Filled with wonder and awe, I know filmmaking can't get better

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2003)

"The best film of all time"... this is a phrase I've heard so many times every year. I have always believed taste and opinion can change through time and therefore my top-10 list has been changing a lot the past ten-fifteen years (since I started viewing movies as a huge movie-addict).
While many people seem to be afraid to admit that filmmaking can get better (and constantly choose Godfather or Citizen Kane as a best movie of all time), I have not been afraid to mingle those different times together. "His Girl Friday" has always been a top-5 favourite, but three films have in the last two years put other films lower. And those films are the LOTR-films. Fellowship was a unique experience, Towers did equally good but Return of the King has outdone them both. Scriptwise, acting wise, directing wise, effects wise, costume wise, make-up wise... etc. Return of the King has everything that Fellowship and Towers had - and much more. There are dramatic and great battle scenes, emotional scenes and fun scenes. Lots of it. And as I sat through 3,5 hours of watching without noticing the length, I thought: This is the top, this is the best ... filmmaking can't get better!
While many people will argue, I'm saying this because I felt this film had it all. I'll continue watching movies and who knows ... a better film might come along, but today I feel it's not possible. I know I'll miss seeing a premiere of a LOTR-film in December 2004, I know I'll have a hard time accepting it's over, I know I had an empty feeling little after seeing Return of the King, but I know also that I'll cherish this unique adventure for the rest of my life.
Peter Jackson has shown incredible talents in the art of filmmaking, WETA workshop (Richard Taylor and co.) have also shown how props and effects can help a movie but not overrun it, Howard Shore has written the best music for a film trilogy ever, the actors... they'll continue their work but as an ensemble cast... you couldn't have asked for more than this. There are treasures to be seen in every corner and to blink your eyes would be a crime, since you'd lose some microseconds of a truly wonderful cinematic experience. Wonder and awe are weak words... but I'm forever grateful to everyone related to the making of this film - this is indeed what filmmaking should be about. Return of the King, along with the first two, will be remembered in movie history.
A 10 out of 10!!