And now comes the sigh of relief... Spoilers within

Rating: Null/10 (18 December 2003)

Throughout this past year, I have left movie theatres with a feeling of emptiness. The Matrix ended with an ambiguous "Are you absolutely sure there is not going to be another sequel?" conclusion. The Last Samurai, while a great movie in it's own right, just seemed to me a rehashing of many plot devices used in Dances with Wolves. If Dances with Wolves never existed, that would have greatly helped my perception of The Last Samurai. I have also noticed a trend in Hollywood as of recent to go for the downer ending. I have never read the Lord of the Rings books, which I am glad I haven't yet, because it helped keep the films a surprise for me. So I went into the theatre to watch The Return of the King with a a feeling of hoping not too many of our heroes were mercilessly slaughtered at the hands of the orcs. I now notice that my mentality entering this movie indicates that the sad ending is starting to become a cliche, not the happy ending, ironically enough. Really good movies, the ones you REALLY wanna see in the theatres... the ones that everyone is talking about... Have ended with a good outcome... but at such a price... that the hero would not survive to see the world after their saving of it. That being said... I left the theatre after Return of the King with such a leap in my heart that EVERY hero lived to see tomorrow! Call me a little sappy... but I feel it is about time for a happy ending. This film sort of became the last hope for me as far as the overall mood of 2003 cinema. Return of the King is such a great film, speaking from all aspects of it. My laughter was genuine, and when my jaw dropped, it dropped in awe at the spectacle of some of the greatest moments in film history, contained within. And I have never applauded so many times during the course of any film. Thank you so much, Mr. Jackson. Take your bow, then take your place in the seat of cinematic immortality. My hat goes off to you and all who have worked so hard to make this movie, not to mention this entire trilogy, what it is: a true masterpiece of precision interpretation, and the relentless pursuit of greatness.