Army of the Dead, Army of the Dead, my god Army of the Dead!

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2003)

So, this movie was insane. Physically draining. I was sitting so close to the screen (silly traffic) that I felt like I was inside of the movie. While not flawless, Return of the King was an amazing end to an incredible trilogy. Filled with Oscar- or at least Golden Globe-worthy performances, it deserves every ounce of praise it's getting.
Best stuff: Army of the Dead. Absolutely incredible. Interaction with Aragorn, taking down the Oliphant...don't have to say anything else.

Close second: Eowyn's fight scene with the Witch King. a.k.a. Miranda Otto kicks ass.
Peter Jackson rocks. He has done what no one before him ever has: come from relative obscurity to film not one but THREE epic films at once, satisfied both critics and die hard fans of one of the most popular series of all time, and refused to do it Hollywood's way. If you doubt this, I urge you to watch all the extras on the Extended Edition DVDs.
As for the actors: Sean Astin has broken free of Rudy and The Goonies, Viggo Mortensen has escaped B action films, and Ian McKellan, far from concluding his career, has become the coolest senior citizen on the planet. I even love Elijah Wood, who did a great job looking disgusting, evil and confused by turns. But to me, the standout in this film is Billy Boyd. We see his character grow up and really understand the world in this film. He is the deepest character of the Fellowship.
Oh, and thanks to Peter for bringing venerable British actors like Bernard Hill and John Noble to American audiences who had previously never heard of them, and also for Miranda Otto, who puts new Aussies like Naomi Watts to shame.

My votes for the Oscars? Ian McKellan deserves one this time, since they denied him two years ago. He might score the Golden Globe too. Viggo? Maybe...but he'll be beaten by Ben Kingsley. Sean Astin? Golden Globe I think. And Ian, Viggo, Sean, Billy, Bernard and Elijah should all be nominated for the Globes, regardless of who wins. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Give Andy Serkis an Oscar/Golden Globe. Since he's actually in this movie in the flesh, you can skirt the CGI objection and give it to him. He deserves recognition from someone besides MTV.
That's my two cents. Maybe I'll say more after I've seen it another 5 times...