Although very much a fantasy adventure, actor Viggo (Aragorn) Mortensen believes that the journey, losses and sacrifices made by the characters in The Return of the King continue to resonate in today's world.
"There is not an easy or permanent answer to the troubles of today or tomorrow," says Mortensen. "A sword is a sword, nothing more. Hope, compassion and wisdom borne of experience are, for Middle-earth as for our world, the mightiest weapons at hand."
For the third and final part of the Lord of the Rings story Aragorn believes he must ride through the Paths of the Dead in the White Mountains above Dunharrow, a route no man has ever taken and lived.
"There are beings trapped between this world and the next who had sworn allegiance to Isildur a long time ago but were corrupted by Sauron," explains Mortensen. "At a moment of great need for Gondor, they betrayed not only Isildur but also the great alliance of Men and Elves, the forces of good, that were fighting against Sauron. After the fight was over they were condemned to live as ghosts in this place until summoned by an heir of Isildur."
As the rightful heir to the throne, Aragorn is the only one capable of releasing the spirits from their living death, to regain their honour by fighting alongside him in Minas Tirith. But he must overcome his plague of self-doubt to even enter their realm.
"If you're not focused or your motives aren't pure then you will fail, even if you are descended from a line of Kings," he says.
"It's a choice that Aragorn makes that isn't popular with anyone. There are many who feel that he is betraying them. No one has ever ridden into these mountains and lived. It's especially difficult because he is one of their best fighters, and they have never needed fighters more than now."
* The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (12A) is at cinemas from 17 December 2003
