Almost a masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (25 December 2003)

LOTR-3 is probably the most astonishing achievement in computerized effects in film history - a masterpiece in this field, and it will stay so for a long time. I is a great piece of visual arts, and a good film in many other respects - well acted and directed, complex plot, with many interesting threads. However, in my opinion it fails to be the masterpiece that some viewers see in it. For the many of us who did not read the book the plot is still not very much more than a legend, which fails to bear too deep meanings. And although the last series is a little bit more human and touching than the previous ones, many of the characters are still one-dimensional. The biggest failure is however the ending - very long and redundant. If the film ended 20 minutes earlier, it would have been better.

Nevertheless, these minus points are small compared to the high level of the camera work, visual and sound effects and production. It is probably the best film of the year, and it gets 9 out of 10 on my personal scale.