Great film but frustrated at times

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2003)

Well first off i should say that I have yet to read the LOTR trilogy. I think that definitely makes a big difference when analyzing the movie. As an adaptation of a book, I guess those who have read them are in awe of this movie. As a stand alone movie in itself, i felt it missed some things but was still entertaining.
First off, considering the 3rd chapter is basically one battle and Frodo and Sam finally reaching Mount Doom, it essentially didn't have to be 3.5hrs long. A good 45 minutes could have been removed.
***Spoiler*** As for the ending, they definitely could have left it with everyone bowing to the hobbits and left the rest for the LOTR fanatics to the extended edition.
The acting was better than the first two films, especially Sam played by Sean Astin. The rest of the cast showed better range in this last film.
The battle scenes and special effects were quite amazing. Shelob and oliphants were created beautifully and all the battle scenes were top notch.
As a whole, the movie was great but i kept thinking to myself "let's keep it moving..no need to slow down here". In essence i was impatient but the visuals kept me entertained.
I found myself very frustrated at times watching it but that really isn't anyones fault considering it was basically derived from what Tolkien has ridden. I just found myself annoyed at times.
I must confess that this movie is made to be viewed as a whole and when that's done it is truly a masterpiece as oppose to the individual films we have seen the past 3 years. There's a greater appreciation for what Peter Jackson has done in bringing us this treasured fable to life.
In conclusion I give this movie a 8.5/10.