Breathtaking

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2003)

OK, first off, Tolkienites will always have misgivings about whatever is turned out in film form to interpret the book, as will any die-hard fans of any book. But one must take this movie for what it is worth, an on-screen ADAPTATION of a FANTASY novel. There is no definite way that a Fantasy can be interpreted because fantasies are left in interpretation much up the the reader. Therefore, there will never be one PERFECT interpretation of a Fantasy because everyone has their own images in their own mind.
That being said, this is an incredible film. As in the other two of the trilogy, it is visually stunning from the first frame to the last, something that has come to be expected in the series. Perhaps it is a bit overlong, but if the film is then the book is as well. A very impressive point is that there are really no truly dull moments in the film. It is not a film to take a bathroom break during, at any point. There is no fluff, all is vital to the story. There are no truly boring parts, all the heroes' quests are equally interesting. The battle scenes are magnificent, as usual, but at an even greater level in this edition. The acting is fantastic; there are no poorly-executed lines throughout the entire thing. The comic relief, when applicable, is great (Gimli's comment to Legolas after he slays the gigantic elephant is classic). This film is a certain must-see, and is destined to go down as the classic best part of one of the greatest cinematic trilogies of our time, if not ever.