Beautiful (and a note on the ending)

Rating: 10/10 (29 December 2003)

A staggering film, Return of the King completes the Lord of the Rings trilogy with true confidence.
For sentimental reasons, it could be my favorite of the three films. Not that it doesn't have what is possibly the most spectacular battle sequence ever put to film (it does), and the tech credits don't set new standards (they do). What I love about these films is that Peter Jackson has conjured a world beyond our imagination, and then made it REAL in a way we could not have imagined.
AND REGARDING THE ENDING: be forewarned that there is a lengthy denoument after the climax at Mount Doom. After three hours already, some will be restless. But keep in mind that this is the ending of a giant 10-hour film. It's long, but necessary. People who just want to get the heck up and leave probably haven't invested as much in these characters as I have, and many others have. It's extremely poignant, and beautifully done.