The Return of the King

After viewing this film again recently, I was more aware this time around at how self-consciously epic many aspects of these films are. I think they become more so from one film to the next. At the same time, they still work for me. The dialogue, staging, acting, and editing are earned by how big the heart of these films is. Epic hearts fill these iconic characters that call out to our hearts too. Does such nobility and grace have to exist in a fantasy narrative? Our guard is down in such a world, where our longings can come to life, and we are free to lay hold of some good in this world because of the good that exists in some other world.