Exceeds Expectations! Biggest Disappointment: No More Movies!

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2003)

This movie exceeded my expectations, and I had pretty high expectations! LOTR continues to put the new Star Wars to shame! It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I knew what was coming! And after seeing this movie, I am now underwhelmed by the vast majority of trailers for other movies. It's like being offered old Hershey's Kisses after you have had the greatest chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, molten chocolate souffle, chocolate truffles, and hot chocolate that you have ever tasted in your life.
As a fan of the books, I was again amazed with how true the interpretation was to the spirit of Tolkien. Phillipa Boyens and Fran Walsh never get enough credit for how well they succeeded in adapting such a huge and complex book into a workable screenplay! Of course there were minor changes but nothing that sticks out like in FOTR (Arwen as Xena Warrior Princess) or in TT (Elves at Helms Deep).
Weta Works has really outdone themselves. The battle scenes in ROTK make the battle for Helm's Deep look unremarkable! (It's not a spoiler to say there will be battles in this movie, is it??) Minas Tirinth was a sight to behold, more beautiful than anything I could have imagined myself. The panoramic shots of the battle absolutely were epic. I know the word is used a lot, but I can't think of a better word to describe this movie.
The acting was great as well. I believe that Sean Astin gave the best performance of the movie as Sam. John Noble ruled the screen whenever he appeared as Lord Denethor and left me wishing for more scenes! I thought that Agent Smith - I mean Hugo Weaving - could have displayed deeper emotions as Elrond, but that is my only real (and somewhat minor) complaint.
I can't believe I have to wait nearly a year for the extended version DVD. The biggest disappointment is that there are no more LOTR movies to wait for now. (Plea to Peter Jackson: what about another trilogy from Tolkien's The Silmarillion??)
11/10 -- this better win a bunch of academy awards!