A Thing of Beauty is a Joy For All

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2003)

So we come to it at last, the end of the great trilogy of our age.
Our parents had Star Wars.
They had The Godfather.
They had Indiana Jones.
We have The Lord of the Rings.
And what a wonderful trilogy to have.
Many people will not like The Lord of the Rings and they will have their reasons however irritating or ignorant they may seem to fans but nothing is without reason so don't pester them. Now I suppose I should talk about the movie.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
What a Movie. WOW. I don't fancy myself a film critic so I am going to do this like a fan, like it should be. This movie is action yes, but its beyond that. Its at least five diffrent stories which meet at the end. Five stories which are no greater then any other. Without each piece there would be no success and so no one is more important in the end.
I don't seek out meaning in a movie I intend to enjoy. I watch it, enjoy it and then go back to find out what I missed the first time. and I tell you after three and one half hour I have no doubts I have missed ALOT. There is just too much to absorb in one sitting. You have to go back and revisit Middle Earth again. Maybe Again? It won't really matter, I love it vastely too much to say "Meh..saw it, it was good but I will wait for it to come out on video." Its just too much. Too much to ever put into a review and have it mean anything. Atleast for me.
I have it 9 stars. There is always room for improvement but so far as I am concerned it has well earned a 9 star rating.
So go and enjoy the end of the journey. Its nothing short of Satisfying. You can leave the theatre, take a breath and accept it. The journey is over and by god what a journey it was.
So Thank You Peter Jackson. If you win awards for this movie or not your still a hell of a director with a hell of a cast and ONE HELL of a team which made this Middle Earth a reality.