A Perfect Ten

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2003)

About half an hour removed from seeing "Return of the King" movie for the first time, I am quite convinced of it being "a ten," but also of its place in cinematic history: one of the greatest adventure film of all time, right up there with Empire Strikes Back, which I often declare as my favorite movie of all time.
It is a wonderful adaptation of Tolkien's tale: all three were pretty good at this, but "Return of the King" stands out. Battles are more spectacular, tensions are going through the roof, and even acting performances were quite sublime; it's a quality not many look for or expect out of fantasy action films, but one that highly improves them nevertheless.
The movie hits at all levels: action, suspense, mystery, joy and sadness among many emotions that it resonates. We laugh and (some of us) cry with the characters. We love the good and disparage the evil. The battles not only entertain us but also enhance these human elements of the tale, and that is something that's done quite rarely.
Three and a half hours flew by, and I was left quite mesmerized. And then wanting to see the deleted scenes that will eventually be added to the upcoming extended version. But first of all, I will go and see it again on big screen.