An Unbelievable and Unmatched cinematic experience - Spoilers

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2003)

And it was an incredible thrill to watch it.
The cinematography of The Return of the King dwarfs everything and anything that came before it, including even The Two Towers. The battle scenes are exhilarating to watch, and unlike the siege of Helm's Deep which takes place mostly in the dark of the night, the battles at Minas Tirith and the Black Gate happen during the day, and you can marvel at every little detail on screen. Compare to the claustrophobic underground city of Zion in Matrix Revolution, the open plains of Gondor are just far more grandiose to look at. Just like the end of The Two Towers, when the Rohirrim riders charge into thousands of Orcs, I couldn't help but feel my own blood boiling. Yet the giant spider Shelob is still more terrifying than all the orcs, trolls, mammoths, including even Aragog, the giant spider in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
There are so many elements in Book V and VI of The Lord of the Rings, I was afraid that a lot of story would be pushed away by the special effects. I should've trusted Peter Jackson and the actors to know better, as the acting is top-notch and the plotlines never seem rushed. A couple of times, I even feel the movie drags a little, but that's a very minor complaint.
There are couple of things missing in the movie, and I'm positive that would show up in the extended version of the DVD. One is the fate of Saruman and Grima Wormtongue is not revealed, in fact, both are MIA in the final chapter of the movie, contrary to the book. Second is the relationship between Eowyn and Faramir is also undeveloped, leaving yet another open subplot. Third is how the Rohirrims arrives at Minas Tirith with the help of the Woses, the Wild Men of the Woods. Then there's Denethor, who, in the extended edition of The Two Towers, reveals that he wants the ring for himself and hopes that Boromir would retrieve it. However, since Faramir releases Frodo and Sam to destroy the ring, he feels betrayed by his son. This would better explaine his behaviour later on, but is cut for obvious reasons.
Some minor characters and story elements are cut, like Beregond and the Scouring of the Shire. Of course, adding the last few chapters of the book to the movie will drag it way too long and totally interrupts its flow.
Some final thoughts:
As I watch men, elves and dwarf knee before the four small hobbits, I realize that even though Frodo and Sam are the ones who destroy the One Ring, both Merry and Pippin are also instrumental in the battle against Sauron ¨C they convince the ents to fight against Saruman the White, Pippin helps Gandalf to defend Minas Tirith and saves Faramir's life and Merry helps Eowyn to slay the ringwraith leader Nazgul. All are heroes whom would've been brushed aside at first glance. Bravo!