Superelf to the rescue...

Rating: 8/10 (2 November 2010)

I'm a huge fan of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, but strangely enough I don't mind too much that liberties have been taken with the original story to suit Peter Jackson's cinematic rendering: I understand and accept that changes are inevitable when adapting such an epic work for the big screen. What I cannot forgive, however, is giving Legolas' superpowers during the Battle of Pelennor Fields and cutting out one of my favourite parts the book—Saruman's fate (I know Christopher Lee feels the same way!).
Watching a poorly rendered elf leaping around with impossible ease on a CGI 'oliphaunt' before killing all on board and sliding down the trunk (allowing Gimli to make another wisecrack) is going a step too far in my book, reminding me of the awful digital excesses that were to follow in Jackson's next film, King Kong (shudder); rounding off the film without showing us what happens to Lee's evil white wizard and his slimy pal Grima Wormtongue is an even worse decision, one that leaves fans of the book wondering whether they fell asleep before the end and missed an entire chunk (yeah, yeah, I know this bit is in the extended edition, but I'm talking about the version I paid to see at the cinema!).
The Return of the King is still a very impressive effort, with stunning battle scenes, a genuinely creepy giant spider, an army of ghosts, and a thrilling climax that takes place inside an erupting volcano, and I'm grateful to all involved for realising what many considered to be totally un-filmable, but I really wanted the last chapter to be the best of the lot. And it isn't.
Oh well, fingers crossed for The Hobbit...