a fitting end to the trilogy - SPOILERS

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2003)

I can't believe it's finally over-- the three year rollercoaster that we, the viewing audience have been honoured to ride.
Well, it was a fitting ending, and almost completely satisfying. Aragorn deservedly reclaimed his crown, and Viggo Mortenson claimed a place in the pantheon of actors who are made for the role they play.
The Hobbits, who I detested in both the first and second movie, won me over so completely that I shall be defending them to any and all naysayers. A special mention goes to Sean Astin, who moved this cynical moviegoer to tears.
Gandalf, and Ian McKellan lived up to their reputations.
The battle scenes were incredible.
There were certain areas where booklovers (such as myself) may have felt cheated, but I am hopeful that we will see the return of some left out scenes in the extended edition DVD which has become such an integral part of the LOTR world. After all, there were a lot of stories and loose ends that had to be tied up in only 3.5hours of screen time-- realistically they did the best they could to fit in as many of the highpoints as possible. It would have been impossible to fit in everything and everybody.
As to the movie as a whole, it was good-- not without flaws, not perfect, but good. The CGI let them down occasionally, some of the dialogue was trite, some of the editing felt rushed, and almost none of the characters, except the hobbits and gandalf got the closure they deserved. Certain characters were treated abysmally-- with what we got eventually, did we even need to see the character of Eomer, or see the unrequited love of Eowyn-- after all, no pay-off was given. Characterisation was also given less emphasis than perhaps was needed, but then we had met all of the characters before, and they were well established, therefore you could argue that less time was needed for this.
However, very few films are perfect, and as stand-alone films go, this was certainly enough to keep me happy. As the final third of a 9hr+ movie this was indeed a fitting ending.
I shall be watching it again at the cinema, and I will be rushing to buy the extended edition DVD, despite it's flaws.
Go see it, but be warned, you might not get everything you wished for.
Go see it with no expectations, or if you've never read the books, and you will be in for one of the treats of the movie year.
8/10