Was Return Of The King the peak of 90's film making?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,445]

Ive states this before. I'm sure 

 

Return Of The King represents the end of an era, imo. In film making, in film music.

Its a film released in 2003, but conceived in the late 90's. 

 

It feels like the zenith of how films used to be made. An ridiculously ambitious swan song. 

 

The score, is a testament to that. Its beyond epic in both its length, its thematic variety and its sheer sound.

 

Discuss!

[Stark 566]

I’d argue that Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 both feature the same kind of extremely ambitious grandeur (even if one doesn’t like the films). And a fair number of other early 2000’s films were similarly “unnecessarily lavish” (I say this as a huge appreciator of such films); King Arthur and Prince Caspian come to mind.

[Schilkeman 1,331]

I Don’t know if it’s that singular, but it did kind of represent the aughts’ last gasp at the post-new Hollywood blockbuster, where new ideas we seen as preferable to franchises, and individual director talent was recognized. Maybe Nolan’s Batman was really the last; I’m not sure.

[Nick1Ø66 6,059]

Not the best of the three (I regard it as third among equals), but I'd agree that it's the peak, zenith, apex mountain of a now bygone era of filmmaking. We haven't seen its like since, and likely won't again. 

[Tallguy 4,566]

12 minutes ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

Not the best of the three (I regard it as third among equals), but I'd agree that it's the peak, zenith, apex mountain of a now bygone era of filmmaking. We haven't seen its like since, and likely won't again. 

 

What make RotK (or even the PJ LotRs)... I don't know, ATTACHED to an era and one that you think they are the end of? 1) I don't like them much but even then I can appreciate that 2) they are extraordinary achievements and really rather unique. I admit when I was re-reading LotR this summer that I was startled to realize how EARLY these films were and how quickly they were done. I suppose I might lump them in with the Star Wars prequel and perhaps the Matrix trilogy. But both of those ran from the very very tail of the 90's to the mid 2000's. I didn't see any of them as a continuation of the 1990's but as kind of a break from them. Do we include Pirates in this "genre"? How about Transformers? (Later still.)

[Bellosh 3,940]

idk about peak film making.

 

but it was PEAK cinema going

 

at a perfect time where cell phones were still just being flipped and used for calling/texts. no assigned seating (seriously getting stuck next to a bozo sucks these days)

 

everybody in my showings was as quiet as ever.

 

prob the best movie going experience ive ever seen.  you had people that knew the ending, didn't know the ending, but nobody cared because we knew it was gonna be special the whole way through

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,445]

Batman Begins, kick started the 2000's trend of the reboot. I don't consider it 90's at all. 

 

Same for POTC, which score is part of a string of 2000's Remote Control scores that define that decade.

[Schilkeman 1,331]

On 20/08/2024 at 10:34 AM, Tallguy said:

I might lump them in with the Star Wars prequel and perhaps the Matrix trilogy

I think these three represented a high of imaginative freedom in filmmaking Hollywood has been chasing ever since. It was a hell of a four years. I also think they stick around because they had something to say, swung big, and, in my opinion, succeeded at being popular art. Marvel, and Pirates, and Transformers went on to make more money, but they wore their artistic aspirations like one of David Byrne's big suits.

[TolkienSS 471]

Yes.

But not the end of an era in the 90s.

 

The end of the era of classic Hollywood epics that started about 60 years prior.

I believe it's the last grand cinematic epic, also history epic, that was made, and made in 100% good faith.

 

In no way shape or form would it have been possible to make like that just very few years later.

[Schilkeman 1,331]

On 24/8/2024 at 9:48 AM, TolkienSS said:

and made in 100% good faith.

I will send you $12 if you can explain this in detail without getting yourself banned. Also, what history are you reading?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,445]

On 24/08/2024 at 3:48 PM, TolkienSS said:

The end of the era of classic Hollywood epics that started about 60 years prior.

 

I wouldn't really consider LOTR as a Hollywood epic.

On 24/08/2024 at 3:48 PM, TolkienSS said:

Yes.

But not the end of an era in the 90s.

 

The end of the era of classic Hollywood epics that started about 60 years prior.

I believe it's the last grand cinematic epic, also history epic, that was made, and made in 100% good faith.

 

In no way shape or form would it have been possible to make like that just very few years later.

 

Triumph des Willens?

 

I prefer Reiffenstahl's Olympia myself. Genuinely groundbreaking.

[Nick1Ø66 6,059]

3 hours ago, #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal said:

I wouldn't really consider LOTR as a Hollywood epic.

 

And rightly so, it's not a Hollywood epic.

 

Though it's admittedly been inspired by some, Braveheart in particular. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,445]

Oh obviously. And Last Of The Mohicans 

[thestat 426]

No, the end came with CGI. Bill Nighy in POTC woved us, everyone terrified us,

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,445]

No, that was the new beginning. Imo

[Jurassic Shark 13,359]

The LotR movies peaked with FotR.