Epically stunning: BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2003)

Rating: 5/5 (Caution: Before reading this review, make sure you have already seen the movie, because it contains lots of SPOILERS.) After Legolas, the slick, arrow-slinging elf, single-handedly takes out a war elephant and its armed drivers, Gimli, the stubby and ill-tempered dwarf, enviously growls, `Bah! That still only counts as one!' A great counterpart of what makes The Lord of the Rings film trilogy exceptional is the abundance of heart and overwhelming storytelling its sets. Using the war elephant stint as a prime example, director Peter Jackson has only proven to be one of the few to transplant the era of a fictional world and make it so tangible. In J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy of Middle-earth, the creator managed to uplift the confidence of several major characters. For instance Aragorn, who begins as the obscure Lone Rider, takes a stand as a prominent leader in the fight to throw off Sauron's forces. Sam, Frodo's dedicated servant, at last takes the ring's concerns in `his own hands,' rendering some promising decisions that make up for Frodo's inability to contend with Sauron's threat. Even the two childish Hobbits, Merry and Pippin, shine as assertive and heroic supporters. Along with Gandalf, these characters surprisingly rise above the lack of significance to defend the evils of the world.
Secondly, the visual effects are thoroughly integrated into the plot and the various sub-plots that are held within the texture. The gargantuan war elephants, super-sized eagles, and Shelob, the enormous cave spider, are accurately depicted in movement, sound, and effect on its environment. The revival of the elf country, Rivendell, resembles the art of Thomas Kinkade in motion, while the heights of the newly-introduced Minas Tirith is a climb in cinema vision. Not to mention the return of Smeagol, this time with wickedness in his pupils, and a clever reference to his unreal transformation into the gangly Gollum. The typical villain would not meet the protagonist until the finale, but in this epic tale, Smeagol has deceptively been traveling at Frodo's side. The music only enforces the enrichment of this far-off place. Tunes of both returning and newly-created unite to insist the reality of what this world of feelings holds. Revisiting Rivendell reprised the full-scale melody of the brass and strings, while Minas Tirith belonged to a tune of courage and hope. What makes The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King perhaps the greatest conclusion to an epic is its end to all sub-plots, a mistake that The Matrix: Revolutions did not fulfill. Aragorn and Arwen? The survival of the Elves? Bilbo's return? Competition between elf and dwarf? Every character (excluding Saruman) is handed with a certain fate, whether death or survival, success or loss, marriage or another `adventure.' Under the conclusion to the ring, there is reunion, love, duty, and lots of sadness.