Any film that makes a grown man cry is very special!!

Rating: 10/10 (3 May 2004)

I was always cynical of anyone filming "lord of the rings", I have read the book so many times and its magic seems way beyond anything cinema could achieve. WRONG!!! From the first image of Fellowship, I was sold! Yes changes were made, this was inevitable, but generally every image of middle earth matched almost all the images my mind had imagined. The scope of "fellowship" was amazing, and "the two towers" just piled in visual shock after shock, both stunning achievements.
Onto Return of the King then. I am a 40 year old man, a Tolkien fan, who took time off from work to be at the first showing of Return of the King in Newcastle, England.
From the Smeagol backstory onward, the film never let go of my emotions. The effects surpassed any in Two Towers, and the characterisations progressed way beyond the introduction of the Fellowship. The film constantly hammers at your heart, demanding that you genuinely care for these people. Pippin and Merry find paths way beyond what they ever dreamed they could achieve. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas powerhouse their way towards destiny. Gandalf again becomes all things to everyone, refusing to let anyone believe in the ultimate end, that Sauron may rule over all.
As for Frodo, Sam, and Gollum, this is where the film took control of me. To see the friendship between Frodo and Sam manipulated by Smeagol/Gollum, Frodo always hoping that Smeagol will "come back" to the good of middle earth, the performances of Frodo, Sam, and "Smeagol" raise this film way above anything achieved before.
Is the ending overextended? Probably , yes, but if Peter Jackson had anywhere near as much sadness saying goodbye to these characters as I did, then I cannot criticise such an ending.
As I said in the title, I cried openly during this film, it genuinely moved me, and its theme of friendship reminded me of the importance of many of the key people in my life.
The King has returned, and anyone who is still unsure as to whether they want to watch his journey, I say if you do not, then you will miss one of the great cinema or movie experiences that our lifetime is likely to contain.
John