For those who don't get it...

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2004)

Having read some of the comments regarding 'The Return of the King', there are one or two that I find quite startling.
Firstly, I couldn't believe that anybody would go to see this film without having seen the first two in the trilogy. 'The Two Towers' doesn't include a recap of the events in its predecessor, and neither does this one. How on earth could you expect to enjoy the film on the same level? These are not three separate stories: they are one tale told in three episodes. The multiple endings are not meant to wrap up a standard two-hour movie: by the time the extended version is available it will be the closing act of what is effectively one film that is eleven hours long. (One of the book's final chapters, 'The Scouring of the Shire', was omitted from this adaptation as it was not the main climax to the story.)
Mention of the book leads to my second point, regarding those who accuse Peter Jackson of plagiarising the works of George Lucas. These claims obviously hail from those who have never read a literary classic in their life, and believe that there was no such thing as fantasy before 'Star Wars'. 'The Lord of the Rings' (in case you didn't know) is a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien that is split into three volumes; they were published in 1954 and 1955. Furthermore, it was written as a kind of sequel to 'The Hobbit', by the same author, published in 1937. Peter Jackson, whilst taking some necessary liberties with his version, has stuck closely to the original.
So it could be argued, for example, that the respective 'demises' of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn while, in each case, witnessed by their younger companion are heavily influenced by the events in the Mines of Moria in 'The Fellowship of the Ring'- and not the other way around.
'The Lord of the Rings' can represent many things to many people, but there are two meanings of the title that are universally acknowledged: it is one of the best trilogies you will ever read; it is also probably the finest one you will ever see.
Congratulations to Peter Jackson, his co-writers, cast and crew for creating an amazing movie-going experience.