One word - Perfect.

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2003)

In my opinion, this movie is absolutely flawless. Never have I witnessed such a perfect movie. It doesn't get any better than this, nor will it ever again.
But some people still think there are flaws.
Well, I suppose people are entitled to be wrong.
The long ending needs to be the way it is. Not just because that's how the book is (actually, the book is longer at the end), but because we have to have an ending that ends the story of all the important people involved with the Ring. It is ONE ending, about the people involved with the ONE Ring.
The absence of Saruman. Not a flaw. It's about how much Peter Jackson is allowed to put in theaters. He has a time limit. Saruman's only filmed scene in the movie was 7 minutes long and all dialogue and at the beginning of the movie. That's seven minutes that we could be getting on to more important things. Let's face it: Saruman is not the main bad guy. Sauron is. Saruman was defeated at Isengard by the Ents, because Isengard itself was destroyed and his army was destroyed at Helm's Deep. He is now imprisoned inside his tower to live in misery. He got what he deserves. Now it's time to deal with the real bad guy.
It's also kind of a chance for redemption for Saruman. Remember, he was once good. He only turned evil because he was corrupted by his lust for the ring. But even so, he DOES get the torture he deserves. Death is too good for him. Let him rot. So what if we don't see him? Besides, he will be in the extended version released later next year.
This is truly a great film. After it was over, I thought I was dreaming because movies are never THIS good. A lot are really great and all, but none come even close to how good this one is. Nor will they ever. It's absolutely incredible, and no complement I give it will do the movie justice. It's untouchable, and will go down in film history as the greatest film of all time.