Theoden provided the answer, "Rohan will send aid! Rally all the Riders of Rohan!"
With this simple statement, Kunitz heard the surrounding people sigh in relief. The tension built up by the film had stretched everyone's nerves to the limit.
The fractured humans were finally going to unite!
"If the film can keep this up and just quickly pass over the war scenes…" Roger Ebert absentmindedly doodled on his notebook. "I might consider giving it a passing grade!"
Compared to The Two Towers, which was filled with endless fighting and killing from the start, Roger Ebert's impression of Return of the King was relatively positive at this point.
However, Duke's films from Speed to Return of the King were never made for critics.
The war drums rumbled like thunder, and the vast orc army surged towards Minas Tirith like a tidal wave. The Battle of Minas Tirith had finally begun!
In this day and age, the film, with its scenes, special effects, and themes of courage, had immense appeal, especially for the audience. Whether it was the trebuchet battles or the wraiths' aerial attack, it was so stunning that the viewers could hardly blink, completely absorbed in the action on screen.
"Duke wasn't lying." Jones murmured. "Compared to the battle in Return of the King, the Battle of Helm's Deep was just an appetizer!"
Kunitz agreed. "What other films could possibly compare to this massive scale?"
This was the most epic siege battle ever in film history. It wasn't a few hundred or even dozens fighting, but an army of over 100,000 orcs charging towards the gates, walls, and every part of Minas Tirith. Their only goal was to annihilate humanity!
Humans may be greedy, cruel, ignorant, and arrogant, but they would never perish, because they could be so brave and incredibly strong!
When the White City was about to fall and humanity seemed to be on the brink of defeat, the signature horns of Rohan sounded.
The sun, just about to rise over the horizon, broke the darkness of the east, lighting up a portion of the sky. In this storm-filled world, it brought hope. With the red glow of dawn, the Rohan cavalry surged from the sky, then halted at Pelennor Fields to reform their ranks, their spears and swords aimed directly at the army of 100,000 orcs!
They were ready! They were about to avenge their fallen comrades! Their iron hooves would crush the orcs' bodies! Their spears and swords would sever the filthy, ugly heads!
"Forward, do not fear the darkness!"
King Theoden rode his horse at the front, giving a final rallying cry to the Riders of Rohan, "Charge forward, Riders of Rohan! Break the lances, shatter the shields, and today, let us welcome the end of the world with bloodshed in the rising sun!"
"Fight to the death! Fight to the death! Fight to the death…"
That passionate battle cry was powerful enough to move hearts. Many people trembled with excitement, and if they weren't in the theater, they would certainly have joined in shouting.
Had there ever been such a massive cavalry charge in film before? Absolutely not!
The sun illuminated the formation of the Riders of Rohan, and under the sunlight, King Theoden swung his sword forward, shouting, "For Eorlingas!"
The Rohan horns blared again, and the massive cavalry formation slowly advanced. Six thousand riders, unyielding, rode forward with courage and violence to greet the blood-soaked dawn!
"This is the most thrilling scene in film history!"
Seeing the Riders of Rohan charging into the orcs, Kunitz couldn't contain his excitement. He completely forgot that the person sitting beside him was Roger Ebert and mistakenly grabbed his arm, "This is the most thrilling scene I've ever seen in any film!"
"Yes, exactly!"
Even with Roger Ebert between them, Jones responded.
The most thrilling?
Roger Ebert pulled away from Kunitz's hand and muttered with disdain, "This scene was totally unnecessary. These special effects are just trying to show off."
"Duke Rosenberg's style is still so obnoxious!" he added.
From the moment the horn sounded, Kunitz felt a fire burning inside him. When the Riders of Rohan charged into the enemy ranks, his blood was nearly boiling.
In the emotional high of the moment, upon hearing this remark, Kunitz immediately turned around, glaring at Roger Ebert. "What did you say?"
Seeing this passionate fan, Roger Ebert replied, "This movie is really trashy, you didn't need to…"
Before he could finish, two pairs of eyes, sharp as wolves', locked onto him. The two moviegoers who had previously politely given him their seat now looked like they were ready to turn on him.
"Mr. Ebert, you're free to criticize a film in your column," Kunitz took a deep breath and controlled his emotions, "but please remember not to insult a film and its director in front of a fan. When you do that, you're insulting more than just the movie; you're insulting us as fans…"
His words were calm, and his voice low, but people around them began to look over. The man named Jones didn't have Kunitz's patience and quickly echoed his thoughts.
A dozen angry glares fixed on Roger Ebert!
Roger Ebert, still intent on defending his viewpoint, realized he was no fool and coughed awkwardly, "Sorry, I'll go to the restroom."
Kunitz nodded but didn't let him leave immediately. He pulled out his notebook from his pocket, found the page with Roger Ebert's autograph from before the screening, and tore it out, tossing it to the ground.
He wouldn't show respect to anyone who insulted his favorite film.
Roger Ebert's face turned bright red, and a wave of dizziness hit him. He couldn't believe a nobody would treat him like this…
But no one was paying attention to him anymore. The film continued, and the audience's emotions were completely stirred. It was finally King Aragorn's moment.
"Hold the line! Hold the line!"
Before the mighty Black Gate, Aragorn rode and swung his sword, shouting to rally his troops, urging them at the most crucial moment. He galloped back and forth along the front line.
King Aragorn had returned!
"Men of Gondor and Rohan!" he cried, raising his sword. "In your eyes, I see the same fear I feel!"
"Perhaps one day, humanity will lose its courage, and we'll be betrayed by our own. But not today!"
"Perhaps one day evil will triumph, and the human world will perish, but not today!"
"Today, we fight to the death! To protect everything you cherish in this world, we fight to the end, men of the West!"
Yes, humanity would never be wiped out by darkness and evil. The future may be uncertain, but today, they must fight once more. Let us fight together, until the very end!
Kunitz's eyes widened. In his mind, this movie was beyond classic—it could only be described with one word: magnificent